September

September 20, 2016Leave a comment

Where did the summer go? I don’t know about you but seemed to pass me by in a haze of kids’ activities, camping, the Olympics, fruit picking and dogs all over the place…

I must admit, for the two weeks of the summer Olympics I hardly had the TV off at all. Luckily the sitting/dining room where our TV is situated needed painting so I coincided this with the Olympics so that I could spend every day in there with the TV on while I filled holes, sanded and painted. The TV was pulled to the middle of the room and draped in a see-through plastic cover especially so that it could still be seen. It worked fine. I saw loads. Not sure about how the room turned out though!

Besides painting we also had three dogs in the house for a couple of weeks over the summer. I didn’t realise how much work three dogs would create. I daren’t take my camera with me to the common on a walk with them in case I had to run after one of them! So, sadly, I didn’t take many photos on the common over the summer.

Early morning or late evening and are the best times to walk on the common in the summer. In the mornings the dew is still on the ground and the air has a damp expectancy to it. Later on the dust from the day is settling creating a haze to see through and everything is calming down after the heat. These moments on the common are beautiful, the light streams vertically across the sky illuminating the leaves. These are some of my favourite times of the year. These are what summer is about, being able to enjoy the “butt ends” of the day more and relax.

The onset of autumn brings a much more sedate pace. Changes in the air create changes in mood. Last weekend we had a fairly early walk and watched in awe as the sun burned off a beautiful morning mist rising from Queensmere Lake.

That set me up nicely for the week ahead. Wimbledon Common can be breathtaking. What inspiration do you find on the common?

May

May 19, 2016May 19, 2016Leave a comment

An early morning walk, the need to be quick and grey looming clouds meant that I left my camera at home for today’s walk. Fortunately I had my phone with me and so could try and take a snapshot of the little bunny rabbit that appeared in a meadow near the show jumping ring. Yes, Wimbledon Common has a show jumping ring. It’s hidden and beautifully basic and reminds me of my pre-teen horse riding days when everything seemed so much more basic than it does today. Still, there was the bunny, keeping very still so that Ziggy, my dog, wouldn’t see her. Ziggy has chased many a bunny before but only when they cross her path. A hunter she is not.

Ziggy did try and disturb these two collecting their breakfast. It is true that an early bird catches the worm!

I couldn’t resist trying to capture these two ducks on my phone as they went for an early morning swim. Their colours are so enlightening on a dull day. I love ducks.

And lastly, this poppy was not on Wimbledon Common (shock horror!), but in a lovely wildflower bed outside a neighbour’s house. It stared up at me and begged for it’s picture to be taken. So vibrant and cheerful on a dull day. I love the wildflowers the neighbour has planted, it really makes the most of what is, practically, dead space. That little bit of grass between the path and the road usually turns to weed through neglect. How inspiring that someone thought to plant some wild flowers to attract bees, ladybirds and butterflies to the area instead! As you walk along the road it’s: weed bed, weed bed, wild flower bed, weed bed. I’m inspired to do the same. Also, I do have a soft spot for poppies since one of my brood is a Poppy. Stunning.

May

May 19, 2016Leave a comment

It bucketed down with rain last week and the common was awash with colour, scent and a deep, vibrant light. I didn’t know I would love the rain so much as when I was standing in the middle of a deserted track watching beams of light shimmer on the verdant woodland. Silence, like that of a thick blanket of snow, had descended and the woods had a magical atmosphere. I often think that when I walk through the woods on the common. There is something a bit Hobbiton Wood about them. It is such a peaceful place, yet historic and mysterious like something unexpected could happen at any time.

Most unexpected things come in the form of other dog walkers, runners, cyclists or horse riders, but I did see a badger once and I’m sure he, or she, had a story to tell.

Today’s walk was uneventful and so was the weather. Occasional appearances of sun between clouds gathering for overnight rain. Not the most pleasant of weather, but there is alway plenty to see on Wimbledon Common if you are are looking.

First blog post

May 18, 2016Leave a comment

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thewimbledoncommoner

The everyday observations of a Wimbledon Common rambler

September

May

May

First blog post