May May May

After the snows of April we had the minor heat wave of May.

Wasn't it lovely?

Yes, it was BushGirl, it was glorious.

I do love a heat wave, minor or not. It brings everyone outside and makes you realise how many people actually live in London, as you can actually see most of them.

Now, people tend to flock to the public spaces and I'm going to give you a few tips about my neck of the woods.

Ravenscourt Park is the nicest park in the area. It is large, relatively clean and popular with joggers, dog walkers and families. It is very easy to get to as Ravenscourt Park station on the district line is right next door.

For some sports activities, Hammersmith Park (behind TV centre in White City) has tennis courts and a basketball court, and a big bit of astro turf which is frequently in use. If you like to play tennis or netball amongst drunks and homeless, then head to Shepherd's Bush Green - affectionately known as Shepherd's Bush Brown by the locals - and bang a few balls through the very holey nets. Additionally, if you enjoy the scent of Special Brew on the air, this is a lovely place to enjoy the sun.

If you like to bask in sunshine in a public place that doesn't have needles and cans strewn about, I recommend heading down to Brook Green - which is actually green. The tennis courts here are in much better nick, but you do have to pay for them if the man comes round when you're there. And the grassy bit tends to attract young ladies who lounge about in not very much clothing. Some people like that. Others prefer White Diamond out of a plastic bag. You can't say that West London doesn't provide choice.

Other choices - Holland Park is lovely, large and pretty. Hyde Park is a bit further away and is enormous and probably can fulfill your park needs on any level.