Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet
The long weekend presented a great chance to explore areas of London we were yet to traverse. Sunday we launched ourselves on Richmond Park, a nice stroll out of Richmond town centre. Richmond would have been quite nice and easy to get to, if the trains hadn’t been done and the buses didn’t take a thousand years to get anywhere. But I did get to sit up the top of a double-decker for the first time since we got here, and we got the prime seats by the main window so it was like being on a roller-coaster at times .
The view is stunning as you walk towards the main park. You feel like you’re overseeing the land of a Baron or Duke, rolling pastures with thick, soft grass and trees have wept leaves over rabbit holes and fossicking squirrels. The sky is grey, but it highlights the skeletal fingers of wintry trees. People stroll, mostly elderly, and cyclists zip past with smiles on their faces. The path is cobbled, and soft moss and weeds sprout everywhere. Park benches and meticulously crafted gardens are dotted along the way. Just being here makes you smile. We kept an eye out for Mick Jagger’s house as well, but couldn’t figure out which was his, unfortunately.
The park itself is strangely stark and sprawling. It feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere, but if you turn around you can see the urban splatter of London, spewing forth smoke and grey and concrete. But you pass through the gates and it is suddenly quiet. A large chunk of woodland is fenced off in the middle, and to the right are picturesque pastures. We wandered the path for awhile, looking mainly for deer. But then we spotted bunnies! So we tried to creep up to them to take photos (but those big ears aren’t just for show! They heard us coming a mile off). Then we sat and ate a picnic dinner under a warty, gnarled tree that came complete with a ladybug and a spider. Squirrels bounced around and rabbits hopped nervously out of their holes. We then crept into the middle of a large rabbit-infested area, and sat stock-still with camera poised to try to snap photos. One rabbit poked his head up, but didn’t come all the way out.
Then we went around behind the fenced-off area, where we went off the beaten track to avoid all other tourists. We crunched across a thick bed of Autumn leaves, but quickly become disheartened that we wouldn’t see any deer. And just as I said, ‘we’re not going to see any, I’ve got a feeling we won’t’ James said, ‘There’s one! I’m serious! There’s, like, heaps of them!’ And indeed there they were! Dozens upon dozens of deer of all ages (mostly female), some red, some spotted, and one albino!! We stalked across the softest grass to try to get close, but they were too quick for us most of the time. They grazed and grazed, and then ran for no apparent reason, and then grazed and grazed, and then got skittish and ran again.
So we traipsed back, happy and content that our day animal hunting had been well spent. We saw squirrels, bunnies and deer. On our list of animals to see, we still have badgers, hedgehogs and otters, but they might be harder to find. We must head into the depths of the British countryside for these sights, I think!!