Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day -- chilly and windy but with plentiful sunshine. I had planned to meet up with fellow blogger Linda Sue for a walk with Olga, just sticking to our neighborhood. But Linda Sue quite sensibly decided she had other things to do before she goes back to the states in a few days, so Olga and I went to Wormwood Scrubs instead.
We took the train to Willesden Junction, as usual, and on the walk from there to the Scrubs we decided to make a little detour along the Grand Union Canal.
This is the same canal that I walked on Saturday, as part of the LOOP -- but that section was much farther west. Olga and I used to walk here all the time when we lived in Notting Hill. It was probably a blast from the past for her.
You can see how amazing the day was. Once we arrived at the wide, flat playing fields of the Scrubs, Olga had a great time doing all her usual dog things -- mainly chasing squirrels in the surrounding woods and copses.
She found a huge flock of crows, which seemed to intrigue her, but she was wary of chasing them as she would pigeons:
The building to the left and in the background in the video, by the way, is the still-active Wormwood Scrubs prison.
And that was that. The dog got her walk and I got mine. A successful weekend all around!
By the way, this weekend seemed like peak time for everyone in London to take down their Christmas trees. When I walked Olga on Saturday evening to Fortune Green, the pile of trees to be recycled was huge. And it grew by five trees while we were standing there:
And so another holiday season comes to an end!
Olga and The Crows sounds like a band...with Olga on lead vocals, Dave on keyboards, Mrs Kravitz on lead guitar and you on tambourine. Have you heard their latest single? "Chase That Squirrel"!
ReplyDeleteI love how you manage to spend so much time outside in nature, even though you live in such a big city. I bet Olga loves it too.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of sad to see all those trees that were once so festive piled up like that. I could hear the wind blowing in that little video of Olga and the crows.
ReplyDeleteNice green field and there aren't any people there. Just a dog and her master.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a beautiful day for a walk there. And that really is a lot of crows!
ReplyDeletewhen I was a kid people would haul their trees out to the curb and us neighborhood kids would vie for them to make christmas tree forts.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbor burned his in a ditch between his house and mine. And he's a fire captain! Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteOlga just proved once again how smart she is. If she had chased those crows they would likely have turned around and harassed her - and with a flock that big, they could have done some damage. I love how she sets down her Kong to look around :)
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas tree will have most of its branches removed for covering up some of our small shrubs. In the meantime, I'm still enjoying the evergreen smell when the room gets warm. It's time to take it down, though, I think!
you are an excellent tour guide to the city you have adopted.
ReplyDeleteThat second photo is another of your classics
ReplyDeleteLovely...just lovely
I love the second photo, and what a happy dog you have. She enjoys so many wonderful walks.
ReplyDeleteYP: Like "Josie and the Pussycats" -- ha! How did you know I always wanted to play tambourine?
ReplyDeleteMs Moon: London is great in that sense -- there's lots of green space. It's really pretty remarkable how much has been preserved.
Sharon: There's nothing sadder than a dying Christmas tree, is there? Although at least these got used. I feel REALLY bad when I see unbought trees at Christmas tree lots when the holiday is past!
Red: There are often lots of kids out playing football on those fields. We just got lucky on this particular day!
Robin: Isn't it?! I don't ever remember seeing a flock that big. They were all up in the trees in the background, too.
Ellen: Kids are so resourceful!
Catalyst: That definitely sounds like a dubious way to dispose of a tree!
Jenny-O: It would have been like "The Birds"! I think she was definitely wary.
37P: I do like how these little reports awaken your own memories of London -- and make you reevaluate your previously negative impressions. (As you've said in the past.)
John: Thank you!
E: She is a lucky girl.