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) 
1:

 2:

 3:

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.
4:

 5:

 6:

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.
7:

 8:

 9:

 
Miles walked: 5.38.
Cats spotted: 1.