Friday, July 11, 2025
Highgate in the Heat
We are supposedly in the middle of a heat wave, but to me it doesn't feel that uncomfortable. It's warm -- about 30º C or 86º F yesterday -- but we've had much worse. I took a walk over to Highgate yesterday and I debated whether or not I should go, given the heat, but it turned out not to be a problem.
I wanted to see a show of paintings by an artist named David Evans at a Highgate art gallery. I read about it in the paper a couple of months ago and made a mental note of it, and I didn't have a chance to follow up on it until now. (The gallery is only open on Thursdays and weekends.)
In the decades before he died in 1988, Evans owned a classical music record store in Kensington and made fanciful and highly detailed watercolors of city life -- nightclubs, concert halls, traffic jams -- as well as landscapes, portraits, drawings and collages. The show is small but I'm glad I went as I loved his large colorful paintings, which seemed both very '60s and timeless. I bought the catalog for £15.
To get to Highgate I took the overground to Hampstead Heath and walked from there, after fortifying myself with a coffee from Starbucks.
I crossed the Heath and walked up Parliament Hill to check out the view. That's looking southeast toward Canary Wharf (L) and the city (R). That view has changed a lot in the 14 years we've lived in London. If you look at the last picture in this post you'll see what it looked like back then -- there was a lot more open space, rather than the wall of buildings we see now.
I also passed that yellow house in the top photo. I was taken by the painter's orange overalls. That road had so much traffic I only had a chance to take two shots and I'm glad that one worked out.
I found this six-spot burnet on knapweed on the Heath -- the first one I've seen this summer.
After checking out the show and wandering up and down the Highgate high street, I walked back across the Heath to home -- about two and a half miles. It felt good to get some exercise and cross something off my list of things to do.
I've been posting so many pictures of Olga sleeping that I thought I'd show you a more lively video. This was yesterday morning, as she sniffed around where the foxes tend to wander in the back of the garden. The old beast still has some bark in her, though as you can see, she is a bit wobbly!
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You had a good walk, and 30C is still bearable for a walk (in my experience) as long as it's not too humid and you can walk in the shade every now and then.
ReplyDeleteThe house in the first picture is very pretty, but I suppose when it was built there was much less traffic - a very busy road would certainly put me off wanting to live there.
What a beautiful butterfly! (Or is it a moth? I know the difference is easy, but I always forget.) I don't think I have ever seen one like this around here.
It was evidently a fulfilling and well-rounded day, one marked by art, time in nature, a touch of reflection, and the faithful presence of Olga in the garden. Indeed, it is often the quieter accomplishments that bring the greatest satisfaction
ReplyDeleteOlga even as an old lady has to protect her kingdom..
ReplyDeleteWobbly but willing! Dear old Olga.
ReplyDeleteNot just the buildings have grown, so have the trees, thankfully
Anything over 25 degrees is too much for me, so well done walking in 30. The burnet moth is beautiful, but it is sad to see buildings encroaching on all the green spaces - slow, but insidious.
ReplyDeleteDavid Evans's style was certainly distinctive. For a moment I thought that "Profile portrait of man smoking, circa 1975" was you until I realised it was actually Mick Jagger.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the old link. What a change in the vista! I love the orange and blue painter on the yellow wall. And oh how I love that house! The moth is beautiful, too. Great shot. Olga has still got it, wobbles and all.
ReplyDeleteThat first picture is great. I'd also like it close cropped around the painter. That would be a great watercolor. Good to see Olga still active in her territory.
ReplyDeleteThat view has sure changed over the last 14 years. I love Olga's bark and it is good to see her in action.
ReplyDeleteI like the brightly colored painter's outi=fit against the mellow yellow.
ReplyDeleteFeisty Olga is always fun.
Woof! (this is my yard, stay out!)
ReplyDeleteEvans was certainly not all sweetness and light, was he? Those are the kind of pictures you could stand in front of for a very long time and not see it all.
ReplyDeleteLove the yellow house/orange-suited painter.
And I think if I saw one of those six-spot burnets I might gasp so hard I inhaled it.
Yeah, Olga! You tell those foxes!
Wow...the view certainly has changed! It reminds me of the Police song Synchronicity for some reason about something crawling from a Scottish loch, getting closer and closer...
ReplyDeleteYour six spot burnet looks quite goth.
She Looks Solid - She Is Wobbly In The Rear - She Still Has Enthusiasm - Hopefully She Still Demands Meals - But She Really Has Aged From The Previous Video - Breaks My Damn Heart - Please Sip Her A Just Because Treat , Even If She Is Looking
ReplyDeleteKeep The Faith Brother Reed ,
Cheers
That six-spot bernet is amazingly beautiful and I'd move into that yellow house today if could! It sounds like a terrific day and walk. Now I need to check out David Evans!
ReplyDeleteNot just his orange overalls but his blue shirt.
ReplyDeleteThe change in views is dramatic. Buildings and trees have changed greatly.
ReplyDeleteThe spotted insect is most unusual. I've seen paperweights and jewelry like this but thought it was all art and not truly nature.
Walking in good weather is so appreciated.
Olga told that fox to move on, pronto.
I love the overalls. I'm apparently in my Overall Era because I just ordered my 3rd pair. What the heck.
ReplyDeletethe six spot shows up nicely on the purple flower .
ReplyDeleteI couldn't have braved a walk in that temperature, but it certainly seemed worth it for the view and the exhibition.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry but to me, Starbucks and coffee seems like an oxymoron 😉
For minute there I thought that bug was one of those spotted lantern flys that infested New York a couple of years ago. I remember reading about those.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you found the temperatures to be comfortable. I've been concerned reading about the heat wave. I'd hate to think of flying all that way to trade one kind heat for another kind.
Every time I visit London, I see more and more growth. It is truly amazing. I remember when you and I took that walk into the city thinking there was no way to squeeze another building into that space but they were doing it anyway.
You find the coolest insects! I've never seen anything like that spotted one. Glad to see Olga can still show off for the foxes. I prefer high 70s to low 80s but we're up in the high 80s/low 90s for the next week. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a perfect day.
ReplyDeleteTurns out the moth releases cyanide when threatened. Nature is lovely.
Love the photos, you really are a wonderful photographer. That video of Olga reminds me of my old dog, she's still fierce, even if she's wobbly:)
ReplyDeleteWonder if the painter always wears that combo or if he tries to coordinate with the color paint he's using!
ReplyDeleteSweet Olga. She is so well-loved and has a great life.
Still lots of tail wagging in the old girl, too :)
ReplyDeleteIt pulls at the heart strings, though, to see the wobble.
What a beautiful moth. All we have here are beige ones, at least as far as I know. Maybe I'm just not looking hard enough.