No frozen ducks' bums...

[caddyman]

So I made it up to St James's Park at lunchtime (yesterday, now) and remembered to take my camera with me.

Sadly, it wasn't as cold as it has been and not only was there was no new frost, but there was a minor thaw setting in. On the section of the lake nearest the palace there was no ice, but as I wandered up the length of the park toward Horse Guards', the ice was still there and still dry on top. I hung around and took a few photos, but not many. I've stuck a couple behind the cut simply because it's so rare for such large expanses of water (albeit still water) to freeze in London at any time. It's supposed to get colder again tomorrow, so I'll keep the camera with me and see if anything else presents itself.

In the meantime, here's the obligatory touristy snap of Buck House in the chill of early January...




A few disconsolate ducks on the ice


Coming in to land...


Towards Horse Guards and the Treasury


Towards the Palace


This tree thinks it's Spring already...


Do you mind? Trying to sleep here...

Comments

[willowing.livejournal.com]

i love pics of london parks, i used to snap around in hyde park a lot when still working near it. wow, ice on the pond!! :)

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

I know! I've lived in London 25 years and never known the ponds freeze!

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

Thankee, thankee.

Sadly it seems to have gone really mild again now, so I got the pics of the ice just in time. I could be deep in my 70s before the pond freezes again!

[pauln.livejournal.com]

It's now nearly 200 years since the last Frost Fair (1814). Unlikely that there'll be another one for a very long while - not least because of the Embankment.

[snorkel-maiden.livejournal.com]

The things in the second pic are gulls not ducks.

*grin*

[ladkyis.livejournal.com]

The birds in all the shots except the last one are gulls not ducks - but coming from Shropshire and living in London I understand why you would make the error.
Living as we do, on the coast we get bl***y seagulls all the time. People are surprised to be woken by the gulls swearing at each other when they visit here because they don't think of Newport as coastal.
London is tidal so should expect gulls
~climbs down off environmentalist soap box and wanders off muttering about b****y seagulls~

Le Mallard Imaginaire

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

I knew there were seagulls there, but since they all have webbed feet and splosh around in water, I assumed that a seagull was just a duck sub type.

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

I must try to remember to get the same two views in the middle of summer for comparison. I should be able to get them with no people on even in the height of the toursit season by leaning over the guardrail on the bridge!

[failing-angel.livejournal.com]

Grand shots, especially the gull that believes it's the Messiah.