It's a walk in the park.
I do like that phrase as a euphemism for something that's as easy as … well … a walk in the park.
I do like that phrase as a euphemism for something that's as easy as … well … a walk in the park.
This was Monday lunchtime. Regrettably, two weeks of storms had stripped the trees of most of their prettiest leaves but the place is still so gorgeous that even a glimpse of the Parasite House cannot spoil the mood.
I promise I've not tweaked any of the colours or saturation on any of these photos; they're just as they came out of the camera.This metasequoia glyptostroboides (I love that name) is even more extreme in full sunlight. You can check it in my old Park Life posts from a few Novembers ago. Awesome!
This year I just missed its glory, thanks to the poxy weather.
Hey ho. It's still pretty though.
Down the lake to Horse Guards, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Eye.Sweet.
Some parts of London have still got it.
Parks are for strolling.St.James's Park (as you should all know by now) is my favourite lunchtime haunt.
Come stroll with me.
As I said earlier, the storms left us very little to look at, but plane trees make for decent eye candy at any time of the year.
Yowza!This is what lunchtimes in November are all about.
Beech trees. Yay!They hang on to their leaves like a miser; even more Scrooge-like than the little oak in the foreground.
And talking of leaves …The state of my shoes when I got back to the office testifies to the fun I had kicking my way through the drifts in the park.
Mostly horse chestnut and plane, this lot.
The squirrel up near the top left was hassling passers-by for their lunch.
On a day like this only a moron would eat lunch in the office.I popped up Regent Street to Piccadilly and grabbed teriyaki chicken, then ate it right here on a bench.
Er …Actually she was halfway to a yoga position.
I think it's "the crab", named after how crabby you bet when you put your back out.
Inevitably …
So … Maybe the storms of November will let me get some good autumn leaves photos next year. They rather spoiled it this time around but at least a walk in the park is always a great way to spend a lunch break.Toodle Pip!
14 comments:
I don't think the storms spoiled anything—these photos are beautiful, Dive. And catching that woman halfway into a yoga position is brilliant. Thanks for the walk in the park.
That looks like a great walking park. Nice photos too. A walk in the park is a great stress reliever.
You're welcome, Robyn.
Mark: It amazes me the amount of people who walk AROUND the parks on their way to work rather than through them. I'm often quite alone in there and can catch glimpses of crowded footpaths along the boundaries.
It's little wonder people are so stressed. After my hellish commute I NEED those few minutes in the park to breathe and clear my mind before starting work.
Gorgeous! And how I would love a walk there. I really MUST get out of this house to enjoy the weather...and soon.
Hi, Katherine!
One of the books I'm currently reading is Shelby Foote's big ol' three volume narrative of the Civil War and I can't help but think of you whenever the action shifts to your own neighbourhood; especially your wonderful 'Poems From The Battlefield' and the glorious photographs you take on your wanderings around those haunting sites.
Time to get out your walking shoes, wrap up warm and grab the camera.
Ah Fall. Such gorgeous trees and leaves. Even though you have to suffer through a horrible commute, at least you have this wonderful London park as your weekday stomping ground.
Wow the first pic is gorgeous! Not only because of Buck House but the water, it's all lovely. Like, too, the crabby woman. he he what a capture!
Great pics! The storms ruined our autumn foliage as well. I was expecting some extraordinary color this year. Oh well. Your yoga lady is either extremely flexible or very young or both. I do yoga, but wouldn't even think about that.
Lovely pictures; the beech trees are just wonderful. The pin oaks here this year are fiery red and are just lovely. California DOES have some trees that turn colors in the fall; at least northern CA.
Great photos! And the park looks like a wonderful place to saunter through. Glad you have that respite.
Lovely pics Son...
Nice memories of my London trip in June. So pretty to see the same spot with fall colors! Are there still lots of birds, or do they migrate to somewhere warmer?
P.S. Went to the big Paris-Photo fair that just opened yesterday, and at one of the galleries spotted a giant street scene that was a flagrant example of Photoshop lens-tilting. Ha! Glad I know the trick, now. Didn't check its (probably excessive) price...
I think that Autumn is even more breathtaking than Spring, don't you?
Katie: Yes, it's a great sanity saver.
Lynn: I always try to get a shot of the Parasite House just for you. It was looking nice with the blue water.
Neetzy: Nor I! Sheesh, that would put me in traction.
Cynthia: California has some beautiful trees. Katie has been gradually educating me.
Ms.M: Sauntering is goooood.
Mum: You've been there so you know how nice it is.
Kim: Ah, yes, of course, we wandered through the park together when you and Arthur were here.
Most of our birds stay, though swallows leave us in the winter. We get a huge influx of arctic birds which is nice.
Lens-tilt does seem to be all the rage with photographers these days. It's nice to be able to fake it on the cheap. Hee hee.
Maria: For about two weeks it is, though being followed by winter it does have its sucky side.
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