Words and photos by Susie Sandford Smith

Following on from Christmas number two (number one having been spent at my ex's parents) -the ex, my mum, and I went for a little walk in Greenwich Park. Whenever I go into the park I mean to take a look at the flower gardens and the deer but for some reason never do, so this time I suggested we make our way there especially as it's a nice little loop and all on a flat from where we enter the Park. My mum spent the summer in hospital and was, at varying points, seriously ill, and she's still very much convalescing, so a gentle stroll was  the order of the day.

It's not really the best time of year for the flower gardens, there wasn't much in bloom but.., there are some phenomenal trees in there - absolutely gorgeous and impressive specimens with trunks the size of a small sitting room (no really, I'm telling the truth), branches sweeping the ground and soaring into the sky, and barks so pretty they look like wonderful oil paintings (see the collage above).

And one thing there most definitely was were deer, and lots of them. Beautiful beautiful Fallow and Red deer and there were a few youngsters too. The deer are kept in a large enclosure and sometimes you're not lucky enough to see them but today I think we probably saw almost all of them. It's a lovely little detour to take if you're out with the children (actually, I reckon most people like to take a cheeky little peek at the deer if they've time and they remember). Once upon a time the deer had free run of the park but over time, as the park got busier, the deer's manor has been reduced to this little (still quite large) section which is also home to other (less interesting, in my opinion) wildlife. This area, called The Wilderness Park, is a lovely charming little oasis and I thoroughly recommend taking a peek.

After all that gentle wandering, I needed a little rest and, eschewing the more traditional park benches (some of which have stunning views over the City) I opted for an old tree trunk and couldn't resist copying the little toddler who'd spied the trunk before me and had had a jolly old time clambering over it.

Afterwards we made our way home to a late breakfast of salmon on leftover soda bread toast (the soda bread was leftover..not the toast) with a nice glass of bubbly to wash it down.

Oh...and here's a shot of the soda bread before it was leftover. If you've never made soda bread before..do! It's delicious and so so easy and quick to make.