Local surprises

It's amazing what's on the doorstep. I was blethering with Brenda at the pet shop when Fred texted to ask if I fancied an evening walk. It was such a gorgeous evening and the blossom, particularly on the horse chestnuts, was glorious. We wound our way up from West Norwood to Streatham Common and followed the path to The Rookery, which took our breath away. I think we came here last when we first moved to the area, so around a decade ago, and it wasn't particularly memorable then. A lot of work has gone into making it so lovely. It reminded me of the gardens in Colonsay, and the colours of the blossom and azaleas are wonderful. Fred here in the blip is enjoying the view by the pond. 

We walked up by the Glass House to Crown Point and popped into The Conquering Hero for a drink and a look at their pet pig, who was asleep. I'd heard that their food was good (again, the last time I was here was about eight years ago and I remember scotch eggs being bar food). The menu is fabulous, with an American slant - surf 'n' turf, mac 'n' cheese and American-style pancakes. They also have all-you-can-eat cod and chips on Fridays, although I'm not sure how much cod and chips I could eat above the usual amount. We ordered fish pie, which was very tasty indeed. As we ate, we listened to a band of a few fiddlers, guitarists, Irish flutes and a cajón player (I had to look up the name of that instrument – I learn something new...). They practise there every Wednesday and were great fun.

All this, and only a half-hour walk from the front door!

This morning's fox: Bushy-Black (extra pic, chilling on the guinea pig run)