Lines in the grass

This is meant to be a "before" photo but of what I do not know.

On a patch of grass on Horsley Drive in Royal Park Gate there are a couple of wooden pegs and some yellow lines faded by the recently departed snow. I presume that they are the heralds for something and probably something planted because one of the lines touches one of the trees.

More obvious in this light is a separate yellow square nearby. A place to plant another tree maybe?

New street lights on Ham Common

This started as a simple recording of works taking place, just as I did when the lights along Upper Ham Road were replaced in 2019, but while those lights were replaced without a fuss, this time there has been something of a commotion.

The problem that some people see is that the old lights looked older than they were and they wanted that fake old look retained.

Replacing the chunky green street light is this thin black one. You have to make a point of standing somewhere like this to even notice it but angry words are being spoken about the desecration of the conservation area. I have no problem with them at all.

The argument has forced me to take a detailed look at the lights around the Common and it is surprising just how many variations of poles and lamps there still are even after the latest round of replacements.

Snow Day - Sunday 24 January 2020

It does not snow in Ham very often and it settles even less so when it does I like to record the event here. I started on Ham Common where I was not the only person busy taking photographs. 

Melancholy Walk tries to live up to its name but the snow wont let it.

Ham House provides a rare spot of almost colour.

Looking through the side gate into Ham House shows a few footprints from eager visitors. Apparently it was sold out that day and the were not allowing walk-ins despite the obvious lack of people in the garden.

In the field in front of Ham House a row of low stumps reveals where the road to the house used to be.

The Cottage awaits its fate

I had not noticed The Cottage in Sudbrook Lane before, either it was hidden behind a hedge or it was too dull to attract attention, but now it is impossible to mis as it stands there naked in a naked garden.

The Cottage is clearly ready for redevelopment and is of limited architectural interest but it is also within the Petersham Conservation Area so the options for change are limited. I suspect that this site is going to keep me interested for the rest of 2021, if not longer.

AO53 HMA parks fully on the pavement

Usually when I complain about a car parked on the pavement they only have two wheels on but AO53 HMA has chosen to park all of the car on the pavement and in a very awkward spot.

Gort Cottage

Gort Cottage in Petersham Road is the little brother to Gort House next door. The proliferation of pointed roofs, protruding windows and half-timbered facade give it something of a haunted house look while the neat new fence tries to give it an air of normality. 

Planting behind Manor House

Almost the only view of the extensive grounds behind Manor House in Ham Street is from Cut Throat Alley and I always use the opportunity to peer in when walking that way. I took a photo of the grounds quite a while ago and I had seen nothing of note there since then, until now.

The north-west corner, nearest Ham Street, is being filled with holly bushes which, in turn, are being hidden behind more decorative rhododendrons. 

I heartily approve of more planting in the grounds but am a little confused as to why it is being done as I have never seen anyone out in the grounds who could benefit from the prettier view. I suspect, and it is just my theory, that the area is being planted precisely because it is one of the few places that you can see in.

RIJ 38 gets a ticket

Bishops Close is a quiet dead-end off Ham Common but that is no excuse for parking on the pavement, as RIJ 38 has found to its cost.

Pink flamingo

The last time that I saw some graffiti by the entrance to Petersham Nurseries, in 2011, it was one of several identical images created for a campaign (I think I saw one of those recently but cannot remember where) but I have no idea what the context of this one is.