Blossoming

My tip of the week: if you are looking for something this weekend, then this might be a good one to head down to Hackney City Farm (and maybe Columbia Road Flower Market if it’s Sunday), and then go for a walk in the wood in Haggerston Park afterwards. I was down there this week and was astonished when I saw the wood. Most of the trees are laden down with white blossom. The pictures I took today do not do it justice. All they need is a few bluebells to make it a real fairy wood.









Not so nice is the current state of the River Lea. Apparently local housing is supposed to have separate drainage for rainwater (from gutters etc) and for sewage, but some builders have been connecting it wrong. According to the Hackney Gazette as many as 400 houses may be currently discharging raw sewage into the Lea. Well, at least they’ve realised there is a problem and are getting it sorted. Nowhere near Haggerston Park so don’t be put off!

Singer and pianist T J Johnson and his band are performing at The Globe pub, Morning Lane, Sunday afternoon 12.30 to 3.30, free entry. Bluesy vocals, rocking piano, rhythm and blues, roots and swing. Apparently recommended for a traditional jazz audience. Not to my taste unfortunately, but I like to pass these things on!

On the personal side… I did my 15 mile run last week in a time which puts me well on time for a cracking (for me!) improvement in my time next marathon I do. Very pleased. I’ve run well this week on short runs too, including the one that led me to discover all that lovely blossom.

Gardening this week led me to war on spiders. I was cleaning out the shed, and found it swarming with them. Little fat ones with short legs that reminded me of ticks. Creepy leggy skeleton ones. And huge, big, black garden spiders. I know spiders are a good thing, but I can do without that many of them. So far gardening has been stressing my nerve more than my muscle! But next I tackle the weeds… if I can work out which plants are weeds. They have different weeds in London than the ones I knew as a child!

I’ve also added some pictures of the pancake race in the report below. Behind with my picture editing *G*