Dips

This may not look very much but these dips in Ham Common Woods, opposite Latchmere Close, are popular with small children on bikes who like to launch themselves down the (relatively) steep bank at the far end.

Flowers for Peter Vahl

Two small bunches of flowers have been laid on Peter Vahl's bench on the tow path and this weekend's bright sunshine provided the perfect opportunity to pause on the bench, watch the world go by and think about all the people who have enjoyed walking in this beautiful area.

Ormeley Lodge in December

The low Winter sun shines brightly on Ormeley Lodge but the front wall is shaded by the trees across the road in Ham Common Woods, which makes the house stand out even more.

Still working on Latchmere Lodge

I'm keeping an eye on the progress on Latchmere Lodge and every time that I go past I can hear the sounds of work being done inside but there still seems quite a bit to do.

Graves

The graveyard at St Andrews church eats in to Ham Common Woods which means that you can see into it and across it from many angles. I chose this angle mainly for the shock of red in the corner.

Ham Common in December

The trees are bare and the sun does not get very high, bright or warm, but Ham Common is still an uplifting place. The trees in the middle of the picture are part of the avenue that leads directly to Ham House.

Reston Lodge

Reston Lodge is the most visually impressive of the larger houses clustered around Tommy Steele Corner because, uniquely, it is a brilliant white and it does not hide its grandeur behind a massively tall wall, unlike many of its bashful neighbours.

Looking across Ham Common Woods

One impact of opening up the view of St Andrews Church from the road is that you also open up the view of the road from the church. Previously the trees and brambles screened off the ugly urban world but now it intrudes in to what used to be an area of rural tranquillity.

Gated path

One of the nice things about several of the built up areas in Ham is that there are small paths, or twittens, that allow pedestrians to move more freely through the area. This one links Stretton Road and Wiggins Lane and, bizarrely, has a gate in the middle of it.