Sunday, April 18, 2021

A Tennis Ball Dies


Olga and I took a long walk yesterday along the Grand Union Canal and through Wormwood Scrubs. This is the first time we've visited since last December, and we hadn't yet seen the construction work that's being done across the Scrubs to accommodate the HS2 rail project, which I briefly mentioned here. I was curious to check it out.


First, Olga paid her respects to Prince Philip at the train station.

When we got off the train and began our canal walk, my camera decided to go kaput. It's been behaving strangely for a while now, so it wasn't a surprise. I think the contact points between the camera body and the lens are dirty, or somehow not functioning properly, and it seems to be happening mainly with my regular lens. I could take pictures with the zoom and the macro but not otherwise. I really need to get it serviced.

Meanwhile, I had to used my phone to document most of our walk.


Look! Someone's painted a portrait of me on the wall by the canal towpath! This is what I look like at work. "BRING BACK YOUR OVERDUE BOOKS!"


I saw my first peacock butterfly of 2021, seeking nectar in the blossoms of this fruit tree.

I did take some photos of the construction on the Scrubs, but they don't really look like much. It's hard to photograph what's no longer there, you know? Basically, large sections of trees and shrubs have been removed along the park's northern edge and especially at the northwest corner.


What's interesting is, a couple of camps have sprung up where people appear to be staying. This camp calls itself the "Wormwood Scrubs Protection Camp." I wandered through and saw only one man there, who was nice enough and helped Olga and I find our way back to the main meadow area of the Scrubs. (In normal times we could walk through these woods, but now the path is closed by construction.)


There was some cool artwork posted on the side of the shanty at the camp.


In another area several tents and even campers were set up. "Trespass is Freedom; Transience is a Right" was painted on the side of this one. I guess they're basically challenging authorities to move them on.

Anyway, it was not our standard  Scrubs walk, but it was a beautiful day and despite the construction and the controversy we indulged in our usual activities.


Olga, for example, demolished her tennis ball. Here's a one-minute montage! (Don't worry -- she didn't ingest any of it.)

The walk, including train travel, took about four and a half hours. We were exhausted by the time we got home.


At least it looks like spring is finally happening.

38 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Well I would have never guessed that that was your portrait on the wall! I thought it was Satan.

Steve Reed said...

Pretty accurate!

Tasker Dunham said...

Brilliant title. Next the novel?

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Steve told me he couldn't write a novel so I am thinking "An American in London" or "The London Rambler" in which he recounts his walks in and around London, detailing the quirky sights he has seen along the way. Some photos may be included for illustration. The book would have the underlying aim to encourage walking and observation. The research has already been done as this blog shows.

Anonymous said...

That is a very long walk. Poor Olga. Are tent people Travellers or Gypsies?

Peter said...

Olga and her tennis ball reminds me of my brother's Jack Russell whose way of "playing" with his toys is to destroy them. I bring the toughest toys I can find when I visit and they never last more than an hour.
Cheers

Marty said...

Never mind library books - nothing looks more expired than a sleeping dog.

Bob said...

I loved the faces along the wall; I love art popping up in odd places.

Edna B said...

That was a fun video of Olga and her ball. She seemed so please with herself for getting all of the cover off the ball. Hopefully, Spring is back to stay. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.

The Padre said...

Excellent Soundtrack - Her Expression Of Pure Contentment When She Works That Ball With Her Back Molars Is Beyond Cute - I Throughly Enjoyed The Four And A Half Adventure From Where I Am Sitting And Her Crashed Out On The Blanket Made My Weekend - Well Done Team Human

Cheers
P.S. Please Cover Her Glucosamine In Peanut Butter From Uncle T

ellen abbott said...

I'm surprised the authorities haven't run those 'campers' off. the first one, they appear to have a car back there behind the shack. how is it they can drive through there. interesting wall of faces.

Ms. Moon said...

Four and a half hours! No wonder you and Olga were exhausted!
I have to say that's a fairly lovely-looking camp. Artwork and everything.
That was not Olga's first tennis ball destruction project, was it? She's a pro.

Anonymous said...

That was a nice long walk. The campsite art is really interesting. I wonder how long they'll be able to stay camped there. Will you get Olga another tennis ball? She really did enjoy that one.

Linda Sue said...

The arto=work on the side of the shanty is so great!! Glad you got a photo of that! Looks temporary. Good job Olga! Cutest dog in the world! The "hobo" camps look attractive actually, they certainly do not look anything like the ones in our woods- which you do not want to get close to. Poop fest!

crafty cat corner said...

Love the video Steve.
Briony
x

Sharon said...

I love that picture of Olga paying her respects to the Prince. And of course, I also loved the little video. That artwork of faces on the side of a shanty is quite good. I think the homeless problem is going to explode pretty soon. No one is building affordable housing anywhere that I can see. So glad to hear that maybe spring has arrived.

Margaret said...

YAY for spring. There is a certain hope and happiness in the air when the weather gets nicer and we see beautiful blooms and butterflies. (took me forever to spot it-but I will sit in the sun with a dirty computer screen)

Catalyst said...

Wow! Those claws! Those teeth! I wouldn't want Olga to get peeved with me.

Ellen D. said...

Yes, you should make a poster of that picture of you that says, "Bring back your overdue books." Wouldn't your students get a kick out of that?!!

My life so far said...

What Olga does to tennis balls, Heidi does to any stuffed animal. She doesn't just gut them, she also throws them up in the air and flings her head side to side. She's killing them:)

Looks like a lovely day for a long walk.

jenny_o said...

For some reason that last photo of Olga just makes me smile every time, no matter how often I look at it. And she's pretty proficient at killing tennis balls, for sure. How many do you go through?

Moving with Mitchell said...

A great post. Beautiful walk and flowers. I love the art, although that portrait is way too sinister for you. And Olga always makes me smile. I have a major crush on her.

Janie Junebug said...

Why is it called the Scrubs? I doubt you have ever looked that nasty. You, Mitchell, and Olga need to live in the same city so you can walk together. Last week I saw a couple walking a small dog who had his tennis ball clamped between his teeth.

Love,
Janie

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, I am not a novelist. John Hillaby wrote a best-seller called "Journey Through Britain." Maybe I should opt for something of that ilk? :)

Steve Reed said...

Poor Olga nothing. She loved it! I don't know whether the campers are genuinely protesters or simply using the construction as an excuse to set up camp. They certainly could be travellers, I suppose.

Steve Reed said...

She used to gnaw apart her Kong toys when she was younger. We always had to buy the extra-durable ones. She's become a little less destructive as she's aged!

Steve Reed said...

Ha! It's true. She is utterly crashed in that picture.

Steve Reed said...

Me too! This was cool artwork, too.

Steve Reed said...

She did more than get the cover off -- she gnawed the rubber to bits! And yes, she was quite pleased with herself.

Steve Reed said...

She gets so focused that she doesn't want to walk until she's done demolishing the ball.

Steve Reed said...

That's not a car behind the shack -- I think it's just more materials. They're in the middle of the woods. They couldn't get a car in there. But yeah, I am surprised they've been allowed to stay, even temporarily. Maybe since they're calling it a form of protest that gives them some legal protection?

Steve Reed said...

It was a nice camp, and they had a latrine set up and everything, so it was even sanitary, at least as far as I could tell. Olga IS a pro at demolition!

Steve Reed said...

Olga has about 20 tennis balls, all strewn across the floor of our hall closet. :)

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, the one with the buildings in the woods is very colorful and cheerful looking.

Steve Reed said...

I'm glad! It was fun to make. :)

Steve Reed said...

We have the same issues here -- not nearly enough affordable housing.

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, sorry! I shot it from quite a distance because I couldn't get close -- it was up in a tree!

Kelly said...

I'm glad I decided to pop in and check for photos of Olga. The clip with the tennis ball is just too cute! Tennis balls get eaten around my house, so they're off limits.