A Sunday Morning

A Sunday morning

These photos are actually of the school grounds but are typical of what you see
everywhere in the parks..

This is a time when I wish I was writer and could take you with my words on my walk this morning.  I left the flat just before eight and the temperature was seven degrees (or I should say plus seven ) and the light was still a little dim.  We leave home of a morning a little before seven on a school day and it is not sunrise at that time so at eight it is still a little dim. This morning it was clear but it has since clouded over.  The trees right now are very beautiful.  I don't know the names of the trees here except for the maples, of which there are many. They are all at various stages of losing their leaves.  One will be almost bare and the one beside it will be covered in green leaves.  Most however are a lovely shade of yellow. They are like glowing candles in the park. I just stood for a time this morning with pale rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves,watching the leaves fall. It is amazing how many different ways the leaves find to fall to the ground .  Some fall straight done and even make a plop as they reach the ground.  Others are caught on small puffs of air and float and swirl all the way down.  Some come down singly while others come in clusters, so that you feel like you are among wedding confetti.  Some of the leaves are small - about two centimeters across - but others I picked up were much bigger than the palm of my hand.  Sometimes they are caught in one of the rays of sunlight and just glow so brightly.

More of the school

Here I am standing on the front lawn of the school. The groundsmen work hard right now raking and sweeping leaves.

Our lives are very busy here so it was so good to not have anywhere to go to and just be able to enjoy. There were not too many other people out at that time but there are always a few people walking dogs. There was a black and white dalmatian chasing sticks for his master; there was a bulldog straining on his lease with his bright red winter jacket on; there was a dark brown boxer trying to jump for sticks; there was a tan, black and white beagle nosing through the leaves and a large white dog with long hair rolling in the leaves. As always if you are in the park for long when there aren't too many people about you will see a squirrel. A young couple and I stopped and watched one quite close to us as it scurried around and picked things up and held them very neatly in its paws and nibbled away. Then something startled it and up the tree it went, so fast you almost cannot follow it. Even though they are quite a bright red you lose them in the foliage so easily.

Still at school

This park across the road from us is a park that is maintained by the Polytechnic University and has numerous paths winding through it.  I have never seen anyone working in it but they must, because I went across the road to Pushkin Park and it was a much wilder version of the one closer to us. The one nearer us is rectangular.  It is about 850 meters by 200 meters but filled with paths. Some of the paths are broad and grand and others are small and windy and almost completely obscured by leaves right now. Pushkin Park however is much more rambling.  The paths are just tracks and the undergrowth is not cleared at all.  I saw very few people there. Altogether I walked for two hours and it was very refreshing and a real oasis .

This is the children's play area.

A public road actually runs through the school property.

It is almost sad to think that soon this season will soon be past.

I am not sure why the trees are painted.  I suppose to stop disease, but it is not done everywhere.

This tree is right outside my classroom window.