Richmond is one of my favourite areas of London; not surprising then that I've made my home there for 4 years. But it's a summer destination, a place designed for long walks in the park or picnics by the river. It's charms are smothered by drizzle and mud.
Winter falls over the river. The pleasure boats at Richmond are tied up and abandoned for the season. Until next summer, only the seagulls will make use of them.
The weekly farmers market has been shrinking for years; there's only a half-dozen stalls left. The occasional elderly customer still comes to buy winter vegetables. The younger people mostly shop in the supermarket on the high street.
Waiting for a bus on the high street, sudden cold snap: Richmond is known as one of the wealthiest areas in London, but for every banker driving a range rover, there is someone who has to wait in the cold and grey for the bus.
The Thames at Richmond floods repeatedly in winter. Walking by the river after high tide, you'll find the path littered with flotsam, the remnants of the waste carried by the river up from London
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