Another great pic spotted on Flickr. Is it the Amazon? Or somewhere on the Norfolk Broads perhaps?
Actually, it is the pond next to the Hare and Billet pub – a lovely spot for quiet contemplation, with or without a glass (plastic) from the pub next door.
Thanks to Flickr user Londonjoolz for allowing me to reproduce it here. Check out the other vibrant pics of the Islamic garden in Southwark, too.
Licensed under a 
The Blackheath Bugle 
Living near the Norfolk Broads, that looks just like it could have been taken somewhere near here…
The pond has an extra attraction: some kind of diving bird has taken refuge – perhaps a stray from the river or one of the many that migrate across the Heath. Ironically, there were several divers of a different species earlier this week when a police team spent a couple of days wading around. Looking for evidence or practicing?
Sorry I can’t upload pix but I have a pathetic Pay-Go phone.
Didn’t see this when it was written. The weird bird was a Shag [oo-er missus!] It stayed a couple of days to rest – probably shagged out during migration.
Spring has sprung and the H&B pond’s getting all willowy again. There’s a new attraction for Springwatch enthusiasts. Herons have been visiting forever but one has taken permanent residence for the first time I can remember.
Quite tame, too. Possibly a youngster still untroubled by manic dogs and yobs. Lotsa snappers snapping but I can’t figure a way to get pix off my phone, so someone else will have to do the business.
Photos please!
Spring has resprung, the grass is once more rizz and the pond is looking luverly and willowy, thanks muchly to a few locals who sup in the H&B. They have splashed out [in?] to prevent the oasis from being strangled by Floating Pennywort. Hours of muddy toil was eased by the entertainment of seeing expensive metal signs erected by Glendale warning of HUGE fines for dogs allowed into the water. You’d think said sign-planters would have better things to do – such as clearing the Pennywort rather than leaving it to volunteers.
@Anonymous’
“… expensive metal signs erected by Glendale warning of HUGE fines for dogs allowed into the water. You’d think said sign-planters would have better things to do – such as clearing the Pennywort rather than leaving it to volunteers.”
Yes, Glendale’s overall management of the heath south of the A2 under its contract with Lewisham Council is beginning at times to leave more than a bit to be desired, isn’t it?
Glendale is short of cash. The company, a division of the giant Parkwood Holdings plc, has reported a national operating loss of £0.3m.
But Glendale should remember that the heath isn’t there as a cash resource to be exploited by the company’s backing of those seeking to use this unique area of peaceful open grassland for their own commercial ends.
And forget about putting up notices, that blight of local administration bossiness, Mr. Glendale.
It would be nice if for a start you instead began to get a serious grip on the major task of clearing up the mass of litter laying strewn across the heath after every summer weekend. It’s a total eyesore up on the heath some mornings. Clean the place up, that’s what you’re paid for.
The mess on the heath from the Princess of Wales was unbelievable (although it was cleaned up quickly enough by , I assume , Glendales). How about a few more bins ? or even staff from PoW picking up the empties? Still strange how people feel they can dump stuff on the heath (surely they came in the first place as it’s a nice place to sit.)
It is probably the same people who drop all their litter on the trains and then complain to the Rail Authorities, that the trains are filthy.
About two years ago, Mr. F, myself and the mini-F’s went to the H&B for a rather nice eveing meal. The visit was motivated by the Garfield 2 film which was mostly based in the “Yew-Kay”. In one scene a cat resembling the hero munches on a lasagne for the first time and when the ‘hollywood pan back’ happens, we realised it was our own Hare and Billet!
Lovely food, lovely drink, fuss made of kids by pub dog, sun set over the heath, god was in his heaven and all was right with the world…. until I spotted a bathing pair betwixt the aforementioned willows. Drunk as lords and as common as as toilet paper tag-alongs in an antoxicated persons legwarmer.
We rang Glendale, feeling rather unqualified to deal with the said pair of revellers and the obvious danger they presented to themselves. After all, we had two small children in tow and wanted to get them home to bed.
Glendale told us that they had no-one in the area at the time and basically to leave the couple to their own devices ……. so after we pulled the intoxicated female out of the lake (swamp) and called an ambulance, we did just that.