A Fine Selection Whilst Hunting Shaun The Sheep

Me and Nathalie went off to Bristol to take part in the wonderful Shaun In The City the other weekend and as we drove through London towards the M4 we came across this interesting Monkey Puzzle tree on Goldhawk Road. I went back to take some photos after we returned and was delighted to see not just the rose bush climbing the trunk but 2 gnomes attempting to ascend the trunk too!

Goldhawk Road (W7)

When we arrived in Bristol we headed to a park to spot a Shaun only to be presented with this cute little tree in the road running parallel to our destination.

Bristol Maple Road (BS28)

Later on our quest to spot Shaun The Sheep we were queuing to cross the wonderful Clifton suspension bridge when Nathalie noticed this huge tree on our right.

Bristol Suspension Bridge (BS29)

As we were leaving the Clifton area we came across this massive tree in one of the richest roads in the area.

Bristol Clifton Down (BS30)

Incidentally me and Nat managed to spot all 70 Shauns in Bristol which added tot he 50 in London meant we had completed the whole thing!

Like spotting Monkey Puzzles, I'm pretty obsessed with spotting Shaun The Sheep!

Monkey Puzzle Trees Seen - 66      Monkey Puzzle Trees Yet To See - 15

Not Sure If These Count Or Not.....

When I started out on my quest I pondered the question of which Monkey Puzzle trees I should count as part of my running total - here. I was quite clear that trees found in Garden centres and nurseries would not be part of my total as they were not yet planted and would only count once 'out in the wild'.

However, last weekend whilst me and Nathalie were tracking down as many Shaun the Sheep of the wonderful Shaun In The City as possible we came across this bizarre sight!

4 Trees In A Very Small Display

11 More Trees In A Very Small Display

There were in total 15 small Monkey Puzzle trees in the three planters, which if the owner wants them to develop into mature trees is obviously ridiculous. However, if they simply intend them as short term curiosity plants then I guess they will last for a while before their cramped conditions cause them all to perish. So my new dilemma is do these poor trees count in my quest or should I treat them the same as garden centre trees? On the one hand they are 'out in the wild' but on the other they are more like ornaments than planted Monkey Puzzle trees.

I have decided to seek advice from Sarah over at the Monkey Map, as she has so much experience when it comes to cataloguing Monkey Puzzles her opinion really counts.

Monkey Puzzle Trees Seen - 61      Monkey Puzzle Trees Yet To See - 15

A Saturday Of Monkey Puzzle Tree Heaven

Thanks to the recently discovered Monkey Map I realised that there were 4 new Monkey Puzzle trees to be seen that are quite local to me. So on Saturday I jumped into Nathalie's van Geoff and headed due East to Victoria Park to see the first 3 trees. Whilst there I planned to photograph the tree I had only seen as I had driven past a couple of times before. I was very excited as this would mean that I had passed the half century mark of Monkey Puzzle trees seen since I began my quest, a fact made especially sweet as I will soon be 'celebrating' my 50th year on Planet Earth.

Victoria Park (E1)

Victoria Park (E2)

Victoria Park (E3)

Victoria Park (E2, E3 & E1)

Victoria Park (E4)

Victoria Park (E4)

After photographing these four trees it was time to head off to Shoreditch Park to photograph a tree I'd also only seen driving past. The park is not that inspiring with large sections of the open space fenced off, which I can only assume is to let the grass regrow, however the presence of a very sweet Monkey Puzzle tree more than makes up for this.

Shoreditch Park (N3)

After Shoreditch Park I returned Geoff to Camden, had a quick cup of tea and then jumped onto a number 27 bus to Marylebone. It didn't take me too long to find the next Monkey Puzzle tree I was looking for, which lives in Paddington Street Gardens.

Paddington Street Gardens (W1)

After spending some time admiring such a beautiful tree I decided that as I was in walking distance of the Monkey Puzzle tree pub in Paddington there was no better way to celebrate passing 50 Monkey Puzzle trees seen than a quick pint in my favourite named pub. It also meant I could take some more pictures as the last time I was there it was night and I only had my phone with me.

Monkey Puzzle Pub (W5)

Monkey Puzzle Pub (W5)

Monkey Puzzle Pub (W5)

Monkey Puzzle Trees Seen - 52       Monkey Puzzle Trees Yet To See - 15

A Lovely Hackney Monkey Puzzle Tree & Another To See

A week after visiting the huge Monkey Puzzle tree in Tufnell Park I headed off to Victoria Park in Hackney to see the other tree I'd been told about by a work colleague. It didn't take long to locate it thanks to the previous use of Google Streetview and I have to say the Monkey Puzzle actually was a lot bigger than I'd been anticipating. As the pictures show it is a very pretty tree and seems to be thriving in what is a rather traffic heavy road. What surprised me more is that I'd travelled past this tree on numerous occasions when returning by bus from Beekeeping. It only goes to show if you keep your head buried in a book or using your smartphone then the chances are you will miss what's going on all around you and in this case I missed a Monkey Puzzle tree.

A Really Lovely Monkey Puzzle Tree

Surprisingly Bigger Than I Was Expecting (E5)

It was around this time I was sent a text by my mate DD telling me that he and his wife Zoe had spotted a Monkey Puzzle tree whilst driving through West London, so it looks like I'll have to be heading West again soon.

Old Oak Road (W6) - Yet To Be Seen (Google Street View)

Monkey Puzzle Trees Seen - 13       Monkey Puzzle Trees Yet To See - 5

Monkey Puzzle Tree Birthday Surprises Part 2 Of 3

Surprise 1

So after unwrapping my presents me and Nathalie set off for my surprise birthday dinner. I say surprise as in the venue was a surprise, rather than it being a surprise that we were going out to eat. We boarded a 27 bus in Camden and headed south then west until we arrived at a stop close to Paddington station. Still unclear about our final destination as we walked along the road I suddenly realised that in the distance, looming up towards me, was a Monkey Puzzle tree! I have to say that my excitement of seeing another Monkey Puzzle tree was reaching ridiculous levels when I clocked that the tree was standing in the front of a beer garden of a pub called The Monkey Puzzle! The tree was a very fine specimen and seemed to be thriving in its unusual surroundings.

It's A Pub And It's Called The Monkey Puzzle And It Has A Monkey Puzzle Tree In Its Beer Garden!

As birthday meal venues go I couldn't have been any happier. The landlord Gary was the perfect host and the food we had was delicious and reasonable to boot. The meal was finished with a Viennetta (don't ask) and a chorus of Happy Birthday from the other diners and we left in the best of moods. I could go on and on about the place but will curb my enthusiasm for another post, as I don't expect it will be too long before I go back, that post will be dedicated to the Monkey Puzzle pub and I'll make sure that when I next visit it will be with a decent camera.

Monkey Puzzle Pub Sign & Monkey Puzzle Tree (W5)

The journey home was uneventful, though poor Nathalie had to put up with a very happy Monkey Puzzle tree nut all the way. However, if I thought that was the end of my surprises I wasn't aware of what was in store for me when we got back to Nat's.

(to be continued...)

Monkey Puzzle Trees Seen - 9        Monkey Puzzle Trees Yet To See - 4

Hyde Park Revisited

In an earlier post I told how I had unexpectedly come across two Monkey Puzzle Trees in Hyde Park whilst on a charity walk. I also mentioned the fact that I didn't manage to take any photos of the trees at the time, in order to rectify this I popped back to the Park last Saturday in order to finally get some photos. Well to my surprise when I arrived I discovered that I had somehow missed a Monkey Puzzle Tree last time and there was in fact THREE Monkey Puzzle Trees to behold!

The Three Monkey Puzzle Trees In Hyde Park

I think I might call these three trees 'The 3 Bears' as like in the classic fairy tale Goldilocks & The 3 Bears there is:

A Big One (W2)

A Medium One (W3)

And A Little One (W4)

I also took this lovely picture, which for me captures the beauty of the Monkey Puzzle Tree.

Araucaria araucana In All Its Splendour

Monkey Puzzle Trees Seen - 8        Monkey Puzzle Trees Yet To See - 3

A Charity Walk Results In More Monkey Puzzle Trees Seen

On Saturday the 5th October 2013 me and Nat took part in the annual Walk The Thames event organised by the London Legal Support Trust to help raise money for the Mary Ward Legal Centre, one of many organisations facing the grim reality of life in Coalition Britain. We set off, with 4 colleagues, ridiculously early from Canary Wharf with our final destination Putney Bridge being a mere 20 miles away. We were very fortunate to be blessed with perfect weather for the occasion and the Thames side walk was extremely enjoyable, even though by the end of the day we were all pretty knackered.

Our Team At The End Of Our Walk

However, I'm sure people are wondering what this all has to do with my quest. Well to cut to the chase part of the route took us on a diversion around Hyde Park in order to make up the full 20 miles required for the day. We had decided to stop off at the Serpentine Bar & Kitchen for something to eat and took a small diversion from the proscribed route to get there. It was as we sauntered along that I suddenly spied not 1 but 2 Monkey Puzzle Trees standing proudly to my right. I froze on the spot pointing to my 'discovery' with a ridiculous happy grin on my face. What my boss Suzanna, who was one of our party, thought I can't imagine but whatever it was it didn't stop me from skipping like a little child towards the two lovely Monkey Puzzle trees.

Hyde Park - Google Street View

Monkey Puzzle Trees Seen - 6        Monkey Puzzle Trees Yet To See - 1