KA-BLOOM!

With spring very much arrived, London is all of a sudden full of smiles, people spilling all over the street outside pubs, and, of course, photo opportunities!

The local graveyard is full of cherry trees, which have exploded into pink and white blossoms. As usual, crazy photo-taking antics, such as lying on the ground for the right angle, drew some attention - in this case from the parks police, who had me firmly ejected. Well, that's maybe a bit dramatic - they were closing so she wandered with me to the exit as we chatted about how lovely it is this time of year. I'm hardcore.

We're gonna need a bigger cap...

This fellow does a roaring trade in peacock feathers at Spitalfields market - I couldn't help laughing at the image conjured by a friend of a bunch of naked peacocks somewhere out the back of the place, trying to avoid eye contact with one another...

Tally ho!

For one day of the Easter weekend, I decided to take my recently acquired bi-wheeled, pedal-powered pain machine for a ride. I learnt a few things in the process.

1) Don't brush any, ANY, form of foliage growing along English roads. No matter how innocuous it may look, it is guaranteed to have a 3 inch, barbed spike hiding somewhere, waiting to drive itself deep into the flesh of unsuspecting cyclists.

2) It may look like cyclists coasting downhill are having fun. They're not. That look on their face is nothing short of blissful and all-consuming gratitude for the short respite they are having from the grueling and frankly masochistic trial they have just endured. Look closely and you'll see in their eyes something halfway between dread and maniacal enthusiasm as they approach the next slope.

3) Don't ride on A-roads in the UK. Trust me.

4) Any and all of the above tribulations are well and truly swept aside by the satisfaction of having cycled all day to see a sight like that above. I'm not sure if the photo really does it justice, but having pedalled a particularly tough section of the route I had chosen (actually, chosen is really not that good a term for it. Hazarded upon with intentions of extreme vagueness is closer), to be presented with a magnificent view of the sun lowering behind the precariously-perched ruins of a castle made it more than worthwhile

If any are interested is checking out the route I took, which encompassed parts of the New Forest (beautiful - I'll be going back there later in the spring), the Dorset coastline and a ferry ride across into Hampshire before heading to Wareham to catch a train back to London, please click away.

What're you lookin at...?

Flap, snap

There were a couple of these gulls, a type I'd never seen before, very conveniently diving for fish in the surf just near the beach. So out came the wildlife photographer in me - it's something I've never really done much of, but I'm afraid I'm getting a little bit hooked. I've always had a bit of a fascination with birds and flight - I seem to remember telling my mum that I was thinking about becoming a birdologist when I was little (ok, 23).

Anyway, catching their motion, to the eye something of a blur, is a challenge - but quite a buzz when one comes out well (this is one of about 15 photos I took, for just one reasonable shot!!)

How do you spell quintessential?

This is Highcliffe castle, where a young couple had selected an amazing day to get hitched - and an beautiful old Roller to make their departure in.

It's just outside Christchurch - which I have to say was an absolute surprise. I didn't really expect anything coming into the town - it had been more of a milestone for the ride than a goal - but I stayed there for a good few hours wandering around and checking out the beautiful old seaside town. Highlights included the Priory Church (reputedly the longest parish church in all of England... Next time I'm taking my tape measure), the serene waterways and a ruined Norman keep.

Central park in... Spring?

New York for St Paddy's day was quite something. I've been to the Big Apple a couple of times and have to say I like the place immensely. Particularly when everyone is drinking a lot of beer and pretending to be Irish (although a disturbing proportion of people were drinking Bud Lite. Yup. Bud. Lite. On St Patrick's day).

As can be seen, there was quite a dump the night I arrived, which meant the city was blanketed (with fluffy snow in Central Park and with greyish slush most other places). This certainly didn't stop the parade, which I wasn't sure what to expect from. In the end it was pretty much anyone who had affiliation to pretty much anything (random high schools, fire brigades, you name it - and seemingly regardless of whether they were of Irish significance or not), marching down Park Avenue banging or blowing on various musical instruments. I'm not saying I expected huge inflatable leprechauns or the Guiness float spraying booze over the crowd, but it seemed a little uninspired, and kind of unfocussed. In the end though, everyone was out and having fun, so I guess the major targets were hit.

Plus, it kept the crowds down in other places - like, for example, in FAO Schwartz (the well-known New York toy store - which Tom Hanks added to the fame of by playing on the giant keyboard in Big). All-in-all, between Irish shenanigans, cool toy stores and of course some of those awesome NYC bagels thrown in, a great weekend.

A different skyline

Look closely - you can see Mary Poppins

Turismo

It's easy to forget to do the tourist things when you are a local - but I think having now done the Tower of London, I've covered most of the classics in London. Speaking of classics, here's the view of Tower bridge from the walls of the Tower.

This was one of the first warm days of the year, and it's been promising signs ever since.

High altitude fly catching

Stupid place for a railway crossing