Today saw the final 8am opening before the days get too short and the mornings too dark... there were quite a crowd of us at the gate waiting entrance this morning!
it was very overcast at 8 but the Palm ouse parterre is still full of colour
and the trees were making good reflections in the pond
Autumn is advancing quite fast now...
I wanted to head for where I finished last week, to get
so it was a quick walk down the Broad Walk, but this euphorbia caught my eye
and the verbena
waved (mentally) to the Hive as I passed...
pausing only to look at the trees behind the beds
wanted to capture some better pics of the hare that I rushed last week, and to see what else there was along this path..
he looks like he's throwing his hands up in despair!
I'd seen this one briefly before all the signs went up
hmm... ok, it's a seed pod.... but it looks luck a bum to me!
let's move on to some colour, quickly!!
had to stop and look at this one again
I love her!
you could tell this was a magnolia tree,
the porcelain so delicate on the copper stems
this was by Philip Blacker,
well we all love an agapanthus, so this is bound to be good!
it was another of the ones in place early
as I walked past, i turned to see it peeking through the tree
everywhere you look, trees are changing colour
the sun was trying to come out!
approached this one from behind, enjoying their view of the trees for a change!
again, one I saw on the first visit (15th September post) without it's sign...
late colour in the bed at the end of the Grass Garden
in the "Secret" garden - Duke's Garden
sun is so desperately trying to come out!
back in the Grass Garden
the grasses were as colourful as the trees!
liked the Barn Owl with his golden backdrop
I know I shared this before, but the colours of the stone were incredible.
still looks like a vase Mum had once (hers was ceramic, but same shape)
walking through the Family Beds,
I came across a woman sitting on a bench eating her breakfast and stopped to talk (incredibly she comes from Croydon which is down the road - and where I was born)
she pointed out a visitor on the bench next to her...
she said he'd been there for some minutes!
robins are just so tame!
not sure if I had the caption for this one before, I think so...
but love it against the changing leaf colour
heading back round the pond for breakfast (9am now!)
I think this is one of my (many) favourites, make no apology for using it again
I sat at an outside table in front of this view for breakfast... probably won't be able to do that for much longer (eat outside I mean)
once I finished, I headed off in the direction of the big tree in the picture above
In amongst the leaf fall under the canopy, another huge batch of mushrooms.. or toadstools...
and the red had intensified in a week
my feet are wet by now from the grass (even with re-spraying my boots to supposedly waterproof them)
but, soggy feet or not, we'll carry on!
this is going to be one very very long post!
sun is finally coming out now, and shining through the trees
lake time!
this is the camera version of the selfie I shared on Facebook!
never tire of this view on days like this
as you can see, the sky is now a glorious blue!
climbed the steps..
great view, but you can't quite see the Wembley arch today
back at ground level, the horse chestnuts are littering the paths.
love the sun shining through the petals
suddenly it's 10am and the gates are open and people are enjoying the cafes and sunshine... needed my sunglasses by now!
hadn't noticed the cobweb until now!
great reflection in the puddle!
there is soon to be another Autumn at Kew event on - this is for that... can't wait to see more of them!
the sun really helps these reflections!
took a walkround the Palm House again,
love these red stems
and the faces, against the blue blue sky, and the shadow in the middle like a 3rd face!
now that the sun was out, I could get some more fountain shots...
it was quite breezy and the spray was blowing all over the place
finally, a map of the location of the sculptures.
think I've probably found them all now
must remember to take it again
when I go next time.
At least next time, I won't have to be up before 6 on a Saturday!!
Hope you made it round with me ..."we" walked nearly 17,000 steps today (including going to and from the station) that's nearly 12k according to my phone app! not had a chance to really put my feet up yet!!
6 comments:
Great trip around Kew again today - thank you. My fave photo is theone of the purple bell like flowers where you are obs looking up into the sky as the background is blue x
Fantastic photos Helen. X
Wonderful photos yet again, the sculptures are stunning and the colours of the trees and plants are beautiful. Thank you for sharing your Kew visits throughout the summer, I've loved all of them.
The trees may have made lovely reflections on the pond, but the large urns surrounding the pond were still empty.
I liked the abstract "What I do is me" sculpture. It has a gracefulness to it, as well as flow and movement. I agree totally with you about the seed pod!!!
I had to stop and admire Copper in Bloom. If it weren't so large (and obviously expensive), it would go nicely in my kitchen. I also fell in love with ABC, but was not fond of the seed pod that looked like copper. I also enjoyed Reflection. I liked its sheer beauty and how the artist interpreted it. And that Barn Owl was fabulous, even though I've never thought about owls in art forms.
Shadow of the Dune is fabulous against the gold colors in the background. Speaking of backgrounds, I admired the dying flowers with the Alpine House in the background. That was a great shot.
Autumn is really starting to show at Kew. I was impressed. I was also glad you shared the map, because it gave me an idea of the layout of the place, too.
BTW, your robins look much different from ours in the states. Thanks for doing all the walking today. I did my own, too.
A wonderful post Helen! Stunning colours and the sculptures are fascinating. The owl one has to be my favourite I think! those turquoise berries are amazing! wonderful photos - thanks for taking me on your lovely walk xxx
Wow Helen, what a fantastic collection of photos in this one post! Impossible to choose a favourite but I still love those turquoise berries and the delicate toadstools are lovely. I also love the yellow daisy like flowers with the dark brown centres. My favourite of the sculptures (although I love so many of them) is Reflection by Simon Gudgeon. I think the shape and gentle flow of it completely portrays the meaning as explained by the artist himself. The glass agapanthus us quite stunning and more eyecatching as is that amazing magnolia but ~Reflection is the one for me.
Thanks for an awesome visit and I am so glad I waited to see it on the big screen as well as me being awake enough to appreciate it, lol!
Hugs
Lesley Xx
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