Tuesday, December 27, 2016

T'was a cold and frosty morning...

in late December... that in between Christmas and New Year time... No prizes for where I was headed.  Hope you'll enjoy the walk..

I arrived shortly after opening time (thanks to the trains!) and the December sun was low in the sky and the frost was heavy on the ground...
 there were shadows everywhere...








frosty leaves on the grass
 signs of growth though
 sun catching the Hive (I did walk up to it, but there were barriers up preventing me from walking up the slope to view from inside)
 only just after ten, but lots of people on the Broad Walk, walking off the Christmas excesses!
 frost on the plants glistening in the sun

 and the grass by one of the benches, shining brightly - I took loads of this, had trouble deciding which to include...

 the Hive again, behind the bare trees
heavy frost on the grass, leaving footprints  behind me as I walk across it
 love how the frost defines the shapes of the leaves....


 constant changing of lenses to get different effects...
 the frost looks furry on this one!

 playing shadow-shapes!

















and some one-handed photography!

 purple cabbage, not much left in the vegetable garden currently
 long lens on, into the frosty distance..
 through to the Rock Garden, the water  sparkling
 close up of this - the label said Scilla something or other and appears to be related to the asparagus family...
so pretty! it was tiny!
and the sun, bright now out in the Grass Garden, still looking fabulous (I have totally changed my mind about grasses!)
 and the sky so blue...
pockets of frost, having to avoid the people taking their own photographs..
 into the Secret Garden.  Love the teasels in the sunshine...


 and tiny buds against the light
 the alpine house, looking outer-space like in the sun
 you have to keep turning round to see what it looks like from the other direction with the sun shining from a different angle...

 round to the Palm House pond now...
gorgeous reflections coming up!!


 just look at the dogwoods!




 walking towards the Arboretum now across the wet frosty grass




 bare trunks, this way, that way!


 Witch Hazel



 a different fountain (Elizabeth, the water only runs when you push the nozzle but yes, comes through his mouth)
 grasses round the edge of the lake
 the frost melting in the sun on the Henry Moore sculpture,
 bobbles on the booby......

 more pretty reflections



 there were lots of children playing with the Christmas baubles in the tree, I was playing "angry old woman" muttering under my breath, don't do that, you'll break them, as their parents watched on... occasionally stopping them from hitting the tree too hard!
 I was getting hungry by now (it was gone 12 by now) so I headed for the exit past some more great branches!
All in all it was a beautiful day, cold but not unbearably so, (mainly because there was no wind) - hope you've enjoyed them!

7 comments:

sam21ski said...

Gosh you had much more of a frost down there than what we had this morning. Great photos as usual xx

Miriam said...

Your photos are stunning Helen....I love seeing the frost. And the mirror images are simply stunning!

Miriam said...

Your photos are stunning Helen....I love seeing the frost. And the mirror images are simply stunning!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I just got here to see your Kew photos and my friend Scott arrived. I'm off to unplug my computer, but I promise to come back as soon as we have the new one up and running.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I'm back and can now see your photos with ease. It's amazing what a new computer can do for you.

I hope you were bundled up, because the frost looked cold. I did enjoy the new growth, though.

What's the deal with the hive? Are they getting ready to remove it, or is it barricaded to protect people from falling?

The grasses caught my eye, too.

I loved the photo of you under the pergola. You look SO tall. Did you have your fancy boots on?

Oh wow, that rock garden looks so different. I never realized there was water streaming down like a waterfall. The Alpine House looked deserted and cold. But I was glad you stopped to take a shot of it.

Ah, I DID remember the fountain that had the water coming from the mouth. I'm not as ditzy as I thought.

I loved the reflections around the pond. Stunning imagery and fabulous colors.

What a fabulous post. I really enjoyed every photo. I was SO glad you shared these beauties with us.

Christine said...

i have so enjoyed walking in a winter wonderland with you. Thank you for sharing.
The dogwoods are absolutely beautiful.
xx

pearshapedcrafting said...

Oh My Helen! These photos are just fabulous! Kew really does put on a Winter show! We have plans to visit the Winter Garden at Dunham Massey this weekend - it's lovely but nothing as grand as this! Your close up shots are simply amazing! Hugs, Chrisx