Moments of Calm: Evening Sunshine and Meandering Walks

Well here we are, well into September and thinking about Autumn.  Although the glorious sunshine and temperatures this week have been anything but autumnal.  I adore the sunshine and am very happy for it to stay with us for a while longer.

I love any opportunity to be outside and it seemed important to try and make the most of this bonus mini heatwave.  Before very long we will be closing the windows and putting on the central heating and warm days will be just a hazy memory. So I really wanted to take advantage of the beautiful warm evenings.

After finishing my work on Tuesday I took myself off to Hyde Park.  I love walking in Hyde Park.  It is so big with so many different paths there is always something new to discover.  This time however, I took one of my favourite routes from Knightsbridge to Kensington High Street taking in The Royal Albert Hall and Kensington Palace along the way. Although I’m a big summer fan, the light can be harsh.  In september the mellow evening light bathes everything in shades of gold.

I’ve always been a keen people watcher (my mum would say I’m nosy!) After the confinement of recent months, it was lovely to watch teenagers or family groups enjoying the evening on paddle boats on the serpentine and hear the squeals of excited  children splashing in the Diana memorial fountain.

The following evening was just as beautiful and I was meeting a friend I had last seen over 3 years ago.  We met in Vauxhall where we used to work together. We finished our evening and said goodbye just as the light was beginning to fade.  Too good an opportunity not to go for a walk along the river.  The stretch from Vauxhall to Westminster and beyond is a stretch I know well.

I purposely walked with my headphones in so I could listen to music.  I find listening to music whilst I’m walking through London gives a lovey feeling of detachment and I always feel that the music provides a soundtrack to the city.  I imagine I’m in a film with London happening all around me.

As the light fades and darkness falls, London takes on a different feel.  The street lamps on the Thames cast a romantic glow, flattering the majesty of the city. I stood for sometime on Westminster Bridge watching office workers wending their way home and tourists stopping to take pictures of the London eye and the Houses of Parliament.  It was a lovely moment, and despite the current sadness and misery in the world, for that little while, everything felt calm and peaceful in mine.