I had made a trip to Rochester to see a client and it gave me the idea to walk up to the Royal Richmond Park which is about ten minutes from my home here in Kingston upon Thames.

To see my client in Rochester, east of London, I took the train.

It was wonderful to sit in the warm carriage, looking at the changing colours of the leaves, going from their summer green to their autumn browns and oranges, eventually falling to be recycled into food for the plants take in the next growth. It reminded me of train journey from Athens to my then home in the UK, Peterborough. I had ended my long 5-6 year job as software manager for Texas Instruments in Saudi Arabia, and visited a friend in Athens for a weeks rest, and rather than fly back from Greece, I took the train. 

It was autumn, and as I slid through the valleys of Yugoslavia on the slow train, with the fast flowing rivers down in the valley floor, the sides of the narrow valleys were covered by trees, all going through the change, from summer to winter. The colours were fantastic, yellows, oranges, browns and greens of the evergreens, all made a patchwork of beauty that will forever stay in my mind. 

I had met my friend Charles Moore for a hot chocolate, and on my walk home, I could not get the memory of my train trips out of my mind, so I changed my shoes and off I went for a walk in Richmond Park. (Read about Isabella Plantation, click here).

It was refreshingly cold, and the sun was slowly falling in the sky, with a slight drizzle of rain in the air.

On reaching the park, the colours of the changing seasons were there, but perhaps I was a week too late to have seen it in all its' glory, especially as here in the UK we had had storms the previous week, blowing the leaves from the trees. But, I was not disappointed.

Once in the park, and walking away from the road that rings the outer perimeters, I walked up a steep climb towards trees, the traffic noise disappeared and I began to hear some strange bird sounds. Searching the trees I saw parakeets, green, totally out of place in the UK, but they have made a strong hold, and are breeding. Last night, now being aware of them, I saw a whole flock of them squawking their way back to their night roost.

     Parakeets in the trees   Close-up
 
On top of the steep climb I followed the tree line, and just walked, seeing in the distance, planes descending into Heathrow airport, dark clouds with ribbons of rain very visible falling in the far distance, and the smell of fresh air, the smell of the different types of trees, and the decaying leaves laying on the grass.

 Only a plane landing at Heathrow show human life.
                                                                        

                                                                        
  Young saplings with protectors around truck.