Dukes Avenue closed for the day

I am trying to imagine what closing Dukes Avenue for a day is going to do for traffic in the area, though as a walker this has lttile direct impact on me. 

I note that when Dukes Avenue was last resurfaced in 2014 it was done over two nights, rather than during the day, precisely to avoid traffic problems. I am sure there is a good reason why Richmond Council is taking a different approach this time.

[Update: The signs disappeared quietly the day before and the work was not done.]

Making movies

There was more filming taking place at Ham House recently and all of the support vehicles were assembled in a corner of the Ham Polo site, next to the horse training field.

It was late in the day when I went past and someone was putting up lights to guide people walking between there and Ham House.

Crane

A problem with building a row of terrace houses without any rear access is that when you need something done at the back, such as an extension, then everything has to go either through the house or over it. Here someone in Yeovilton Place has chosen to go over it.

The houses in the foreground are in Northweald Lane.

Spelling mistake

Even I know it is spelled "Plumbing".

Christmas starts very early

The small Christmas display on the automatic door to Sainsbury's on Ham Parade is rather cute so I am happy to post it here, despite it being ridiculously early.

Putting up some lights

I do a lot of my walking late at night which means that the streets ate quite but there is less to see so it was a pleasant surprise when walking along Ham Prade at 11:30pm to see someone in the process of putting the winter lights up above the shops on the west side. 

b.t.w. I call them "winter lights" rather than "Christmas lights" because 21 November is a long way before the Christmas holiday. I grew up with Christmas starting on Chrismas Eve, that is when the tree went up and the presents were bought, and I am too old to change now.

HIgh tide by Ham Street

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It was all down to luck, I stopped checking the tide tables some years ago, that I arrived at the end of Ham Street as the water ws lapping up againgst the towpath. I suspect that it had been a little higher just before that and the path may even have been impassible, as it always is with a high tide.

The view looks natural enough but anyone familiar with the area, which is almost everyone in Ham, will realise that the high river has claimed a lot of land and a large concrete structure.

 

Looking the other way, downstream, The trees look dramatically out of place surrounded by water.

 

And to show just how far the water had come in, the emergency throwbag was out of range and so of little use.

New porch in Mead Road

Clearly the original porches in places like Mead Road, as seen on the house on the left, provide (very) limited shelter from the elements so it is understandable when they get converted to enclised porches, as so many have across Ham.

However, I think it is a shame when each property does its own thing, rather then working with its neighbours to make the same changes at the some time, as that breaks the continuity of the road.

Framework for a house

Jude Gate, on the north side of Ham Common has gone and a framework of scaffolding hints at what is replacing it. It looks as though it will cover the full width of the plot, as the old house did, though I am a little surprised that it is not taller, using the example of Selby House three doors to the west. 

EO69 LUB

The double-yellow lines and the dropped kerb are on this corner for good reasons but the selfish driver of EO69 LUB chose to park there forcing the woman in the red jacket who is using a walking frame to walk into the road to get past.

And, according to the Government website (https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-tax), its MOT has expired.

White house

The distinctive feature of the houses in the Buckingham Road area (and elsewhere in Ham) is the red brick finish and so to paint over this is a bold, and unwelcome, statement. It is the only house in this area to make this mistake and I hope no one repeats it.

It is a shame that this refurbishment did not learn the lessons of the house at the other end of Clifford Road, and on the other side, which has been extended exceptionally well.

Petersham Meadows

I walk across Petersham Meadows several times a week going to/from Richmond and I do not find it a particularly interesting place, even when the cows are in it, so I am not sure what it has done to deserve such a pretty sign.

Cedarwood scaffolding

I have always liked Cedarwood (a house on Church Road) and I like scaffolding too so, for me, the combination is irresistible.

As always, I am interested to see what changes are made behind the scaffolding and in this case I hope that it is more of a refresh than a rebuild.

More grey paint

I am still quite confused by the ongoing works at Teddington Lock Footbridge.

There are always about a dozen people busy on the bridge whenever I cross but there is relatively little to show for their efforts. On this occasion some sections of the bridge that were blue were being painted grey, though not in a way that looks like a final coat, e.g. there are several patches of blue still showing.

There are also blue sections that have not been touched and other places where the corrosion means that there is no metal left to paint, so it is not clear what the endgame is.

I will keep crossing and watching.

New roof at St Andrew's

I have been fairly dismissive of St Andrew's (on Church Road) in the past so it is good to be able to say something nice about it.

Of course the new roof looks good, as new things should, but the windows look better and I like messiness of the graveyard and the way that the light generated by the grey sky sharpens the picture.

Hatch House boarded up

I like surprises so I have not looked at the construction plans for Ham Close and I do not know the sequence of demolitions but it looks as though Hatch House will be the first to go. This is hardly surprising as it is in a corner of the site.

Shop To Let

The former home of Chef for You in Ashburnham Road is looking for a new owner having been comprehensively gutted and redecorated.

I did not use Chef for You that often, which may have been part of the problem, but I miss not having a Chinese takeaway in the area. I used New Mandarin on Ham Parade regularly until its demise several years ago.

Paving stones

I was walking down Ham Gate Avenue mostly to check on progress on Sudbrook Cottages when I spotted this delightful pile of paving stones. They were gone the next day so I was even gladder to have caught them.

Sheeting

The (minor) saga of the fencing around Parkleys Sewage Pumping Station continues with the addition of sheeting to the temporary structure to hide the equipment and materials from view.

Kitchen Garden border

The border along the wall of the Kitchen Garden at Ham House is boasting some autumn colours and the sun is shining too. Just another good day to visit Ham House.

Something is happening at Sudbrook Cottage

The impressive collection of machinery is a convincing sign that something significant s happening at Sudbrook Cottage in Ham Gate Avenue. And while it happens the dollops of red enliven the scene wonderfully.

The better half

There are two pairs of semis, next to each other, on the east side of Craig Road that do not even try to fit in with the other houses there, or with each other. One of these pairs is in need of more attention than the other and now half of that pair is getting the care that it needs.

 

With one half being done up the building looks like the Batman villain Two-Face with a good half and a bad half.

LG60 VWC in The Shires

Fungi

I have posted a few photos of fungi over the years and these have normally been of just one species and with a only a few caps so it was a treat to find this impressive display of several different fungi over quite a large area.

 

A closer look at one area shows how varied three of the fungi are. There were other types of fungi in the area too. 

Fungi are delicate things so I am not going to say where they are but they are clearly visible if you walk in the right area so keep your eyes open!

Ivy Cottage glows red

The best thing about ivy is that for a very brief period in autumn is burns a delicious red and I managed to catch Ivy Cottage in Upper Ham Road at its very best.