Forest walk, plants and animals!

that looks a lovely place, love the sky shot! where is it please pam?

That's a nice place for a walk. I'm pleased you had good weather for it :o)

Hi Sticki, it's called Connaught Waters in Epping Forest, on the outskirts of NE London.

Thank you Hywel :)

ah, NE, thanks pam, we often visit south london, i was hoping it was nearer there!!!

Oh, never mind, maybe one day you'll take a diversion on the way home, I recommend the cafe for tea and lunch! :)))

thats well worth knowing! thank you!

we have taken to doing the last bit of the journey by train now, it took too long to get across london in the car!!

Great blog Pam. Lovely scenery and pictures. Always nice to stop and have a cuppa.

Don't blame you! Too busy and mad! Also the congestion charge to consider....and as for the M25, well there is always some hold up on there!

Thanks Scottish :))

What a lovely peaceful walk.Great to make the most of a fine day seeing all those stately trees and the lovely lake. Giant hogweed can reach up to three metres in height, whereas the common one doesn't normally exceed 1 1/2 metres. I think yours is the common one. Are you sure the linaria (toadflax) is a garden escape? It is in my wild flower book and grows a long way from civilised dwellings. Its one of my favourite wild flowers.

Lovely photos. Enjoyed going around the lake with you.

Yippeee! You've confirmed it! It IS Connaught Waters where I spent many a happy day as a child, then continued to take my own children there! Butler's Retreat looks a lot tidier now than it used to be! It was run by a couple of ladies wearing long aprons who served thick stewed tea in heavy pots and wonderful Orange Squash, and made children stand still and behave if they wanted their ice-cream! There was a pond to the side of the Retreat where children fished for tiddlers and Sticklebacks then carried them home in jam jars. What a lovely blast from the past! Continue to enjoy Pam24! :o)

Hi Steragram, thanks for telling me about the hogweed.
Also you may be right about the Linaria, I just looked it up and wrote what they had said on the website, but I do now remember that Dad had a pink version that he grew so maybe it had been cultivated from the wild one?But whichever, it is pretty I agree :)

Hi Dwyllis, glad you enjoyed my walk, I expect you have some great place for walks out there in NZ too :))

Hi Nariz, how great that you used to frequent Connaught Waters and the local area! The Hunting Lodge is still there and a new educational centre has been developed next door to it with views out over the forest. Butlers retreat has changed somewhat!!! It has had a complete refurb. but still retains it's character, walkers come and have cups of tea outside and there is a small restaurant upstairs now. Not sure if the ladies in their long aprons are still there tho!! The pond is still there tho and enjoyed by the local children too! :))

Great to hear! I used to enjoy Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, but shied away from the stuffed animals! I like my animals alive! I would think the two ladies in their pinnies are serving thick tea from the Big Teapot in the Sky by now - my memory was from over 60 years ago!