15 389 steps

Went for a 3 hour long walk on Tuesday with D and the camera. I thought we’d head up to Highgate and have a snoop around streets we’d never been on. On the way there we saw this tight cluster of shrubs and trees who definitely were not adhering to any social distancing rules.

I was intrigued to check out some streets that were hidden from the main road, and it didn’t disappoint. There was a cluster of maybe 20 or so houses that must have been built in the 60’s and 80’s there, and ridiculously I didn’t take any pictures of the actual houses, but just random stuff like a house number.

Or someone’s thank you note in their window.

And some nature winning at growing where it wanted.

The close where the modern houses were are below some much older Georgian houses that we were inspecting the back of here.

This very happy door is on the front of one of those Georgian houses.

And this friendly fella is saying his hellos to passing children and 44 year olds with cameras.

Just past Pond Square is this house, which is one of my house crushes in London. It looks insanely cosy from the street, and we can’t help but wonder who lives in house like this, with those heads there like that.

We just kept walking and walking, and ended up on Hampstead Heath.

I haven’t been back to the Heath since the Ladies Pond shut, and was curious to see if anyone was there guarding the gate. There wasn’t. Before the lockdown I had checked out this fence to see whether I could climb it and keep swimming (conclusion: easily), but as soon as it shut it felt disrespectful to the place to do so, and incredibly selfish.

A bit further down on the street towards the Men’s Pond I saw this window with it’s collection of decanters. Nice.

And a bit later we saw this lucky dog having a dip in the Model Boating Pond (yep, there is such a pond on the Heath!), and I was WELL JEL.

The Ladies Pond from the one spot where you can see in. I swam in here everyday from the 2nd of Jan until the 21st of March. It was pure magic. All those ladies just getting on with it, and either diving in or descending the ladders into the silky cold water, and later coming out grinning and so full of life. I wonder how they’re all getting on now.

On the way home we spotted a rainbow - larger than some, smaller than others.

Not being able to go and look at art makes you look at people’s driveways and houses, and stop and take pictures of them like some sort of weirdo.

Because HELLO!!! There’s so much pretty to look at right now.

I felt amazing that evening; I’ve really missed my long walks, and it’s so nice to live near someone who likes to take them too (Mr Famapa and Oomoo are bike people - and I love that too). As far as I know there are no time restrictions of how long we can be outside for; the rules are simply keep 2 metres apart, no more than 2 people if you’re not from the same household, and NO stopping. Soooo grateful for that. Have a good last two days of the week (I mean, what’s a weekend right now, eh?)!