Clapton Pond Blog

A green hint of summer on Hackney Downs

This afternoon I went to fetch one of my daughters on her return from a school excursion. As is traditional, she arrived before I did and walked home a different way, which meant she got home at roughly the same time as I got to the school gates and wondered why there was no-one else around. Still, I did manage to take this photo of Hackney Downs looking lush and a bit summery.  

Christmas carols by the pond

"The power of social media," remarked one of the organisers of this heart-warming event. "A few mentions on Twitter and you get a lovely crowd like this." It was a lovely crowd too, which I stumbled across on my way to the shops having forgotten to remember that I wanted to see - and hear - the event anyway. It was a joint effort by the Clapton Pond Neighbourhood Action Group and St James's Church, which provided hot drinks and mince pies afterwards.

Autumn leaves

Quite a weird looking tree, I suppose. But still beautiful.

A message from Khan at Palm 2

In case you can't see the words written on the cup, here's what they say:

In the dark, look for the stars,

In the rain, look for the rainbow,

Stay positive. 

This is the sort of thing that makes me like shopping at Palm 2.

An autumn afternoon by Millfields Park

As viewed from Fletching Road en route to the Olympic Park (and Wanstead beyond). 

 

Ducks on the Pond

The headline suffices.

A lunar view from Leabridge roundabout

I took this photo the night before the recent "blood moon" lunar eclipse and just after eating my first meal at Rootdown. Otherwise, the two things are not related.

Towpath tensions

I love to run along the banks of the canal and not only for the athletic satisfactions. The sociology is pretty good too: the rich array of human life, all those mid-rise new build flats packed with young professionals. And then there's the odd, enlightening culture clash.

Boris bike mounts Clapton Pond railings

It was there just after 7:00 this morning as I walked through the gloom towards Palm 2. Boris Johnson has taken pride in very few of his hire bikes being dumped or vandalised. Here was one of the few. Was it left there as an art statement? Should it be dismissed as mere arsing around? Is there a difference? I took this photo on my way back home at around 7:45 (the shopping and coffee are mine). When I went out again just after 9:00 it was gone.

The space where the synagogue was

Astoundingly, it is eight years since the beautiful Clapton Federation Synagogue on Lea Bridge Road was demolished. And what has become of the bare site since? Not a lot. I took this photograph last autumn but, having checked the other morning, can report that it still looks exactly the same. Brown fencing and a gate have been erected at the front but apart from that, nothing visible.