Today was one of those days that could have easily been written off as one where I should have just stayed in bed. It had the makings of that early on, at least. It was just one of those days where things just felt out of kilter. My local Starbucks was completely packed which meant I had to stalk a table and when one finally freed up, the sunlight was so bright (yes, that does happen in London) that I couldn’t see anything on my computer screen. After sending one semi-scatty email, I gave up and went home. Working at home was a bust as I really felt like a caged animal at the zoo. It became painfully clear that nothing was going to happen research or writing-wise so I grabbed my camera and headed off to one of my favourite places in London–Hampstead Heath.
I’m not really an outdoorsy kind of person per se. Part of this could be because I grew up and lived a large portion of my live in the American desert Southwest. While some people find the desert beautiful, I have never really been of that opinion. I also don’t camp. Why would I want to sleep in a tent when mankind has pretty much perfected the art of indoor plumbing and comfy mattresses?
That being said, I absolutely love the area I live in because I’m surrounded by green areas. If I walk south-ish I run into Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park and if I walk a bit northeast I am at Parliament Hill and Hampstead Heath. These are the places I go to when I need to gain some perspective on life and motivate myself to not give up on my goal of staying in London. From Parliament Hill I can look down at the city I love and turn around and walk through a bit of nature that seems out of place in a city of over 8 million people. It’s a calm and peaceful area that’s perfect for clearing your mind of unconstructive thoughts.
This week I’m not going to write a bunch of words…instead I’m just going to share some of the sites on my stroll through Hampstead Heath today. I hope you enjoy them and they bring a little happiness to your day, as well. (Hint: click on an image and it should open up to large view with some captions.)
On My Mind 