Kew... Christmas card avoidance again!

Not only Christmas card avoidance, but another dull damp day forecast... oh well. A bit of wet never really hurt anyone....   Sit back, you may need sustenance to keep you going..there will be a LOT of photos (as always!)

Traditional starting photo... few more blooms emerging.

 though they don't really show up. 

 a dull sky, but the trees round the Pond are still full of colour reflecting in the gray water!

 through the clouds... a hint of sun.  Don't worry, it didn't manage to burst through!!

 the Broad Walk is being used in the Christmas at Kew trail this year, they were putting in place large pots of to-be illuminated trees,

 alongside,  the colour was still intense in the trees

 the trail will follow a walk of about a mile, the website says.  A mixture of traditional Christmas lights and LED displays. (check out later, they started testing the lights)

 under the huge canopy of a tree alongside the Hive

 I popped up for a look at the red tree through the structure...

 most of the leaves have fallen, and so too a lot of the fruit, from this ornamental pear (I think;)

love the bark of the Paper Bark Maple (leaves above)

 Black Walnut leaves

 haven't photographed him for ages!

 the poppies aren't quite so sad today!

 was surprised to see penstemon still flowering

 neat piles of pumpkins

 under another canopy!

 I love this tree! I am sure it is more richly coloured than last week

 crossing the top of the Broad Walk, they have turned the lights on on the arches that they were erecting over benches along the path

It will look fabulous at night!

 but I was heading back the other way, round the Pond (and that tree again)

 they usually turn the fountain off during the Christmas at Kew event, so this may be the last time for a while the water is playing!

 the foliage behind though, looks fabulous

 the Palm House making a great backdrop for this gorgeous tree

walked past the war memorial from last week, where the wreath laid at the Cenotaph by the Foreign Secretary (and which is created by Kew Gardens using plants from around the Commonwealth) was now on display

 after a coffee and a slice of Sticky Toffee Pudding (oh  my, so yummy - very rich, but oh, so yummy)  I headed off the other way from the Victoria entrance... lights for the Trail illuminating the trees, give a hint of how it will look at night (given it was such a gloomy day, it was a great idea!)

 walking through the arboretum, across damp grass and in a fine drizzle...

 I scuffled through leaves like a big kid (who can resist the sound of leaves underfoot!)

 the leaf litter underfoot was so thick! 

I cut across towards the gallery...

 the colour in this part of the gardens is just glorious.. I had the wide angle on, to get in as much as possible,

 and some close ups of the rain on the acers

I went inside the gallery.  I hadn't intended to take pictures but to just enjoy, but with the wide angle on at max width, I decided to get some more shots! 

close up function triggers the flash, but I love the way it makes the background dark, as if the lights were off!


(my excuse and I'm sticking to it)

 with the wide angle on, I wanted to get some shots into the top of the display at the ceiling... the lights don't really help, but you can't help that!

 more close ups...

ok, enough!! 

 back outside, it was now raining a bit harder...


such striking leaves..

 the Pagoda is now being refurbished to it's former glory, and is under wraps!

 I took a right turn and headed for the Japanese garden, not somewhere I go often, but I knew was rich in colour...

 I was going to head for the lake again, to find that tree that was causing the group of walkers such interest last week.

past ....

 berries...

 colour....

 past ponds...

 imagine my surprise when the tree was (presumably) interesting because it is split almost in two at the base..

you can see from the boards on the bridge, how wet it was now (underfoot anyway, the rain wasn't particularly heavy in truth)


the LED lights along the crossing aren't lit today though, but you can (just) see that the trees on the island are adorned with baubles

 there wasn't enough light for proper reflections, look more like silhouettes in the water today

 more work for Christmas at Kew going on...

 lit up, now as promised!

 read about this tree on twitter by the Head of the Arboretum, and the number of lights... can't find it now, to tell you how many!

Kew Palace through the trees

 colour behind the seed heads

 so many colours in these seed heads

 wet leaves... wet Helen (feet anyway). time to head home...

 Elizabeth, you have mentioned once or twice why Broad Walk.

here you go!



Thanks for sticking with me, hope you enjoyed today's walk.
just realised I forgot to turn on the pedometer! 


Now, what can I do next to avoid getting on with my Christmas cards.... this has taken all day!!