With it being the hottest early May Bank Holiday weekend on record, we spent most of it in various parks.
It may be a major city, but London has a remarkable number of parks, woods, and commons – a third of the capital is green space (and believe me, in a city this size, that’s a lot of green!)
So, we went to nearby Danson Park on Saturday, and to not-quite-so-nearby Greenwich Park on Sunday. Greenwich might be the more glamorous destination, what with the Prime Meridian, Royal Observatory, Maritime Museum and numerous markets, but Danson has its own charms, with a boating lake, cafe, water park, and the 200-year old Charter Oak.
My good friend Jimmy joined us with his two lovely old labradors, Maia and Shy, on a wander through the park, a picnic and a gentle snooze in the sunshine. Millie loves Maia and Shy, so spent most of the afternoon getting all soppy over them, occasionally shouting “They’re so fluffy!” in a high-pitched squeal (it’s a bit silly, but nice to see Millie’s not quite a teenager…yet).
That evening, despite being tired from a day in the sun, I had tickets to see Damo Suzuki (formerly of Can) play in Brixton at the seemingly indestructible Windmill (which, despite looking like a bunker that’s been under heavy attack from enemy forces both inside and out, has been there forever!)
Unfortunately, Bank Holiday rail engineering works meant a two-hour journey to get there and two hours to get back. Still, the two hours I got to spend at the Windmill were good fun. Thanks, Damo!
Sunday we’d arranged to meet up with a group of friends at Greenwich Park for the afternoon. It was hot – damn hot! – but we grabbed a space under one of the park’s huge trees and spent the afternoon chatting, eating, playing cards, throwing frisbees and playing tennis, which was perfect.
The girls were the only children in our little group but were really well behaved and can be quite charming when they want to be, so one of my main pleasures of the afternoon was to see them talking to and joining in with my friends. 🙂
And then we went to the Fat Walrus pub in New Cross for some dinner and drinks…but mostly drinks – which is when Mel took the girls home and things got – ahem – a bit messy. I blame whoever it was that started buying tequilas for everyone…!
Suffice to say that I spent most of Bank Holiday Monday in bed feeling a bit sorry for myself.
A weekend in the park With it being the hottest early May Bank Holiday weekend on record, we spent most of it in various parks.