Walk in the park

It takes just a little longer, going to the South Ken museums (V&A etc) to get off the bus at Notting Hill Gate and walk across Kensington Gardens. Or, from the museums to Notting Hill Gate (though walking the rest of the way home does take rather longer than the bus ride, and is not so pleasant as the park).

I love the huge trees, especially their winter skeletons, and especially at dusk. Here and there, small trees have been planted, with hopes for the future. Dog walkers abound, as do bicyclists on No Cycling paths (tsk, tsk). The traffic is a good distance away, and you kid yourself that the air is a bit cleaner in the park. Sometimes you hear birds, even (on a summer day) a twittering tree full of starlings, what an amazing sound.

 In the northwest corner is the Round Pond, with Kensington Palace behind -

The swans take it all in their stride -