6 reasons to love Regents Park

"Life itself, every moment of it, every drop of it, here, this instant, now, in the sun, in Regent's Park.."  Virginia Woolf.   


I walked home through Regent's park yesterday.  There's nothing quite like overhearing snippets of conversations in a park.  There's nothing better than hearing them in this wonderful little breath of fresh air in the middle of central London.

Here are some things I loved:
1.  The row of fountains, framed by great purple round flowers that stand out like lollipops.
2.  The young pretty girl riding a bicycle with an unnaturally straight back, wobbling a bit.  She screams out 'oooh it'll be lovely in France' and  a less pretty girl runs behind trying to catch her up.

2. The fountain (right) built by Sir Cowasjee Jehangir, who was so excited at having the British overtake his country that he built an ornamental  fountain for them. Apparently he was grateful for British government protection (he was a Parsee) but I think he just wanted the hereditary title they gave him.  In a park stuffed with fountains though, it's a nice one.


3.  The couple sitting either side of a large topiary having a post lover's tiff talk.  It all brings me back....
Girl - 'but why did you say that when he left'.
boy -  'I said it because I thought you were angry with me'
girl 'but I thought you were upset with me'.  Silence, smiles and sounds of wet lips.
Three women of a certain age with bottoms of varying sizes walk past.

4. The sounds of after work footballers calling out to each other. The very pleasant sight of their legs. 

5.  The mccaws cracking out calls from the zoo, me wondering how much it actually costs to get into the zoo nowadays.

The totally English serenity of this place (populated by 50% tourists).  I love it.

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And then I got to Camden town.  There was a man holding a stick with a little sign that just said 'Jesus'.   He looked like a tour guide.  Perhaps they have tours to Jesus in Regents' Park too.  Definitely a very spiritual place...