Paparazzi in the Park

It's been an interesting several days around here. Although we had tons of rain the other day and the ground, for the most part, is still damp, we have a "hosepipe ban" kicking in on the 24th. That means no watering gardens or washing cars with garden hoses. We can still water, but we have to lug the water through the garden in a watering can. Supposedly this greatly reduces water use -- I assume a lot of people just let some of their plants go under those kinds of restrictions.

We've also had more transit strikes. The tube and trains were closed on Friday and I heard many services were down on Saturday as well. The fun never ends!

Despite all that, I managed to get some stuff done. I went to the dentist on Thursday for a second cleaning, at the hygienist's urging. She seems happy with my brushing now that I'm using her recommended electric toothbrush. I don't mind it so much now that I'm getting used to it, but it's still very...foamy.

Yesterday I did a bunch of laundry and then took the poor, neglected dog on a long walk to Hampstead Heath.

We hadn't been to the West Heath in ages, and Olga nibbled grass and barked at squirrels and even chased one or two (a less frequent event these days). She found rainwater accumulated in a natural cup at the base of this tree and stopped for a drink.

While walking through the woods we heard distant applause, and then what sounded like a bunch of people singing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" out loud. Was it a Beatles sing-along? I couldn't check it out because chasing it down with my slow-moving dog in tow seemed like too much of a task, but if Sir Paul was there and I missed it I'll be annoyed.

We went to the cafe at Golders Hill Park for a coffee and a rest. This is a good way to break up the walk, and it gives Miss Olga a chance to be fawned over by complete strangers. When I was in the cafe buying my coffee I looked out to see her surrounded by a gaggle of young women, all taking photos with their phones. I suppose she's on someone's Instagram now.

On the way back we walked through the stumpery, with its profusion of squirrels, and past the zoo and the deer enclosure, where Olga found herself face-to-face with a fairly nonchalant occupant. I don't think she's ever seen a deer so close. She probably wondered what the heck it was.

Last night we finally finished the excellent "Night Sky" on Amazon. I really liked it, and it came to a better resolution than I was expecting. When I heard it had been cancelled I was afraid it was going to end on a cliffhanger and it didn't, really, though there were openings for a second season if the producers so desired. We also finished Ewan MacGregor's "Obi-Wan Kenobi" on Disney+, and it was OK, but many of these new "Star Wars" shows seem really geared to kids. Earlier this week we finished the first season of "Only Murders in the Building," and now it's on to Season 2!

(Top photo: A shopfront on my walk home from work. It's colorful but kind of a mess. I'm not sure that place is even open.)