The Olympic Torch comes to Ham

The Olympic Torch passed through Ham twice. The familiar relay of runners came up the Richmond Road the Tuesday before the Opening Ceremony but the major event was on the opening day itself when the torch was carried on the Royal Barge Gloriana down the river to London.

There were good crowds out along the route on both banks particularly around Teddington Lock where the large flotilla had to pause a while while being lowered down to the next stretch of the river.

Pots on the terrace

I have noticed that every time that I go to Ham House (and that is quite often) that I take a lot of photographs of the back of the house and of the terrace that stretches lazily in front of it. That is probably because it is as pretty as this picture.

Banquet of Sound at Ham House

The Garden of Reason continues at Ham House throughout the Summer and, thanks to being a member of both the National Trust and the Art Fund, I can pop-in as often as I like. On my most recent visit I was able to get a decent look at Banquet of Sound, by Tom Dale, without the distraction of brightly coloured people in the background.

New lights in Dukes Avenue

I think that this is the fourth time that I've written about works in this section of Dukes Avenue in the few years that I have been writing this blog. The road has been resurfaced, the entrance to Dysart Avenue has been remodelled and the Keep Left signs in the little traffic island have been replace. Now new lights are being put it.

The new lights are being put in alongside the old ones so there are currently pairs of lights along the road. The new ones are taller, set further back from the road and, I presume, use newer lights that are more energy efficient. It will be interesting to see what difference they make to the area once they are all working.

Fire hydrant

This fire hydrant makes a bold statement in the rare sunshine and is a thing of beauty in its own right. The appropriate maker's name makes it even better.

Thriving plant hides Little House

This is the last in the short series of houses on Ham Common that are struggling to keep their climbing plants under control.

This one is Little House on the corner of Ham Common and New Road and it is rather cute, when you can see it.

Flax Cottage

Flax Cottage is one of the several pretty houses on the south-west side of Ham Common (there are some less pretty one too) and it looks even prettier when the climber is in flower.

YE54 UKT breaks all the rules

I have not posted any bad parking pictures for a little while because nothing has really caught my attention. All the usual spots are still parked badly with great regularity and while I could take dozens of similar pictures of inconsiderate and dangerous parking they would be similar pictures and I prefer the unusual.

The middle aged woman who parked YE54 UKT on Ham Parade this morning steps above the usual mark for bad parking and so does warrant an appearance here.

Her Chelsea Tractor is parked across the dropped kerb that lets pedestrians cross the road easily and safely and a wheel is up on the pavement.

And if this was not bad enough, her efforts to get out of this space forced a couple of cars behind her to reverse out of the way because the way that she parked, and the size of space that she tried to squeeze in to, meant that she had no easy exit.

Lost windows

The ivy on Langham House is enjoying the weather and has burst in to rampant life. So much so that the upper windows have all but disappeared.

Fairground organ

I usually go to Ham Fair, held in June each year, and while there is a lot to see and do the scene is one of scruffy stands and scruffy people so there is nothing very photogenic about it. The one bright spot this year was a fairground organ that was as musical as it was colourful.

An unveiling

I had been waiting for several months for the covers to come off Pond House in the south west corner of Ham Common. It has been undergoing extensive renovation since it was sold last year and I was keen to see how it turned out.

I need not have bothered. It is a little brighter and a lot fresher but it is essentially the same plain house. It feels like a waste of a good plot.

HAG garden

The garden maintained by Ham Amenities Group on the south-east corner of Ham Common (opposite the Hand and Flower) is quite small and still manages to make an impressive visual impact. That is why I keep taking pictures of it.

Tulips at Ham House

The front of Ham House is so busy and decorative that it is easy to overlook the garden that is in front of it, which is a shame because it is very pretty in a subtle way.

Two low hedges run across the front of the house with the one nearest the house being taller and darker to produce a nice effect. This is made even better by the planting of tulips between them to add more contrasting colours and heights.