Days 8-10 not so wild?

The featured image is of the visitor centre at Lakenheath RSPB Reserve where I would have been on Saturday with Marylebone Birdwatching Society but for a not-to-be-missed offer of a Traidcraft Stall at the first spring/summer Primrose Hill Designer Sale.

I’ve been involved with the annual Designer Sale in December for some years, initially helping the resident Traidcraft Fair Trader but more recently running the stall with Ruth’s help. It was a gamble taking a stall at this “Spring Edition” – would people be as keen to buy as they are a couple of weeks before Christmas? (my stall is ideal for stocking fillers) + lots of summer fairs happening on the same day + not yet an established “annual”. In the last few years I’d set up on the Friday evening on my own – making 2 or 3 trips to the church with my bags and cases – but I’d been able to rely on getting a lift home at the end of the event. This time all potential helpers were otherwise engaged but, familiar with the church and the Designer Sale set up, I was confident stall-holders would help one another and the Tea Room people would come round regularly taking and delivering orders. And the Church Administrator had said I’d be able to leave luggage to collect another day if necessary though they’d be clearing up for a couple of hours after the event which gave me time to take everything home in 3 x 1/2hr round trips. My sales were less than 1/2 those of last December but I heard today that the event overall was a success. Probably not “cost-effective” for me in terms of effort and given I’d sacrificed a pre-paid coach trip, but an enjoyable event and I’d have regretted not being a part of this new venture.

So my “wild” for Day 8 #30DaysWild was to contribute to other people’s trip to Weeting Heath and Lakenheath – dealing with late bookings and cancellations and emailing the list to the coach leader for “ticking off”.

I also enjoyed breakfast with entertainment from Blue Tits and Blackbirds at 1st floor level of the tree outside and close encounters with the resident Robins when I went out. And there are currently some very noisy Blue Tits outside my bedroom window!

Over the course of the weekend I walked up and down Belsize Park Gardens twice to go to the Laundrette, 6 times to go to St Mary’s Primrose Hill for the Designer Sale and another twice this evening to go to the same church for a concert. Each time I noticed this colourful garden though it was only today, on my 19th walk past, that I was able to take a picture.

So not much wild this weekend but even as I trudged up the road (doesn’t look it but definitely UP) at the end of a long day and with heavy case and bag on the 1st of 3 trips home… even then the song of a Blackbird made me pause to look up to where it was perched on an aerial.

 

30 Days Wild Summary

30 Days Wild collage – to sum up some of my June wildness. I struggle with my HP Creations especially positioning the text box – would have been better a little to the left or completely off centre. I’ve not mentioned birds but there are swans, a cormorant and an invisible kingfisher in these pictures.

Like others in the 30DaysWild group I’m sad the month has come to an end but I really should be getting down to serious work on documents and webpages for the Marylebone Birdwatching Society rather than continue to be distracted by reporting on my wild activities and observations and viewing everyone else’s wonderful wild blogs and photos.

Many thanks to the 30 Days Wild team and all the contributors. I was already a member of the London Wildlife Trust as well as London Natural History Society, RSPB Central London Local Group and of course the Marylebone Birdwatchings Society. I was already very alert to the sight and sound of birds at home and in my urban environment as well as when out on bird walks. I’ve not really done anything in June that I wouldn’t have done anyway – I’d already booked the outings with NT and MBS and the friend with whom I went to the Olympic Park. But taking part in 30 Days Wild has enhanced my awareness of the wonder and beauty of nature – even in the rain and the hurried walk to the shops.

‪#‎30DaysWild‬ ‪#‎StayWild‬

Day 10 Primrose Hill Trees

Despite having masses to do at home – including reporting on Days 7-9 of 30 Days Wild – I just had to get out into the sunshine. Knowing that, on Sunday, Bettina was starting a Tree Walk for Transition Primrose Hill from the gate by the corner of Regents Park and Primrose Hill Roads, I decided to attempt my own tree walk from there following principles learned on her Golders Hill Tree Walk last Sunday.

I set off to the left and followed the boundary looking closely at the leaves and any flowers or fruit as well as the bark of each different tree. The first was definitely a London Plane of which there were many. There were also 2 types of Oak and a Horse Chestnut with spikes where flowers had been. Unlike Golders Hill Park there didn’t appear to be any conifers.

I’ll need to have a closer look at the photos, the leaves I took home and ID tools to identify more of the trees. I’d be interested to know which trees Bettina highlights.

My tree walk was also the first outing for my new sandals. Much of the grass had been newly mown but I sought out some wilder patches to feel the cool grass on my bare feet. I’d recently been reminded of holidays in the Belgian Ardennes. For 10 years we rented the same house in the village of Chiny for the month of August. It seems we often picked wild flowers and I remember my favourite bouquets were actually of different grasses. I know better now that wild flowers should be left in the wild but I did pick a couple of heads of grasses, one daisy and one clover flower and I found a few tree leaves on the ground. Hope to use these for a work of art this weekend!

City Greenery

Day 4 of 30 Days Wild. I decided to take a few steps beyond the Market and entered Primrose Hill to take a GREEN photo (top left). I’d already noticed the lush greenery in the local streets and took some more pics on the way home – never quite capturing the green treefulness I was seeing as I looked down the roads. Back home, I took a photo from the window of my first floor flat (bottom right).

The 2nd part of Day 4’s Random Act of Wildness was struggling to create this collage and then share it on Facebook!