sunrise – My London+

Sunrises and flowers

I’ve started jogging again, after saying ‘never again’! I’d been thinking about it for a few days before I took my first jog in six months. Once out, I realised how much I’d missed the early mornings. There’s hardly anyone around but a few dog walkers in the park. Sounds seem magnified, so the birds seem to sing louder. Being close to nature works for me, and there’s always the possibility of seeing a great sunrise.

Yesterday our clocks went forward one hour. It meant I was late up. I try to jog every other day, and yesterday was a jog day. However, I felt tired and decided to run in the smaller park nearer me instead of Beverley Park where I usually run. It was an overcast morning and blowy. No lovely sunrise, but you can’t get it every day! One day I ran in rain. There was the sun and rain, so there was a rainbow. And then there are the flowers in the park. It gets more colourful each time I go. This will be the second year I have seen spring flourish in Beverley Park. I ran through half the seasons last year, only stopping in September. I did continue to visit the park, though I wasn’t jogging. So I have been through the year there with all the colour changes, as well as the rain, the sun, the snow, mist and wind. Is there somewhere you go regularly to get away from everyday stress and to keep sane in this pandemic?

Now to the photos.

Waiting for the wind to disperse the seeds

The tennis courts (to the left) can re-open today. Fully booked all week!

A quick run through Blagdon Park on Sunday morning

Chasing the sunrise

There is no place near me where I can take decent photos of the sunrise. There is always something in the way – a razor wire fence, a building, trees. A few mornings ago this became obvious as I chased the sunrise. I thought a nearby bridge would elevate me enough to get a good shot, but no, there was a school building slap bang in front of it! The view I wanted was always just around the next corner, but always around that corner there was something in the way.

By the time I got to an open space, all the brilliant orange and pink colours had disappeared. However, I did take some photos, and it was lovely to be out early in the morning before most of the joggers descended.

Over the weekend, with my son away, I was able to take a few photos from his bedroom window, and being higher, I could zoom in and miss the razor wire of the building opposite. But, just to show you, there are a couple of ‘razor wire shots’ – the best colours, but not the best foreground!

(All photos taken with my Lumix Panasonic bridge camera unless otherwise stated)

View from my front room (taken with my mobile)

There is nothing to do but walk

With lockdown extended to who knows when, there is not a lot one can do now except shop for essential food, and maybe grab a takeaway drink. The government in England has just announced that schools will not re-open for at least two weeks and learning will go online.

The weather has turned bitterly cold and I’m not keen to be outside when it is as cold as this. Nevertheless, one morning I did layer up and drag myself out of the house before 8am to take photos of the frost and sunrise in two local parks. I took short walks on both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day as well. Here are a few photos for you to enjoy.

Heatwave

Last week, with temperatures in the low to mid 30c’,s it wasn’t a time to go out walking or visiting places. The best hours were dawn to about 11am and then again from 6pm onwards. I could sit in the shade on patio until about 11.30am and then I’d have to retreat indoors. Everything – shopping, chores (what chores?) had to be done early morning or not at all. Functioning in that heat was draining.

So today I offer you a selection of photos taken last week, mainly in my garden, a bit like my week in pictures that I resorted to in early lockdown.