I’ve been reading through the blog of a friend of mine recently. A lot of it I’ve read before - but a fair bit of it I haven’t for various reasons, so it’s nice to go back and catch up on her life a bit more. (For those wondering - it’s the lovely “Not Quite a farm” blog). One of the things I utterly adore about her blogging style is that she posts with masses of photos attached from her various adventures - it makes reading through such a treat! Anyway - this inspired me to take some photos on my glorious after work amble today - and let’s be honest, anything that encourages photo taking also encourages us to really look at our surroundings which is a good thing, agreed?!
First thing to catch my eye was these lovely Ox Eye Daisies. I love these - they seem quite content to grow in all sorts of places - alongside railway lines; in great drifts on motorway embankments; and here - on a patch of scrubby land just yards from the busy A12 dual carriageway.
Next was this Vetch - another tenacious little plant, this grows everywhere in the area I was walking although it’s right at the beginning of its flowering season.
Comfrey is also growing in profusion- a useful plant this as it can be grown as part of a green manure system for veg growing. The leaves can be steeped in water to make Comfrey tea - a nutritious fertiliser (and a stinky one!) or they can be chopped up and dug into beds for future veggie planting. We may well be searching out some leaves later in the year!
The area I had chosen to walk is Wanstead Flats - an area of parkland/scrubland which is also part of the corporation of London’s Epping Forest. It’s lovely to have it so close to work and a great place for walking or indeed running. It’s finally drying out a bit from our very wet winter and this was the first time I’d braved the mud so far this year.
Gorgeous, isn’t it! You can see the mix of woodland and more open space - almost heathland I guess as the soil underfoot always feels quite sandy, although with enough London Clay to make it stick to your boots when wet!
As you walk through the woods every now and again you come across a lovely shady little glade like this - with the trees through here now in full leaf it just felt unbelievably green and lush - and really brought it home that yes, finally, spring is here!
In case a reminder of the proximity of Central London itself is required, look carefully at the shot above and you will just see the Shard way off on the horizon!
Finally, after a couple of miles of gentle meandering, I found myself back close to where the car was parked. And as the sun was still shining, I was able to settle down at a bench in a nearby park to write this and then read my book while waiting for MrEH to get back from his working day, so we could head home.
Not a bad end to a working day!
Robyn
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