Monday, April 8, 2024

Half a Sheep, and Vaisakhi

Coffee shop in Hanwell

The weather was windy yesterday -- somehow related to Storm Kathleen, I think. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and went to the living room to read (and let me tell you, reading The New York Times is not a good way to get back to sleep), when suddenly I heard a tremendous CRASH! I looked outside and found the avocado tree had blown over. Amazingly, the pot didn't break, but it's topped with a layer of terra cotta and stone chips and that's what made all the noise.

I went out to right it, which was surely a spectacle in the middle of the night. I gave it some water to make it heavier and braced it with a heavy patio chair. I'm sure the Russians were amused.

ANYWAY, I decided yesterday to take a windy walk. Rather than do the rest of the Dollis Valley Greenwalk right away, I decided to try something new. Not long ago I was scanning Google maps when I noticed a location marked "sheep statues" in a field near Southall, a suburb of West London. I decided to go check out the sheep.


I got off the Elizabeth Line in Hanwell, and made my way through town. I eventually reached the Grand Union Canal, and walked the towpath along the water. The canal in this area features a series (or "flight") of picturesque locks, connecting it to the River Brent and eventually to the Thames. The Canal & River Trust says there are seven locks; the London Canal Museum says there are eight, and will give you more information than you ever wanted to know. I guess I should have counted them myself, but anyway, I enjoyed walking past and taking pictures of the locks and the adjacent lock-keepers' cottages.


I reached an area called Three Bridges, yet another engineering marvel from the fertile mind of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Victorian-era engineer for the Great Western Railway. The railroad, in this spot, goes beneath both a roadway and the canal itself. Brunel designed a tiered bridge that carries the canal over the tracks and the road (which I'm standing on in the photo above) over the canal.


From there I walked a bluebell-lined path through Tentelow Wood and Meadow and finally came to the wooden sheep statues. There are ostensibly two, but one of them is missing its head and the upper half of its body, and the other has a large chunk out of its right rear flank. I found that if I photographed it from this angle, it looks pretty much whole.

I don't know the history of these sculptures or who made them, but they look similar to sheep by chainsaw sculptor Mick Burns, who has worked in this area. Maybe they're his? I belatedly learned there are three more in another location nearby that might be in better condition.

Having seen the sheep, I decided to walk to Southall station to catch the tube home. But the day's adventures were not over!


Southall has a large South Asian community, and apparently the holiday of Vaisakhi is coming up. I stumbled into a huge street festival celebrating Vaisakhi and a procession that makes its way from one temple in Southall to another. I didn't see the procession itself, but it was fun walking among all the participants, who were eating from streetside food stalls and listening to lively music.


I liked this guy's t-shirt: "Powered by Punjab, Serving Britain."

Here's a two-minute video to show you what it was like:


You'll see the Punjab t-shirt guy wandering past, as well as men in colorful turbans and women in bright, flowing saris. In the background you can also see the temples (one partly covered with scaffolding) associated with the procession. It was quite a scene!

After navigating the crowds I got myself to the Southall train station for the journey home, where I mowed the lawn and took our surplus clothes to the charity shop. Today, back to work!

23 comments:

  1. What a scene. Looks like a bit of an adventure.

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  2. I would have liked to have taken the same walk. It sounds so interesting and how can their be confusion about the number of locks? There was a Sikh event here and it was described as being about turbans. I guess that was about Vaisakhi.

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  3. That's a LOT of people!
    I like the sheep.

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  4. Wow! The video almost makes me feel that I have just visited The Punjab but I did spot one other Caucasian gawping at the crowd.

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  5. I enjoyed watching the video of the street celebrations.

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  6. Some great colors in the clothing there, cheerful crowd. I wonder if my Sikh neighbors are celebrating.
    You certainly did a walk! I think you've developed one of the highest in-person experiences of London I've ever known. I doubt if many Londoners have walked like this.

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  7. The festival looks fun; I love the music.
    And the wooden sheep is lovely.

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  8. Wow! That was quite a day! From the pastoral peace of the river and a wooden sheep to the colorful hustle and bustle of a street festival. I have to say that everyone looks cheerful and happy.
    Back to work already? That time flew.

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  9. Looks like a great walk with a bit of everything to make it exciting. Are you counting down the weeks to summer break now?

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  10. Loved the video of the street, lots of people enjoying life. We have a large Punjabi population in Edmonton and in Vancouver. I didn't know until a couple of years ago that Punjab is mostly agricultural. If you look on google maps and then scroll down, you'll see fields and fields. It kind of looks like Alberta, only hot.

    Thanks for the lovely photos.

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  11. I am glad your tree survived the wind topple. The wood carved sheep looks lovely standing in the field. Walking along the canals and the viewing the locks is so enjoyable. The street festival seemed to bring many out for a good day of celebration. Street food and music is always a high spirited gathering. Great walk.

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  12. You were certainly a minority on this street.

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  13. That sounds like an excellent day (even if it started rudely). Now you have to go back & find the other sheep. :)

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  14. It looks like you stepped through some kind of portal and was transported to India. That is amazing. You never know where your walks will take you.

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  15. always fun stumbling on a festival. is it only Sikhs that wear turbans or Hindus too? I assume it's a Hindu festival.

    I do love the little cottage for the lock keeper.

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  16. A slice of life in London - so varied! And a terrific way to spend the final day of your holiday.

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  17. I was thinking that except for the architecture of some of the buildings, you'd never believe that was in London!

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  18. We have a similar artist in our town. When a huge old oak tree blew down in our main cemetery, the artist using a chainsaw and then more refined tools, turned the stump into a Civil War soldier standing guard watching over the nearby graves of a bunch of Civil War soldiers. It is probably closing in on 10 years at this point and I have wondered if it's fate will be similar to the sheep someday.

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  19. What a busy street! I love the sheep sculpture.

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  20. Interesting walk. I like canal walks. Just the occasional lock, no hills.

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  21. I think London is the coolest place ever to live. Great festival.

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  22. Mitchell: It was very unexpected!

    Andrew: Apparently it depends on where you begin counting the locks.

    River: It was a huge crowd, especially when seen from afar.

    YP: Yeah, there were a few of us!

    Colette: Fun, right?

    Boud: I loved all the colors! It's hard to say about the walking -- walking is a national pastime in Britain (as I'm sure you know) so people do it a lot.

    Bob: It was nice from that angle! I was glad I was able to get a photo that hid the damage.

    Ms Moon: Vacations always do, don't they?

    Ellen D: Ha! We were just figuring that out the other day! I think we have nine weeks left.

    Pixie: It must be a challenge to grow crops in such a hot place.

    Susan: The street party was an unexpected joy.

    Red: Ha! I was indeed, but I never felt unwelcome or conspicuous.

    Bug: I KNOW! I was so bummed that I only learned about them after the fact.

    Sharon: It really did feel like being in another country.

    Ellen: I think it's mainly a Sikh festival -- Punjab is the center of the Sikh religion -- but Hindus celebrate it as well. I'm not sure about that, though.

    Wilma: It really was a great way to cap off the week!

    Catalyst: Well, that's how London is now -- very diverse!

    Ed: Probably! I think these carvings are made with the expectation that they won't last forever. Kind of like graffiti, the transience is part of the art.

    Kelly: I do too!

    Tasker: Yes, they are usually quite level! This had a bit of a grade, given that it needed a whole series of locks to deal with the changes in altitude, but it wasn't hard to walk.

    Allison: I think so too! :)

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  23. That was a fun, serendipitous adventure in Southall with the activities going on. Did you try any street food? I'll bet it's good! Love the sheep sculptures.

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