Brown

Ham Common is not looking very healthy at the moment. The long hot dry spell has scorched and weakened the grass so that the brown earth is revealed. And now it is all being covered by an early coating of brittle brown leaves.

Filming at Hardwicke House

The last time that I caught filming in action locally was on Ham Parade for New Tricks back in 2007 now the cameras are busy at Hardwicke House on Ham Common and the film crew have occupied the north-east corner of Ham Common.

A plague of fences

The rustic fences that unnecessarily adorn sections of Great South Avenue have now spread to the footpaths around Teddington Lock. I cannot for the life of me see what the point of this is. Deprived of any meaningful context, I find these fences ugly and obtrusive.

Red car

I've moaned a few times about not being able to take photos because of cars and I thought that I would give an example to show why this is such a problem. This is a perfectly normal view of Ham Pond but it is completely ruined for me by the bright red car parked on Ham Common. The red just shouts at you and demands attention when there is nothing in the picture less worth paying attention to. That is why I hate cars.

Kitchen garden

The kitchen garden at Ham House has a practical mix of vegetables and flowers which produces a glorious confusion of colour, including some subtle greens.

New pots

The familiar line of pots along the rear tearrace at Ham House have been joined by four new darker ones. The young trees in the pots unsuccessfully fight the strong wind that contorts their thin stems and threaten the planned symmetry.

Cricket Whites

Cricket comes to Ham Common bringing with it a flurry of white shirts, jumpers and jackets.

No Fishing

The "No Fishing" sign could not be more clear but the heron is arrogantly ignoring it.