On the way to the park

At 8am on a bright, warm, good-to-be-alive Saturday. Climbing hydrangea does well on a north wall, but seems to flower better when it actually gets sun.
Escapee from a 1950s ice cream parlour?
And just before the park -- encounter with The Guardian of the Oxford Road Gate. Fortunately the owner was nearby. Dogs walked in the park all seem to be large-sized.