Winter is here

My father and I went to stretch our legs at 2.45ish in the afternoon, yesterday and the overcast sky was already getting dark. It was less of an enjoyable walk than an interesting one. There was nothing much to see apart from squirrels at any of usual haunts, and only Globe Pond rewarded us with some coots and ducks. Even the reliable ivy was completely devoid of insect life.

Quadron and TRUE had both clearly been at work. The Woodland was immaculately tidy, with leaves swept up and dead shrubbery cut back, and there was new clearance and fencing work in the ecological park. Nice to see it being cared for.

My first impression was that the leaves had well and truly fallen, with squirrel drays, bird nests and buildings visible from areas where leaves would have blocked the view only a month or so ago. But seeing the woodland from Stave Hill showed that there were still some patches of brown and orange in the woodland. Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, the Gherkin and the London Eye were all clearly visible, even against the cold grey sky.

All in all, it looked chilly, damp and desolate. Winter has well and truly set its mark on the place. It was almost dark by the time we arrived home at 3.30.

Today it has rained unmercifully all day.