As one climate change catastrophe follows swiftly after another – the devastating flash floods in Nepal being the latest to dominate our news feeds – and as we see image after image of calamity and grief, it is easy to feel helpless. But as well as supporting rescue and recovery initiatives as best we can from afar, we can help by taking care of the natural environment in our own neighbourhoods. I photographed this beautiful waterlily last Friday. I was…
By Maria Strutz Thursday afternoon I stepped outside into bright sunshine, and the ground was white, and it looked as if it had snowed quite heavily. Looking more closely I noticed that the white consisted of individual hailstones, lots of them, and it surprised me that they had ‘stayed’ and hadn’t immediately melted away. It was May after all… I decided to go to Albion Millenium Green and found the paths of the Green covered thickly in white hailstones, surrounded…
Thanks to everyone who joined us on the Green for World Labyrinth Day – altogether twenty-two of you came by! It was a perfect spring day not only for labyrinth walking but also for gathering, talking, eating cake, and drawing. The charming, and accurate, picture of the Eurasian Wren shown above was by one of our young visitors who had also brought his birdwatching equipment with him. He has portrayed this bird’s character and form incredibly well. World Labyrinth day,…
World Labyrinth Day is a global event that has been running for several years and one if its special features takes place at 1 pm all over the world: a group labyrinth walk for peace. Our event is a drop in session so come any time between 11.30 and 1.30. If you would like to take part in the peace walk please arrive at about 12.50. The event will be facilitated by me (Jorella). I’m a long-time Friend of the…
The pond was refurbished by the charity Froglife at the end of January, made possible by funding from The Kenneth White Legacy Award for which we are very grateful. The pond is vulnerable at the moment as plants need time to and grow so we ask that visitors would take special care. Unfortunately, the pond has been damaged twice. The first time a few days after the refurbishment with our new pond plants and plant baskets destroyed and debris floating…
We took part in the Birdwatch yesterday (Sunday 25th) between 2 and 3 pm – and were thankful that it wasn’t raining as forecast. At it turns out, we were able to document an above average number of birds, as summarised above. Overall, 1 Blackbird, 5 Blue tits, 1 Goldfinch, 4 Great Tits, 1 Long-tailed Tit, 7 Magpies, 4 Robins, 5 Wood Pigeons, 1 Goldcrest, and 1 Wren.
The pond, first installed in 2016, was in need of repair. The liner had perished, and the pond was no longer holding water. With funding obtained from the Kenneth White Legacy Award we were able to commission the charity Froglife to carry out this work which was completed on a damp and muddy Thursday 22 January. We are so grateful to the team from Froglife and to the extra volunteer-power from the London Blue Chain! It will take a while…
New Year greetings to everyone who enjoys the Green, whether as a visitor or as a volunteer, Friend, or Trustee. A reminder, too, that we are keen to welcome new volunteers and friends with an interest in caring for the Green (at our monthly workdays, for instance). Helping out is a great way of doing something practical to protect and improve the environment in Forest Hill. It is also an excellent form of exercise, enjoyable, and a very good way…
A gallery of lovely autumnal views of the Green. I woke early last Wednesday and went into the Green to take some photographs.
If you have visited the Green recently, you may have noticed that it is all dried up! This is due to the pond liner having worn out. The good news is that it will soon be refurbished. Last year, we applied successfully for funding from the Kenneth White Legacy Award and in January 2026 we will be helped by a team from Froglife. Froglife is a brilliant national charity that works to conserve amphibians and reptiles and the habitats they…