Thoughts on Park Cleaning

Some pet owners like to put cute little clothes on their pets - I have seen cats with paw gloves, dogs with jerseys and once, even, a parrot with a necktie. These have striking effects. But none of them really come close to the hat that a squirrel showed itself to be wearing when I came across it today. One would not normally imagine that a Doritos packet is comfortable, but apparently the squirrel thought so. Indeed, it went to the extent of putting its entire head inside as it looked for potential nibbles. It seemed to be embarrassed when I saw it in the packet, and quickly shook it off before scurrying away from the bin where I had found it. But as I laughed to myself and put his erstwhile apparel into its rightful place, I contemplated how this was further proof of how resourceful and remarkable animals can be sometimes. This squirrel had searched tirelessly for food and its efforts had paid off. Perhaps this can be an example of how useful perseverance can be.

I came across the Ginkgo Biloba tree in the pictures below while I was cleaning Holland Park today - it is very close to the trumpet sculpture that fascinated me previously (it turns out that that sculpture's name is 'The Annunciation', which I learnt thanks to Ms Jennie Kettlewell and which I think is very fitting). The plaque at the bottom states that, in November 1987, the mayor at the time planted this tree as the first in one of several hundred needed to repair the damage caused to the Royal Borough's open spaces, including Holland Park, by the Great Storm of 1987. I find this very fitting, because a Ginkgo Biloba really is a special tree. It has existed for 270 million years and is the last of its kind - all of its close relatives have become extinct due to climate change, excessive browsing by herbivores or other factors. So it could be said to represent longevity and endurance. Furthermore, it is the source of best-selling herbal medicines and has many proven he

I just learned that, on this day, the Roman Emperor Nero killed himself in 68 AD. Faced with huge popular unrest, mutiny in the army and with his great rival Galba marching on Rome, Nero took his own life - or forced his private secretary to do it (accounts differ significantly) - saying famously, "What an artist dies with me!" Yet although Nero was a hated figure by this point, one of the most turbulent and unstable years in ancient history would follow his death, as, over the course of 69 AD, no fewer than four emperors were crowned, weakened, and killed in succession. Galba, Otho and Vitellius all rose up to seek imperium and wear the purple toga, before they fell to each other's swords and to the might and power of Vespasian, who finally restored order to the Roman Empire. I have always greatly admired Vespasian. Unlike his predecessors, who all hailed from aristocratic backgrounds, he came from what is better described as an upper-middle class family, and was its fir

My face is on the wall now in Holland Park - on the notice board of the Friends of Holland Park. I'd just like to take a moment to consider this. When I first started this fundraising activity twenty days ago, I never imagined that I would reach the point that I have gotten to now. But I think that this marks a new stage in what I am doing. Now that it's easier for me to be known to the public, and that I have raised over twice of what I originally set out to gather through donations, I think that I need to act with greater responsibility and think ever more deeply about what I'm doing and why I am doing it.  I hope that, in the future, I can look back on what I have done with pride. But for the next nine days I will strive to work ever harder, and to push for the finish line.

Tortoises are the epitome of longevity and patience. They can live for hundreds of years because they move so slowly, conserving their energy and not rushing towards their goals. Their durable shells provide a solid home where they can protect themselves from the world, and so they do not need to waste effort finding shelter. They amble about, searching lethargically and calmly for food and their fellow animals. In short, they know how to wait for good things. I started thinking about tortoises today when I found the Tortoise Sundial in Holland Park today, and found it particularly fitting that they had been chosen to decorate a structure associated with the passage of time. Those tortoises are made of bronze and are not real, but there is another, very much alive creature in Holland Park that also represents patience and endurance. That is the heron. I have seen herons stand in water, motionless and sharp, for long periods of time, waiting for the perfect moment to stab their beak int

Most of the litter that I pick up while on park cleaning excursions is of no further use to humans - hence why they have been thrown away in the first place. Although it's vexing to have to pick up empty bottles, sandwich boxes, used tissues and cigarette ends from the pathways, so far I have at least known that their time was up anyway, and so they could be disposed of with a clear conscience.  Today, however, there was an example that just went too far. In the bushes of Holland Park I discovered a package of wet wipes that was still more than half-full.  I don't want to get unnecessarily angry about this. However, I think that it is truly astonishing that somebody would have the idea of throwing away this perfectly usable product - and not even putting it into a waste bin, but hiding it away from sight as if they too were ashamed of their own actions. Those wet wipes could have served them well for at least a few more days. If nothing else, it was a waste of their money. What