High adrenalin

Extreme sports are not really my bag...at all in fact. However I found myself given the opportunity to try out the new Olympic White Water Course in an inflatable raft last week and for some obscure reason felt I couldn't say no even though I would normally prefer to eat my own shoes than engage in such an activity...Anyway here it is looking quite modest when you are not actually in it! I also show a shot of the thing as it fills up - obviously when not in use the water drains away which reveals curious blocks under the surface which help create the gushing waterfall effect over the 5.5 metre drop. The totally dry course shown at the bottom is the mini- version known as the Legacy loop.

The building itself, by Faulkner Browns is great - a great big folded wave - seen here with the conveyor belt in the foreground. This drags you and your boat back up to the top once you've been round the circuit.

It opens for business this month from the 22nd when you can go rafting or Kayaking if you pass the requirements so get down there!

Blue

I have mixed feelings about bedding plants - they can look great - but not always for me. I had to kill some time in Greenwich last week and ended up strolling through the park where they have cut out giant circles here and there in the grass in what looks like no particular order. They have then filled them with a mass of all one, or occasionally two, types of really bright flower so that the overall effect is quite abstract. The results are spectacular with the added bonus particularly when walking past the hyacinth beds of a blast of glorious scent. I particularly liked these blue ones...