#01: Gospel Oak – 18/04/2018

…and so the journey begins. I’m selecting where to go randomly but at the same time I’ll try not to visit the same general area in sequence; we’ll see how I get on.

Onto Gospel Oak then, which is one end point of the Overground line with Barking cutting a swathe through north east London and serving its urban communities. I happen to pick the hottest day of the year so far, which meant I wasn’t quite dressed appropriately and saw me walking at a more sedate pace. But despite that, it enabled me to look at my surroundings in detail.

Out of the station heading westerly towards Hampstead Heath, but not before stopping at the Parish Church of All Hallows where I survey the outside and wander inside. I’m not a naturally religious person, having been brought up as a Welsh Independent in my formative years, but there’s something intriguing and unique about all religious buildings. You just have to admire the work effort into the building, architecture, carpentry and how they have tried to balance the natural iconic features with the onset of modernisation.

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I bumped into, who I believed to be, the vicar (Father David), but he seemed too busy in wanting to stop and chat as he was preparing to start a clean up of the church in the coming days: a larger than life soul. Onward then to the Heath and I made a b-line for Parliament Hill to take in the iconic panoramic view across London of The City and Canary Wharf – the old and new financial centres. Whilst there, I had a chance to play with the camera settings, so loads of pics taken but most discarded, though a few survived.

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Decided to head up to the northerly parts of the Heath along the westerly border until I reached the grounds of Kenwood House enjoying the burst of bluebells and one of Henry Moore’s sculptures. A quick browse outside the House as that’s a visit for another day, and then head back to Gospel Oak along the easterly side skirting the various ponds/pools and the more populated parts.

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My efforts to chat to folk came to nothing for most of the day as the Heath is populated either by lone joggers plugged into headphones, insular dog walkers or tourists. However I did stop to ask a couple of ladies why they were placing camera traps at the base of trees. They explained they are part of a local community Group Heath Hands supporting the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in surveying the hedgehog population on the Heath; the survey would run for a month but they seemed unsure whether, and if so, how the information/results would be shared. If interested, follow them on Twitter @WildHeathBike.

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Back to Gospel Oak to rest the legs and reflect on the first day of many to come with some satisfaction with testing the camera, and exploring a part of London I’ve not been to before and thoughts on the next journey.

Feel free to comment on this blog, its content, or any suggestions on how to improve it. Equally, if you have any suggestions on where you’d like me to go next, please drop me a message.
For more info, look up Gospel Oak on Wikipedia

Picture of the Day

This is an exciting day in many ways; not least because I’m returning to a long forgotten passion of photography and I’m armed with a brand new camera. But it comes with a lot of trepidation as I have to re-learn how to blend all the components that make up picture taking. To be honest, my first set of pictures are not that unique, BUT I have made a start.

The walk over Hampstead Heath on what turns out to be a scorcher of a day makes the light very harsh, and I’m pleased with how the auto settings are taking care of the basics for me. But as I approach Kenwood House, the grounds are littered with a carpet of daffodils and bluebells just emerging and spreading their petals to fill the landscape with a mass of colour. The bluebells are just not ready to play their part but they are sufficiently in abundance to show their intent.

This, my very first picture of the day allows me to get close to nature. I’m lying on the ground, oblivious to others walking past, and I capture this isolated bluebell trying to make its way amid the carpet of blue behind it. I haven’t quite mastered the autofocus, but nevertheless this will always remind me of my very first outing: a new found freedom; and the excitement of rekindling my long forgotten love of taking pictures.

Settings: Camera – Canon EOS 200D; Aperture – ƒ5.6; Shutter Speed – 1/250; Focal Length – 55mm; Film Speed – ISO100; Google Photo Filter – Auto