First, be prepared, put on your sturdy shoes:
The sky was a deep shade of blue, and the weather was very good for a stroll.
As I turned onto the river there was a mad rush of wind that took me by surprise, but I managed to steady myself and gain back control of my tangled hair, but I needn't have worried, someone would have rescued me...
A few more minutes, and a few more apartment buildings along the river, we approach the building that gets me excited, every time I see it, EVERYTIME. Oddly, it's a derelict power station, but this is not just any power station, this is Battersea power station.
Isn't she marvelous? This picture really doesn't do her justice.
At this point in the walk, you are forced away from the river, around the back of the power station, up the road and around the corner, passing Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, resisting the temptation to go in and bring home a pup or two (you obviously can't just do that, they vet you and your home very thoroughly before allowing you to adopt one of their wonderful creatures).
Continuing down the road, under the railway bridge and you come upon a roundabout, as a pedestrian, take the second exit, and WELCOME, welcome to Battersea Park.
Take a second to breathe in the scent of the only just still blooming roses, admire the chocolate box caretakers cottage to your left, then press on, dear friends, let us press on to the lake.
Bid 'Good Morning' to the ducks...
As we follow the lake around, the Pump House Gallery becomes visible through the trees...
The gallery is deserted when I pop my head in, what bliss to walk around in utter silence with the art all to yourself. They show more 'offbeat' and local art at the Pump House, and I would definitely recommend stopping by, even if just for the exercise of walking the flights of stairs to view the four floors.
I am feeling drawn to the water today, so I continue to follow the lake, and I stumble upon a Barbara Hepworth sculpture. I love Barbara Hepworth's sculptures and art, and as a regular holiday-er in St Ives, I am well acquainted with her beautiful studio and home, which is now preserved and a museum.
It's now time to take in some trees, I have a soft spot for gigantic trees.
I like to ponder on their stories, what have they not seen in their hundreds of years? If only they could talk louder than the whisper of their leaves rustling in the wind, for I cannot decipher this quiet sound. For now they keep their secrets, and I wonder at the flashes of autumn colour elsewhere in the park.
I have almost come full circle now, but i cut up to the bandstand, through the gardens and up to the riverside once more, to quietly contemplate for a moment or two, or until a young child rushes past on their scooter shouting 'Mummy, Mummy, look how fast I can go', at the Peace Pagoda.
On my way back home, I spot this...
I had to pick it up, what great energy it holds within in it. It will one day become one of those towering trees I most admire listening but never telling the secrets it hears and sees. For now I put the conker back where I found it and I whispered to her one of my secrets in the hope that it would be her first and she would remember me for hundreds of years, long after I am gone.
I am feeling a little bit thirsty and peckish, so I get a wriggle on towards home. I make it in with that great feeling of an invigorating walk which makes everything seem brighter. I decide a hot beverage is my first port of call, to warm my fingers which have been getting chilly whilst taking all of these photographs!
One, two, three, sip....ahhh, that's better.
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