Spring?

It may be a little premature to celebrate the end of the snow and the cold harsh winds we have had of late by across Ham early flowers are boldly announcing the start of the new growing season. These croci look like little flecks of yellow and white paint spilled by an unthinking white-van-man as he sped over the humps along Petersham Road.

Silver birches

Ham Lands is a magical place to explore with its confusing paths leading through dense woods and open fields. If you wander around enough then you will come across this clutch of silver birches that have claimed a little corner of the wilderness for themselves.

Fat heron

Keeping a watchful eye on the fish swimming in the lake at Thames Young Mariners is a statuesque heron who needs feeding, like we all do, to fight the deep chill of this winter.

Blue plastic roof

It looks as though Morgans (on the corner of Ham Common and Upper Ham Road), which opened almost exactly two years ago, is having a few teething problems and the fake Georgian look is now blighted by the bright blue plastic protecting the sheds. The older, grander and wiser Cassel Hospital looks on bemused.

Weir

Despite its relatively small size, Ham has several iconoclastic views, such as across Ham Common towards the pond and the approach to Ham House from the river. Another famous view is this one of the Thames as it curls past the weir at Teddington towards Kingston.

Battered boat

The number of boats moored upstream of Teddington Lock seems to be growing steadily, though many seem to be avoiding the new official moorings just by the locks. This one is at the southern end of Ham and looks to have come here to die peacefully.

Sprawling tree

The sunlight, when it can be bothered to come out to play, is often dramatic at this time of the year as it hangs low but bright in the sky like a shy girl at a party who cannot hide her beauty. The light has pulled and stretched this tree in all directions until it fills the sky.

Lock Jumps Club

I've been a fan of the increasingly brutal BMX course by Teddington Lock for years (you can look up the earlier posts yourself) and have watched its growth with interest. The latest development is this bold sign proudly claiming the course for the Lock Jumps Club.

Under the bridge

The recentish additions to Teddington Footbridge try to blend in with the nearby trees in Ham Lands but the rustic look is somewhat spoilt by the crude nature of the construction which is exposed as you walk underneath it. The bridge is functional but with little beauty, like most film music.