There we are. I've put a picture at the top. The old one, the generic Weebly one that goes with this template, reminded me of a park in the middle of Frankfurt, or maybe it was Brussels, or maybe it was some other city altogether. Walking through it together with a pushchair and, if memory can be manipulated to include this detail, a bag of pains chocolat and a couple of takeaway coffees. Bench: black-painted ironwork, ornate, and wooden - no, black metal worn down to grey - slats to sit on. Birds to eat the crumbs. The long wide walkways, gravel, and at each intersection, a big circular edged statue, or maybe fountain, with either water or maybe in this memory we'll make it a planting of flowers. Are those plane trees, shedding their grey bark, and who are those generals on their horses, on the plinths?
Flat grass and space for couples and groups on blankets, football games, children, prams. And I remember that brave young couple, sitting under a tree, she astride him; perhaps part of the dare was not to find a place further from the rest of us. In one, in fact, two, of the parks where we walked, there was a zoo, and there were always fountains. Not sure whether the question is: why did we visit so many parks, or: why did they make such an impression? Possible answer to question two: a very small boy taken daily to Kensington Gardens, climbing around on the Albert Memorial (before they blocked it off), fingering those carved figures, setting in place a positive association with parks and their metalwork.
All of which adds up to: I liked that old picture, but it's time. I've said more than once, "Yes, I think you should put your picture on your website," and I only know that because each time I've exempted myself from my own advice - not a good habit. [In other news: storm during the night; tarpaulin finally blown off the shed roof; rain massing in the clouds. But at least the bird feeders are refilled. On the radio this morning, somebody was calling for a "national innovation strategy". Can you imagine? Nothing more guaranteed to kill innovation stone dead.] Sorry about the park picture, but you can find it again at Weebly.
Flat grass and space for couples and groups on blankets, football games, children, prams. And I remember that brave young couple, sitting under a tree, she astride him; perhaps part of the dare was not to find a place further from the rest of us. In one, in fact, two, of the parks where we walked, there was a zoo, and there were always fountains. Not sure whether the question is: why did we visit so many parks, or: why did they make such an impression? Possible answer to question two: a very small boy taken daily to Kensington Gardens, climbing around on the Albert Memorial (before they blocked it off), fingering those carved figures, setting in place a positive association with parks and their metalwork.
All of which adds up to: I liked that old picture, but it's time. I've said more than once, "Yes, I think you should put your picture on your website," and I only know that because each time I've exempted myself from my own advice - not a good habit. [In other news: storm during the night; tarpaulin finally blown off the shed roof; rain massing in the clouds. But at least the bird feeders are refilled. On the radio this morning, somebody was calling for a "national innovation strategy". Can you imagine? Nothing more guaranteed to kill innovation stone dead.] Sorry about the park picture, but you can find it again at Weebly.