mimosa

We’re leaving. Our time in this little corner of west London has been far too short. We were settled and happy but have to move on.

This place has been a surfeit of riches for photographic inspiration, from the very fabric of Brackenbury’s old houses, the pub on our doorstep and of course Ravenscourt Park, which I’ve captured through the seasons.

Actually, we’re not going far at all. It’s a change of postcode, not country, and no doubt we’ll pop back regularly. But you have to live and breathe a neighbourhood to feel part of its fabric.

Our new place in the world will no doubt provide fresh material for my camera lens. Until then, here’s a brief homage to this slither of London W6.

Click first image for the full gallery experience

: The very fabric of the neighbourhood in all its electic glory

: The first shots with my macro lens were taken in Ravenscourt Park

: Our Victorian house caught on my Soviet Zenit film camera for posterity

: A salmon pink summer sky over our street

: A Mimosa blooming in a nearby street

: An evening at the local pub, the humming heart of the community

: A storm-ravaged tree in the park, which has recovered

: WIngate Road’s delightful pastel houses

: Decline and autumn colour in Ravenscourt’s walled garden

: The sturdy railings in front of our house

: The pub across the road

: A neighbourhood building subtly captured on film

: The first flush of geraniums outside our window

: Proud but dessicated lavender as winter approaches in Ravenscourt

: The navy blue of our local pub at close quarters

: Smudged and dark – the brick of our house

: Colourful Wingate Road

This is a welcome barrage of colour in a long, dank and sodden winter.

I came across this robust clump of yellow mimosa in a street near my home, where a terrace of houses is painted in an array of pastel shades.

It’s a vibrant, fascinating plant which chooses to bloom in the winter months. Its pale yellow, berry-like buds explode into puffs of flower, while the foliage is made up of neat, pale green fronds.

Yellow mimosa is positively revered in parts of southern France, prompting festivals and even a trail to be named in its honour. Ironically, as I took these photographs, a French lady passed by to tell me all about it.

What a tonic to see this light up the neighbourhood, almost banishing the cold away.