Peace and quiet in Lee Valley Park

The view from Bittern Lookout bird hide in Lee Valley Park
16 February 2008 ©Heather James

Parts of England have had their wettest January for more than 100 years and more flood warnings have been issued. There have been reports of snow blanketing much of the United States but California is suffering from a drought and could do with the rain England has too much of. While in parts of Australia they've recently been enduring temperatures in the mid 40s C.

The sky outside my living room window is, for the first time today, a lovely soft grey with a hint of graduating tones. This is the most interesting it has looked for ages. This dreary weather has reminded me of the time we stayed at Lee Valley YHA for a weekend.

It's not that far north of where we live in London but, being set in 10,000 acres of country park and surrounded by waterways, it felt as though we were in the middle of the countryside. In addition to this there was some snow on the ground which enhanced the atmosphere and made everything very quiet. After breakfast we took ourselves off on a walk and I don't remember many other people being around.

I can remember frost on the branches of the trees and a small bird sliding on the ice covering a pond that looked very comical. At some point we arrived at the Bittern Lookout bird hide which is where I very quickly sketched the view above. I don't remember a lot else about this visit but I am glad to have this visual reminder of our visit to the bird hide.