Ruskin Park

We couldn't risk being late, and the journey time is unpredictable, as a traffic problem can quickly turn into a long delay, so of course we got up painfully early and, despite some slow sections, arrived more than an hour before we needed to. This allowed us to find a parking space in a location where parking is particularly difficult, and then to explore the adjacent park.

Ruskin Park has grassy hillside with lots of specimen trees, some community areas where things are, or were, being grown, and a pond with ducks, Canada geese and goslings, coots and moorhen and a nicely posed heron. There is also a bandstand and a semi-walled garden with grit paths and lots of very nice and colourful planting. There's a huge variety of texture and height, with a lot of familiar plants but a few I don't know as well. Many of the plants were clearly suffering from the dry weather, but most are probably robust enough to survive. I enjoyed wandering round with my little camera and mentally noting planting ideas.

The rest of the day was positive too. J's appointments were useful, with friendly, helpful staff, and were followed by a late picnic lunch under a gnarled old sweet chestnut in Greenwich Park, which is spacious, has free parking, and is on the way home. By then the sun had come out, and I enjoyed the dappled shade and sense of peace, combined with a bit of people and dog watching - J always enjoys seeing the dogs.