Thursday 18 November 2010

Hampstead Heath: 18 November 2010

I had no idea when I got off at Gospel Oak how close I was to Hampstead Heath. According to the local map I just had to turn left out of the station and then take the first left, and there it was in front of me.

Even though I have lived in London for 30 years I've only visited the heath a couple of times so I really felt I was exploring somewhere unknown.

I walked up to the top of the heath to Parliament Hill Fields where the authorities have thoughtfully placed a number of park benches. From this vantage you can enjoy a very famous view of London's skyline. This sketch really does not do the view justice but, for what it's worth, I managed to get Canary Wharf in on the left hand side and St Paul's Cathedral on the right hand side.

Since it's November and there is not much day light around I was lucky that the sky was a lovely combination of soft billowy greys and some of the buildings on the skyline appeared ghostly and insubstantial. The air smelled lovely and clean and I could hear birdsong too. Eventually the cold drove me to search out a café.

I never did find out where the tumulus was that I'd seen indicated on the park map. Maybe that can wait for another visit.

3 comments:

  1. Dear Heather, so good to see your drawings again, it's been awhile since I have visited. So good to see your gutsy drawings, so real. You mention the short days of winter, man, I am so feeling them. I feel starved for light, and London gets even less than NY. Every time the sun breaks through my heart lifts! That's one great thing about my California trip last week: it was drenched in strong sun. I gulped it down. m

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  2. Keep drawing forever, please! You are an inspiration! I feel so much life in your drawings! m

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  3. Thanks Marta. I'm glad you got a sun fix last week.

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