Serpentine Desecration

This is a picture of the new view from the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park.

I assume that this ugly monstrosity being built has something to do with the upcoming olympic games. I can't understand how they can square this with the idea of the park being a public space. (N.B. this is not in the Kensington Gardens section of the park which, being a Royal Park, we, the public, are given kind dispensation to use by the monarch.) My objections are: this totally spoils the view across the lake, and when the events that these stands are set up to view are taking place, the stands will not available to members of the public. I suspect they will be used to make money for the organisers or to bring glory to the hideous sponsors. 

If you need a doctor today

I suggest you take Little Feat's advice and go to the rock & roll doctor.

NHS doctors in the UK are taking industrial action today. I would like to make it clear to this unelected, coalition government that I support the doctors' case. Those ridiculous politicians should stop trying to privatise our health service and get their hands off one of the best assets this country has.

Back to Little Feat for a moment, "two degrees in be-bop and a PhD in swing . . .". Now there's a thought for my next direction in study.

Just over the road from Chiswick Park station

is Gunnersbury Triangle. You enter from a busy road and it's hard to see the potential at first, as you appear to be headed for a railway line. In fact, once you have turned the first corner, you come onto a path like the one in the photo above. This little piece of land between two railway routes is a nature reserve which provides a habitat for many species that are otherwise crowded out of our city.

As well as the shrub, flowers, and trees there are a few ponds and I saw plenty of tadpoles swimming in this one.

There's also a duck hiding under the tree there.

There's a plan to develop along one edge of the reserve, and many people think that this will spoil things. I'm less worried about building outside, as long as the current nature reserve survives as a place where anyone can wander in and experience this rare corner of wilderness. If you want to make up your own mind about the plans, follow the link for more information and a petition.

Dog Picnic

Our local park - it's a tiny patch of green really - hosted the Dog's Trust in an event for humans and their four-legged friends.

We don't know what to do . . .

. . . with our shoes - so we leave them lying around everywhere.
But Monika, who came to clean today, knows what to do.

She built this pyramid with them.

Street Theatre

I was taking advantage of a temporary lack of rain and walking home from Hammersmith when I came across a performance of Alice in Wonderland.

 There were some deck chairs, but they were all taken so I stood and watched till the end. It was such a joy to find something like this going on in austerity Britain.