Kew in the sunshine

Well,it's Saturday, where did you think I'd go?!  I know I had all those plans to find different places this year... maybe later in the year...

So, the forecast for later was (is) rain - and who needs a lie-in on a Saturday morning after a busy week at work, anyway???  I will have a nap when I finish writing this.

Woke to sunshine...yay!!  that makes it much better.

 no noticeable difference to last week, I don't think

 but the sun was still shining on my favourite fountain

 door to the Palm House

 dewdrops on the alchemilla mollis

 sunshine through grasses

 bright yellow tall daisy like flowers (about 7 foot high, I was kneeling and zooming)

 liked the cloud behind them at this angle

and the out of focus purple in the background behind these

 the pink coneflowers have lost most of their petals..

 great contrast between the agapanthus and the white coneflowers

 I feel tiny, in a jungle of giants!

 striking red hot poker...

 blue and orange, great combination

pleased with this shot!

 this is always covered in bees and hoverflies

 love the translucency of this

 still addicted to the fading alliums

 I really really want to get in the middle of this bed!!

 the Hive backlit by the 8 o'clock sun

put the ultra wide angle on, love the clouds

the alpine house by the rockery

 lush grasses in front of the alpine house

 nearly all the roses have gone now but the pergola's still looking good, stretching into the distance..

 took a shady woodland walk back towards the Palm House and the cafe (breakfast was calling!)

was quite surprised to still find toadstools on the trunks bordering the path..

 sorry but just love his shiny bum!

 and the sun glistening on the water splashing and bouncing from the fountain

 still with the ultra wide angle on, to get the full building in

 greeny-white hydrangea outside the Victoria cafe, great balls of bloom...

 after breakfast I took the path to the left and past the Mediterranean garden..

 to see how the work is coming on at the Temperate House...

 some of the wrapping has been removed...

 and they were dismantling some of the scaffolding (it isn't due to re-open till next Spring, so lots of work left)

 for some reason I had the Diet Coke ad running through my head....










although I couldn't focus close enough to see if they were worth it!

 I was surprised to see what looked like changing colour on some of the trees... it's still (just) July....

 but this one on closer inspection wasn't changing leaf colour..

 but "flowers"  I went to find the label .. can't remember the Latin name, "Rhus" something or other --  the Varnish Tree... from Japan and China, apparently...

 reflections in a gallery window...

 of these

 went back to the Palm House and had a sit in the sun for a bit...

 watching the clouds and the planes fly into Heathrow... it was noisy today, (although it always is) but seemed more so...

 inside the Palm House, once the lens de-misted (with help from my soft t-shirt...)


great fan-like palms

hanging down too, hiding the door....

 outside the Palm House, at the back, rows of agapanthus...

 no idea what this was (in the Waterlily House) round the outside of the pond.. couldn't see a label..

 quite fascinating, though!

finished with a visit to the Secret Garden
before heading home and putting my feet up any moment now!!