15/10/17: Totteridge to Finchley Nurseries Garden Centre (again)

We walked over the open fields of Totteridge (1) to Finchley Nurseries Garden Centre. Saw one dead rabbit, which looked like it was just sleeping. Also saw a sinister pile of something with a feather sticking out of it. (2)
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A friendly cat was happy to be talked to and spoke back with a kittenish, high-pitched miaow. (3)
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In the garden centre, they were doing good business with pumpkins. (4–5)
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There were three more cats. Amber was asleep on a table of flowers. (6) The grumpy black cat was stalking around the "perennial tunnel" and then slinking into the shop (7) so I kept clear of him. A doddery old black-and-white cat was sleeping on the roof of the aquatic centre, but stirred himself just to be sociable. (8–9) I picked him up and made friends. The staff later revealed that he was the grumpy cat, not the all-black puss I had avoided. (Should have remembered that from HERE.)
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We went in search of Max's grave round the back of the big greenhouses. Max was a big, tough tabby who used to sleep in a box in the shop window. The staff had made a touching grave marker for him, but it was nowhere to be seen – perhaps relocated to another part of the premises or grown over already. 

We had toasted sandwiches and coffee on the lawn outside the café, with soppy dogs yelping at their owners, parakeets flying over and goldfinches eating from the bird-feeders.

We walked back through the "rat poison" field and past the deserted barn. It was warm but distinctly autumnal.

Miles walked: 3.07

Cats spotted: 4

28/08/17: Finchley Nurseries garden centre

We walked into Totteridge and found the secret boating lake. On the path around the water there were two older ladies struggling to cross a fallen tree. We started chatting and walked along with them. They were also trying to find their way to the Finchley Nurseries garden centre and were unsure of the route. 

After looping around the lake we found a path back towards Mill Hill (1) over the open fields, past a herd of cows, with the ladies still in tow. 

At the far side of the cow field we saw the famous "rat poison" sign. (2)

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"I like your hat!" joked an old lady at the gate at the edge of the field. It might be OK for a hipster teen to insult my (non-)fashion sense, but it seemed a bit extreme coming from an old lady! The hat must be really bad, I realised. To recap...

I had bought a straw hat in Austria to avoid sunburn and sunstroke. It lasted all the way back to London, until the very last leg of the journey. I was waiting on the northbound Northern Line tube platform when a sudden gust of wind from the tunnel tugged the hat off my head and saw it sail swiftly down to the trench beneath the rails. I later filled in a lost-property form – mainly for sentimental reasons (it had zero actual value) – but unsurprisingly there was no response to that (see below). I'm hoping that it made a decent nest for a family of mice. Anyway, I found myself without a hat. Yesterday, at the Brookmans Park boot sale. I found a stall selling vinyl albums for cheaper than anyone else (£1 a go). Not only that, but they were far better albums than those on the overpriced stalls. I started going through the whole lot but was burning badly. Seeing that he had a committed customer, the kindly stall holder gave me one of the inexpensive hats he was selling. It was ludicrous: a pistachio-green-coloured plastic item suitable for a small child. In fact, for a small girl. It didn't fit and it made me instantly hot and uncomfortable, but it protected my head long enough for me to be able to buy an excellent selection of records. It was this same daft hat that I was wearing today when the old lady commented on it... 

At the garden centre (3) we had tea and toasted sandwiches at the café. Two birds of prey were circling high above. I saw two dragonflies (mating). 

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In the main garden centre shop we met two of the several cats that live there. One was feasting on cat food and emitted a low growl when approached. (4) A member of staff warned that he was "naughty" and would scratch. The second cat was far friendlier and allowed himself to be stroked. (5)
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We walked home. There were plenty of walkers out by this point, many of them with large dogs. It was very, very hot. Luckily, I had my hat. (6)
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Miles walked: 3.82 

Cats spotted: 2

15/04/17: Totteridge to Finchley Nurseries Garden Centre, Mill Hill

We walked up through Totteridge to the Orange Tree pub, past two lost-cat signs. The first read: "Small sized black & white missing cat. If found or seen please contact Emma". The second was for nine-year-old Casper: a “large tabby with a short coat and a very stripey tail" – a "Much loved family pet, We think he's gone for a wander as he's was upset by moving house from Finchley.” (sic)

We walked down past the recently dredged duck pond (1) and found a sinister face mask on the grass (see HERE), then – avoiding the dog mess – began the trek across the scrubby meadows towards the garden centre.

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The ground was already hard and cracked after a few weeks with minimal rain. There were bluebells, forget-me-nots and wild garlic growing along the edges of the path. A blackbird sang an exceedingly pretty song. The distinct aroma of horses made itself known, although the horses themselves remained out of view – as did the humans. There was no one to be seen, as usual. Only a dumped washing machine (2) spoiled the idyll.
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At Finchley Nurseries Garden Centre, we said hello to the huge-but-fake bear (3) and the small-but-real shop cat, Amber. (4) A second cat lurked in the back room. At one time there were many more living there, plus a friendly black dog.
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We walked back to Totteridge via the "rat poison" field (5), attempting to focus on the horizon to rest eyes weary from close-up scrutiny of screens and gadgets. (6)
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We walked past the scary, graffiti-covered abandoned barn (7) and wondered, as usual, if we would be mugged – or worse. It was a relief to make it back to Totteridge Lane and the reassuring roar of cars thundering too quickly down the hill.
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Miles walked: 4.9
Cats spotted: 2