A Deep, Crisp Frost.

The pavements are sparkling this evening. It is very, very cold and my heart goes out to anyone trying to sleep on the streets tonight.
There was a young girl sitting out in the rain at 10.30pm about 2 weeks ago as I was on my way home at Ealing Broadway. I asked her if she had tried a hostel and she asked if I had ever tried to get into one. I did follow it up and now have a phone number for young people and there is a duty team at social services 24 hours but presumably she didn't want their help or she didn't know. A very senior police officer did not know if there were any hostels for young women in the borough, in fact he thought there wern't so I am taking it up with the council officer in charge of Housing so we shall see.
The wildlife will be having a hard time of it as well. Today I found my way into the Gunnersbury
Triangle which is off Bollo Lane in between the tube lines and the overground. It is a beautiful small reserve, a real oasis in a busy, polluted, litter-strewn part of Acton. I saw a pair of robins, a wren and a feeding party of long-tailed and great tits were above me in the silver birches and not at all shy. This will be a delight in the summer as it is so little known. Just like a secret garden! The water in the main pond is so clear you can see every leaf on the bottom. It is very well managed with no litter and lots of places for wild-life to hide away.
What a pity we havn't sorted housing for the homeless properly yet.