Kew in the rain this time!

Luckily it wasn't pouring (I'd have stayed at home!) but there was unrelenting grey skies...
However, there is always something to see at Kew and I also wanted to see how the preparation for the Orchid display is coming along...

sit back and enjoy

 I started at the gate I normally go out through this time, so a different first shot... an empty Broad Walk.. you can't see the rain! 

 the Hive between bare trees

 lots of raindrops hanging on to things... branches here!  buds out though

 didn't notice the posts helping support the weight of these branches at the time!

 I cut across the wet grass to what I think of as the back door to the Princess of Wales glasshouse

this ornate vehicle has appeared since last week..

 I do like the upside down parasols, and the white lanterns

 amongst the huge cacti!

inside the main arena for the display, the gardeners and workmen were hard at work getting the orchids ready to put in place... the lady with the red hair is Ellie, who I know slightly and follow on twitter and speak to when I catch sight of her;  she is heavily involved in the organising and design of the displays. 

they do seem to have quite a lot to do before next Saturday!!

 I deliberately didn't crop this photo either before or after taking it so you can hopefully get a sense of the scale with the ladder on the platform in the pond.

 but some of the big arches upstairs are in place and looking fabulous


different colours this year, I imagine to reflect more the Thailand feel (not having ever been, I can't say for sure!)  to this year's theme

they look so soft and velvety

tiny pineapple

 the bull now has a rider!

 outside there were geese and ducks all over the place. these two are in the Rock Garden

lots of raindrops again

 huge drifts of snowdrops on the slope up to the temple of apollo

 clumps of funghi in the woodland walk between the POW and the Palm House

 crouching down trying to avoid dropping everything in the mud for the crocus...

 love the raindrops on the edges of every branch!

 and the snowdrops underplanting the dogwood

 the beds in front of the Palm House are coming out more now, orange primula joining the earlier yellow blooms

 love this bark,  didn't go to find out what kind of tree it is.. silver birch?  probably not light enough ,   paper birch?  not flaky enough.....  not sure...

great shapes...

 lots of growth... MUST be nearly spring then!

 hmm....












love the glimpse of the Temperate House through the trees



have you guessed where we're going now?!!

 it was completely empty!  I thought I'd taken a video on my phone only it didn't work.... next time maybe

 I normally try to keep the lights out of shot but thought they made a nice pattern

 close up

and from the exit doorway

still nobody had joined me  got in my way

 walked over and took a peak through a gap in the fence to see how the work is going... no-one there today

 loved this split trunk...

 witch hazel

 quite wet now...

nipped through the Palm House (quicker than walking round!)

 started to walk back down the Broad Walk, fabulous raindrops on this hellebore...






cut across to see if they'd made any progress with the orchids...

 last week I took a photo of the orchids on the top here... I absolutely didn't notice that they were the "spines" on this lizard creature...

how unobservant am I?!!

 it was deserted.... must remember to look at it from this angle next week though

 back outside I was going to head home, but decided to do so past the Hive....


which was a very good decision

 I went down to the "legs" at the lower level and shot up through the glass platform... fabulous!!

 when I got up to the platform it was very wet... but you do get such good reflections of the Hive above and the structure itself underneath at the same time...

a very grey backdrop!

and that's today.... thanks for looking!