A peaceful Christmas Day

Joy to the world! And to us!

My Christmas Day has been very pleasant, especially the afternoon walk!


My companion eagerly posed in front of this imposing house on the road toward Hanger Hill. Mr Google decided it would look better in black and white, apparently not satisfied with the picture-postcard blue sky.

A bit further we turned right and then left into Park View Road going past The White House where building works stopped for the festive season. The house next door has a nice decorated deciduous tree outside. I cannot find the picture to show you at the moment as I took it on some other occasion. The big baubles in opaque hues made me think of the Christmas tree at my family home. We had similar ones for many years. Sometimes we would have a real Christmas tree, other times a plastic one. However, last time we met at my family home, my mother had a ready decorated little Christmas tree. Fuss free!

Then I spotted some mushrooms on the lawn outside another house. They all looked like this one and to me weren't of an edible variety:
 

When we reached Hanger Hill, I was surprised to see the spelling here:


From Hanger Hill we walked through Fox Woods towards Brentham Village and I had to capture a tree, a holly and some flowers. There were more flowers in bloom, especially roses. Mind you, we are in London and it's December 25 today!
 
 

Brentham Village looked very desolate this afternoon: no cars, hardly any people and only two cats in sight, and a pink Christmas tree in a Pitshanger Lane shop window.
 
 

 Today the pubs stopped serving at 3 pm, and only few restaurants were open, mostly for the guests who pre-booked their meals. We were lucky to admitted to a Mediterranean establishment where the waiter shared his attention between us and two other couples. The first had been finishing their meal when we came, the other came after us, ate a full course meal and left while we were still relaxing and having a good laugh playing with the crowns and little knick-knacks from the crackers we were given at the end of our meal of a main course each and a shared tiramisu.

Aren't you glad I took a picture of this dog all covered in little shells? Doesn't it make you think of Alexander Pope's Grotto in Twickenham, shell ornaments in the Leeds Castle grounds or of the Shell Grotto in Margate?

All the backstage area is covered in pictures made by under-age patrons. So many of them!

Pitshanger Lane by night: