Crazy paving

The various works that have been done to Riverside Drive in recent years have produced unusual pavements.

On the Ham Lands side of the road is the fine orange grit that has blighted other parts of Ham, such as the path along Church Road. On the other side the stretch between Croft Way and Hardwicke Road has got a chess board look that is so vivid that you can see if clearly from the satellite photos in Apple Maps.

Butterfly

I do not normally take close-up pictures of plants or animals as I prefer to see them in situ. For example, I am interested in the ducks on Ham Pond because they are on Ham Pond and not because they are ducks. This butterfly is a rare exception to my golden rule.

I was walking randomly though Ham Lands (randomly is always the best way to walk) somewhere near Teddington Lock when I noticed a lot of butterflies and wanted to capture the mood they brought. They would disappear in a landscape photo and they do not flock so the only way to capture this Meadow Brown was in a close-up.

Barge Lock at Teddington

The Barge Lock at Teddington never fails to impress due to its sheer size. This is the familiar view from the upstream gate looking downstream towards Richmond. The gates are about to be repaired and it will be interesting to see what changes that brings to the Lock. And that is a good excuse to keep walking past in the coming weeks.

Plant pots and baskets at Teddington Lock

It is not just the garden at Teddington Lock that is pretty, the keepers brighten up their office too with pot plants, hanging baskets and a window box.

Garden on Teddington Lock

I've taken pictures of the little garden on Teddington Lock before and I am sure that I will do so again simply because it is so colourful, even in late Summer.

Flooded path

There was a time when I knew the times of the high-tides and made a point of heading for the towpath downstream (east) of Ham House to see the highest tides rise and fall. I've spent some time stranded on benches and loved every minute of it.

But that was then and now the tides are a matter of chance, so I was caught unaware by a recent high tide that completely covered the path for several metres. The normal edge of the towpath is the line of vegetation that cuts through the middle of the picture.

A few people got past by crossing on a wobbly fallen tree while the majority, myself included, waded through in bare feet. It was fun.

The sun sets on Ham Common Woods

The section of Ham Common Woods immediately to the east of Upper Ham Road has fewer trees than it used to (they were scandalously cleared to make the church more visible) but it still presents an impressively natural panorama.

This is the view from Ham Farm Road looking north towards Church Road with the busy Upper Ham Road just off to the left.

Cross at St Andrew's

Generally I find St Andrew's Church to be a dull building in a dark location so it is not featured here very often. The cross at the front is an exception to the dullness and it also manages to rise above the darkness to bask in the sun. That, and the lichen, make it worth taking a photograph of.

Pumping Station

I know this sign is grubby and stuck to a manhole cover but that is why I like it.

A lot of my pictures are taken away from the usual eye-line and this is a case in point. The obvious thing to do when taking the path from Ham Farm Road to Church Road is to look at the trees and the things flying through them but if you look down at the ground at the Ham Farm Road end you will see the manhole covers that give notice of the pumping station beneath.

Two ivies on Upper Ham Road

The near twins Ivy House and Ivy Cottage on Upper Ham Road are both cocooned in ivy but they can be told apart by the size of their leafs and the general tidiness of their trim. On the left is a teenage girl who cares desperately about her appearance whereas hew twin brother on the right has let his hair grow long and wild. He will go bald soon.

Fixing Morgans

Morgans was completed just four years ago and is now having some substantial looking repairs done to it. There are few clues as to what that work is, e.g. no signs of new tiles, windows or paint, but the scaffolding that circles the rendered section of the block has been there for several months now which suggests that it is a big job.