I’ve sort of fallen in love with spring time in London. It’s quite enchanting really.
In the few days that I’ve been here, I’ve seen the trees tickled by the change of seasons. The cherry tree leaning over from our neighbours garden has burst into flower, sprinkling my morning view with petite white flowers.
The most noticeable trace of spring would be in nature. Trees lining the road blush pale pink, adding a little colour to the repetitive roadsides. In London, many of the houses have neat little matchbox gardens in front of their houses. As I walk by now, I can see reds, oranges and purple flowers begin to bud.
The latest bloom has called the bees out to play. They look a little different here – not as aggressive as the African bees and more fluffy. Chewie, the Cavapoo I am dog sitting, enjoys playing tag with them.
The rose garden in Morden Hall Park.
Even the weather is playful. The sky dances between a clear blue and grey, shapeshifting feverently throughout the day. I am slowly learning how to dress for this kind of capricious weather. The wardrobe I had been so proud of turned out to be way too warm for London. Why did I pack so many sweaters again?
The rush of the week is finally over, and I can take some time out to breathe. I opted to take Chewie to Morden Hall Park again. His big brown eyes looked at me hopefully as I scurried around the house to fetch his lead, poo bags and his treats. And we were off!
Today was the first day of school holidays, so naturally, the park was crowded. There were many joggers, cyclists, prams and walking sticks that we passed as we ambled through the greens.
Chewie was happy to be outside, and celebrated by rolling in the mud. That would be fun to clean later. All around, the air was humming with spring. Bees were buzzing and birds were chirping. There was not a moment of silence.
But these soft sounds were a welcome break to the screech of car wheels and wearisome blare of the ambulance alarms. I smiled.
My canine partner could not get enough of his freedom. He raced from one side of the common to the other, eager to make friends with every face her passed. His natural curiosity was fun to watch, and often lead him to interesting finds. And then it was time to go home.
I think I found my favourite street in London. On our way back from Morden Park, I took a different turn. I was convinced it was a shortcut. We took a turn down Phipps Bridge Road, and my eyes feasting on the most quaint little cottages I have seen.
Instead of conforming to the monotonous face-brick terrace houses, this row off houses had a slightly different look. They were a pale grey instead of the traditional russet colours with a white finishing. The windows and doors were splashed with a dark blue and white. And the end-of-terrace house looked like it had an old watchtower attached to it.
Cottage like terrace houses in Phipps Bridge Road, Mitcham.
Needless to say, it tickled my curiosity. So I did my research.
When the Phipps Bridge road was proposed in the late 1800’s, the owner of Wandle Villa built a castellated and ‘ruin-like’ cottage as a buttress at the end of the row. Then, in the 1960’s this patch of land was rezoned as ‘high rise area’. This area started to become neglected.
The buttress at the end of cute terrace houses along Phipps Bridge Road.
Now, these charming terrace houses sport the most beautiful little gardens brimming with flowers all in full bloom. Trees creeping up alongside the walls are also add a splash of colour to the scene. If you catch it at just the right light – you could swear magic is at work.
