Trailers

Today was The Great River Race, the annual trek up the river from Docklands to Ham which brings with it all the people and paraphernalia needed to support the event. As part of this the recreation ground by the Ham Street car park gives way to cars and boat trailers.

Mind

This shop has been empty since last December when Wine Rack closed down and now it is finally coming alive again, though a charity shop is probably not what I would have wished for. But let's give it a chance to prove itself before making judgements.

Coloured glass

You have to walk around Ham slowly with your eyes wide open to spot its subtle treasures, like this coloured glass that makes a porch extension just a little special.

Changes in Upper Ham Road

I have mentioned before that these shops off Ham Common tend to change use fairly regularly and now some hefty refurbishment is being done. I was planning to wait for the work to complete before posting a picture but it has looked much like this for the last month or so and I've given up waiting. You will just have to guess what the finished result will look like and wait a little longer to see if you are right.

Fahrradraum

School bike sheds are a part of British folklore, it's where children are expected to have their first kiss and their first (and, hopefully, last) cigarette. But those bike sheds are nothing like the funky new one that now graces the furthest reaches of the playing fields behind the German School. It's just a shame that you have to search so hard to find it.

Is it a shed?

I last visited Petersham Nurseries in May and since then the tables and chairs for the tea drinkers and the cake eaters have spread even further like a cancer consuming more of the space that used to be left to plants, pots and paraphernalia.

Halting this progress, for the moment, is a fence that hides the building works that are still underway. A new building has risen from the rubble but has yet to declare its purpose.

LB55 AVX mounts the pavement

I've eased off the bad parking photos in recent months partially because there are just so many examples along Ham Parade every Saturday that it hardly seems worth bringing to attention but I do like dipping back in to the subject from time to time just to remind myself of the extent of the problem and LB55 AVX provided a good excuse for me to do this by managing to put both wheels firmly on the pavement. As always it is not the technical skills, or lack thereof, of the driver that concerns me, it's the selfish attitude which says that it is OK to block the pavement in this way.

Wheelbarrow with flowers

This battered and bruised wheelbarrow has outlived its usefulness in its original role as the workhorse of the garden and has earned its graceful retirement bringing colour and joy to people walking along Dysart Avenue.

Ham Farm Road

Ham Farm Road twists and turns as it struggles to escape from Upper Ham Road and the Common but its flight is ultimately futile as it disappears in to the clutches of Parkleys. Even the sign that announces the road's presence is losing the battle for recognition.

Car Club Only

Car Clubs are becoming increasingly popular, particularly in cities, as a way of people to have access to cars when they need them without needing to go through the pain and expense of actually owning one. These cars need homes and this one is in Lammas Road.