Sunday, March 8, 2020

The Hedgehog Crown


It's the weekend, and you know what that means -- another outing to Hampstead Heath!


Someone lost their zombie-hedgehog paper crown.


More signs of spring! We found one of the rhododendrons on Sandy Heath blooming away.


Some big changes seem to be happening here. The pine tree at left used to have two big branches topped by tufts of green -- the only picture I can find is here, and that color scheme is not natural. Anyway, Storm Ciara and/or Storm Dennis swept through and broke one of them. You can see it dangling from the tree, which was already leaning and is attached to the tree at right by a metal support wire. Now that tree has been pollarded -- I wonder if it's coming down -- and I'm not sure what the fate of the pine is going to be.

Olga saw a squirrel on the pine. She leaped the ring of branches encircling it so she could bark more closely. See her at the base of the trunk?


In Golders Hill Park, some of the trees are blossoming and the ground is carpeted with crocuses.

Other than our little walk -- and the subsequent canine bath -- yesterday was pretty quiet. I finished a book; we watched "Schitt's Creek." (We're up to Season 5 and really, really liking it.)

I don't have a thing to say about anything else going on in the world.

15 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Nothing about Trump? Nothing about The Dmmocrats? Nothing about coronavirus? Nothing about the ex-Mayor of London? Hell's bells - you are turning into an ostrich Steve!

Edna B said...

The blossoming trees and plants are just gorgeous! Especially that Rhodie. You don't need to make comments, just enjoy the day. It's a gift. Hugs, Edna B.

Ms. Moon said...

Oh my! What beauty! Walks in nature are like walks by the sea- never the same even in the same places.
The hedgehog crown steals my heart.
I told you that Schitt's Creek would grow on you!

Sharon said...

That hedgehog crown is an unusual find. I love all the blooms showing up!

Anonymous said...

Always good to go for a walk. It's the best balance to all the other stuff going on in the world.

Moving with Mitchell said...

So beautiful and so many kinds of blooms we don’t have here. Looks like our grounds in Connecticut! Except for the lovely Olga.

ellen abbott said...

how cool that the ground is littered with crocuses. how did they get there?

The Bug said...

I love your signs of spring!

Linda Sue said...

Olga barking more closely, hahaha, The squirrel just shakes its little head in wonderment. Looks lovely up there except for the damaged trees and forlorn path. Olga , always the star!!Looks like she has a RED kong now. Easier to find in the mud!

Catalyst said...

The picture of Olga and the crocuses and the flowering tree - beautiful.

Blondi Blathers said...

I haven't watched every episode, but David is my favourite character on Schitt's Creek. Just his expressions and tone (gawd he's an awful dresser!). I also like Jocelyn, who wouldn't say "shit" if her mouth was full of it. LOL.

Kate

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Sorry for mis-spelling "Democrats". I am just a crazy fool.

Sarah said...

I wonder if the child who made the crown had to make a different zombie for everry letter of the alphabet. My Mum was telling me about a neighbour of hers who, in the hurricane in 1986(I think that was the year, may have been 85) cut all the large branches off of a big tree of his, and it was one of the few to survive in her road. He is a tree surgeon and had seen the forecast! Shame the weird pine did not have him around.

jenny_o said...

It's nice to see that somebody is getting some spring, even if it's not us :)

I think the hedgehog crown is pretty cute and a good idea for "h". Better than "hippo" which is the usual example. lol

Steve Reed said...

YP: Oh, I'm paying attention to it all! I just feel no need to weigh in at the moment. :)

Edna: Absolutely -- it IS a gift. And yes, that rhodie is beautiful.

Ms Moon: As many times as I have been to the Heath, I see something different every time. And yes, you were right about Schitt's Creek. It gets better as it goes.

Sharon: Isn't that crown funny? Someone must have had a party in the woods.

Robin: Absolutely! The less time spent in front of the computer, the better.

Mitchell: And you have plenty of flowers in Spain that I never see here! I guess what we grow is similar to what would grow in Connecticut -- except we don't get all that snow, thank God.

Ellen: I'm sure the groundskeepers at the park planted them. They come up every year, practically a carpet.

Bug: It's nice to see, isn't it?

Linda Sue: She FOUND that red Kong on one of her walks! It's smaller than her black one, but sometimes she chooses to carry it instead. Whatever works!

Catalyst: A very springy tableau!

Blondi: David's expressions and gestures ARE priceless. I don't know how his boyfriend tolerates him, though. He'd drive me crazy!

Sarah: Well, clearly a tree surgeon had worked on that pine in the past, because it was wired to the adjoining trees for support. I'm not sure why they've tried so hard to save it, except that it's the only pine in that area (as far as I know). Most of the trees on the Heath seem to fend for themselves.

Jenny-O: Yeah, I wonder if (as Sarah said) there was a crown for every letter, or maybe the wearer's name also began with H?