The growing island

The little island in Ham Pond was enlarged a couple of years ago and now it has been enlarged again. It has also been planted and covered in mesh to give the plantings a chance to grow..

Like last time, I suspect that this is an attempt to encourage birds, particularly the swans (now gone), to nest away from the edge where they can be got at by dogs.

Generally I approve but I would have liked a little bit more thought given to all the needs of all of the wildlife. The enlarged island has consumed the rock that the turtle loved to sun itself on and once the mesh has been removed there will be no posts, other than around the edge where the people and the dogs are, for birds to perch on.

New railings at Pond House

I've been following the works on Pond House in the south-west corner of Ham Common for quite a while and I will feel a touch relief when it is finally finished. I have other local projects I need to keep an eye on.

In the weeks since I last took a picture of the works in progress the house has gained some attractive railings. Let's hope that there will soon be a pretty garden to look at through them.

One of our walls was missing

All the previous pictures that I have taken of this have been taken from the side of the house through the large gate so it was something of a shock to walk past and find the high brick wall gone.

While the wall's disappearance gives a better view of the house it is too high a cost to pay. High brick walls define that part of Ham and are found surrounding Beaufort Lodge, Ham Manor, Ham House and others.

Losing the wall here is a big mistake and I am astonished that somebody thought of it and that somebody else allowed it.

Update: According to a comment posted below the wall is being rebuilt. I hope that is true and I'll be back there soon to check.

Further update: As the second comment below says, the wall has been rebuilt.

It was good to be able to see the full-frontal view of the house when the old wall had been taken down but it is better that it is back and it will be even better once the wall has weathered a little and starts to look as dark as its much old neighbours.

Royal Oak

One of the purposes of this blog is to record things before they disappear so that not all of the many incremental changes in Ham go passed unnoticed and we forget and regret what we used to have.

So with the Royal Oak looking unlikely to reopen as a pub I wanted to capture the pub sign that is unlikely to still be there if/when it becomes a house.

Small meadow

This little patch of ground caught my eye several times as I went past on the bus and even though it is quite of the way for one of my walks (I tend to avoid main roads) I made a special effort to go there just to take this picture.

These flowers are busy brightening up the small space between The Dysart and the footpath that takes you around the churchyard. What the space lacks in size it makes up for in colour. It is all very jolly and a much needed reminder that Summers are meant to have flowers.

Olympic buses

One of the signs (literally) of the Olympics has been the notices of disruption on all the 371 and 65 bus stops, i.e. all the bust stops in Ham. Between the warning and the bus stop name is narrow strip of distinctive Olympic Pink that temporarily replaces the TfL red, a hint of which can be seen at the edge.

Olympic Rings

The route the Olympic Flame took through Ham and Petersham is decked with all sort of bunting most of which uses elements of the Union Flag. This is all very patriotic and jolly but not specific to the Olympics. Which is why I love these hoops on a cottage on the Petersham Road so much. They are simple, imaginative, relevant and just so very right. Well done!

The Theatre of Flora

You do not get much of a feel for what The Theatre of Flora is about from this picture as it is a sound installation. This work by Kathleen Herbert’s explores connections between the current financial climate and the 17th century Dutch speculation in tulip bulbs through fragments of speech that bounce around the garden from the speakers.

What you do get a feel for is how pretty this section of the garden looks with its tall grasses, central floral display and protecting brick wall around it.