A nice place to visit is Brentford, where you are now able to walk along side the river all the way to the Grand Union Canal.

Gaining some height for either a different view or for events can be fun and adds a totally different perspective on things,. If you don’t have a drone, like I do (and anyway, they are hard to fly in central London due to the regulations), you need to ask permission to take pictures from tall buildings.

The River Wandle rises in Croydon and flows through Morden, Colliers Wood, Earlsfield and Wandsworth on its way to the Thames. A lot of time and effort has been put in over recent years to allow people to travel alongside it and a few weeks back I decided to take my bike out and see for myself what they have done. Picking up the trail in King Georges Park in Wandsworth, except for some streets around Earlsfield, I could cycle alongside the river all the way to Morden Hall Park.

“Ah, summer – that long-anticipated stretch of lazy, lingering days, free of responsibility and rife with possibility. It’s a time to hunt for insects, master handstands, practice swimming strokes, conquer trees, explore nooks and crannies, and make new friends.” – Darrell Hammond

Strawberries and cream and the hint of a shower means only one thing, the arrival of Wimbledon, when the eyes of the world turn to our little part of London.

If its May, it must be The Chelsea Flower Show, described by many as the best event of its type in the world and who are we to argue. As featured in my book Wild about Chelsea, its a great event to visit and for a week, the local area goes all wild and colourful.

I learnt a valuable lesson when I went to take pictures of the Olympic Road race that ran through Putney in 2012, be well prepared. The crowds at the best spots were 8 deep and if it wasn’t for a kind chap who said I could join him on his ladder I wouldn’t have caught any of the action.

Osterley Park can be found out on the A4 in West London and is easily reached by road or public transport, with its own Tube Station. Owned and run by the National Trust, the house is worth a visit but the park itself is free to enter if you are not a member. I had not been for many years and it was fun to go back their, especially to find my favourite water birds, the Great Crested Grebes, with young in tow.

After the wettest March I can remember and the coldest April, May is only a slight improvement, which has lead to everything being somewhat behind. May can be a wonderful month, with everything growing fast, from flowers everywhere to the appearance of baby creatures.

When I came to publish my book on Notting Hill, one of my priorities was to catalogue the array of secret, private gardens, of which there are over 16 and a special feature of this part of town.