Not So Wild But Still Beautiful

Living in a city like London, I am often surrounded by a concrete jungle. When I look out of my window, the brick wall of the opposite block looks back at me. I do my best to shut out the noise of the traffic and the far too frequent blaring sirens of police, fire engines, and ambulances.

But, it is not as terrible as it sounds. We are lucky in London to have so many wonderful parks where we can escape the constant noises of the city.

In Central London we have Green Park, and Hyde Park, just to name a few. Venture further out and you will have the chance to explore parks such as Wimbledon Common (home of the Wombles - people my age might still remember the rubbish clearing creatures from the books by Elisabeth Beresford) and Richmond Park in the south; Regents Park and Hampstead Heath to the north.

Recently, I took part in a charity walk for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which meant walking for 15 miles.

In normal times, the route is all arranged for you and everyone walks together, but of course in these times of Covid, they had to change the arrangements. We were all invited to make our own routes.

Walking through the concrete jungle is not very inspiring or relaxing, so my friends and I came up with a walk that took us through Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common and gave us the chance to spot some wildlife.

Although the wildlife is not so wild in London’s parks. The animals are so used to people. Really, they are not bothered. Even the deer let you get very close to them although I wouldn’t recommend going too close when they have their babies.

In Richmond Park we were lucky to spot this huge herd of deer. Normally, I would have ventured closer to get a better shot, but we spotted several fawns, so it was best to keep a safe distance. I didn’t want to cause a stampede or get attacked by one of the male deer.

Since I couldn’t get that close on our walk, here’s another picture I took when cycling in Richmond and Bushy Parks. Meet probably the most chilled out deer in the world. It lifted its head a little as I approached before resting it down again. I could almost hear the relaxed sigh as he laid his head back down.

I love the attitude of this deer. Just chilling in the sun and making the most of the present moment. A lesson for us all to live in the present and not dwell over the past or focus too much on what is coming in the future.

However, my favourite picture I've taken recently has to be the one I used at the top. But here it is again. It is a duck I met on my charity walk.

Did I mention the animals are used to people and not bothered if you get close to them? Well, the ducks come right up to you. In the hope of some food, of course.

This handsome fella kindly posed for me and then, because I had nothing to give him, waddled away disappointed. A reminder on feeding them: bread is for humans, not for ducks, swans or other birds. Though bread is not harmful for birds, it doesn’t contain the nutrients the birds need, but acts as an empty filler.

I really am not a very expert photographer. My partner is much better than me and sometimes I use his beautiful pictures on my social media - with his permission of course.

I think I got lucky with the shot of the duck and the chilled out deer. They were there, just waiting for me to capture them on camera. And as for editing, I don’t really do much of that.

I have my favourite filter on my Nokia (yes, I still use Nokia and always will; also the cameras on their phones is very good) that I use called Palma. It gives the pictures a nice warm tint. The only other things I do - if the picture needs it - are to adjust the brightness and crop.

Apologies if you were hoping to read about how to take stunning pictures of wildlife or edit them to the finest detail - I’m really not the best person for that.

Besides, I think nature and wildlife are beautiful as they are.

But, if I have kept your attention until now, you can show your appreciation for my pictures by giving the piece a like - or even leave a tip!

You can also visit my blog to find out about the other fundraiser I am doing for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.