31/05/17: Kenwood to Parliament Hill

Entering Kenwood, I was pleased to see a large brown rabbit ambling up the slopes away from the path. A little further along was a dragonfly. Other wildlife included two woodpeckers exploring two different dead trees. As usual, there were plenty of dogs. Noisy parakeets flew over at regular intervals. The air was full of pollen, and prettily so. It would have been nasty indeed for those with hay fever.

At Parliament Hill we passed the ponds (1) and had lunch at a picnic bench outside the cafe. (2) More dogs. Also spotted at the cafe was Bill Oddie, who I'd previously seen a while back in another cafe in Belsize Park and – many years ago – browsing the CDs in HMV, Oxford Street.
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Walking back to Kenwood (3) we saw something I've never seen before. Two crows stood very close to a labrador, who was lying down. One of the crows went right up to the dog...and then pecked it on the back. The dog woofed, but not aggressively. A few seconds later the crow did it again. This happened a few times, with the surprisingly tolerant dog not losing his patience and savaging the ill-mannered bird.

The sun didn't exactly come out, but it had become warmer as we trudged back past Kenwood House (4, 5) and along the paths to the exit.
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Miles walked: 3.59

Cats spotted: 0

21/05/17: Whetstone Stray

A humble three-miler along Whetstone Stray Open Space. (1) There was a sign on a fence saying "Caution: dog running free". The thought of liberated, frolicking canines is a nice one, but presumably this message was intended to be scary. However, the beast in question was nowhere to be seen. I did meet a nice man with two corgis. He told me that one of them was six years old and the other was just six months, even though the younger dog wasn't much smaller. He claimed that the path was being dug up and new tarmac laid down by lazy workmen who spend more time on their tea-breaks and lunches than they do working.
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We continued alongside the brook. Two female joggers ran past talking about Hello magazine. Staying with the river, we found a slightly dodgy dead-end path enclosed by a small-but-dense patch of woodland. Sadly, someone had dumped a "Henry the Hoover" vacuum cleaner there. What possesses these idiots? If you have to abandon it somewhere, how about in a wheelie bin? Less effort too. On the plus side, this cornered-off seclusion had allowed the extensive growth of fungi. (2, 3)

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Heading for Woodside Park, we walked past Elmhurst Residential Home, where a woman sat on the wall outside applying make-up. Crossed the tube train bridge at Woodside Park station (4) and walked home via the streets and alleys in an unsuccessful search for cats.
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Miles walked: 3.08
Cats spotted: 0

14/05/17: Totteridge

A sunny day. We crept through the quiet, suburban streets of Totteridge, spotting a ginger-and-white cat in a window (but seeing few other signs of life), then took a leafy cut-through (1) to the duck pond (2), where tiny ducklings swam near their mum. (3) 
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Traipsing down the path across the meadows, we went in search of the lost boating lake. A hidden path, semi-overgrown, takes you to a broken bridge. (4) Eventually, you reach the lake – increasingly encroached upon by trees and undergrowth and therefore getting smaller all the time. (5) You can just about still see the remains of the old boathouse (now just a few pieces of wood) and it's striking how far it now is from the receding water's edge.(6) There was a strong smell of wild garlic in the air and vibrant birdsong.
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The sun was hot as we climbed the grassy hill towards Totteridge (7). At the main road we walked past St. Andrews Church, which has a new sign up (8), and followed Barnet Lane – reprising some of the February walk documented HERE. I found evidence of a "fidget spinner" (9) – this spring's school craze – and as usual there was almost no one to be seen until we reached Brook Farm Open Space, where the joggers and dog walkers were enjoying what felt like the warmest day of the year so far.
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Miles walked: 5.38.
Cats spotted: 1.