A dull day at Kew

Evening!  Forecast today was meant to be wet but didn't turn out that way, it stopped
The sun didn't come out though, so it was a very different visit to last week's stunning colours!

It was a bus journey day today (another strike) but luckily as it was still trying to rain as I arrived, I didn't have very long to wait till they opened...

first in line though!
I was looking through the gate at the Christmas tree in the entry plaza, but I love how the ironwork looks heartshaped!

not only is the look very different today in the dull conditions, most of the leaves have gone too since last week!

so onto my normal opening shot, as you can see, very dull! 

the beds are filling out though and although you can't tell in this photo, some of them are flowering too.

 I've already forgotten what the purple ones are called I did look and they weren't what I thought they were....

 despite the grey skies, there is still enough light to create some great reflections

 I walked round the pond towards the Broad Walk first as I wanted to visit that bit early as I'd be going out the way I came in back for the bus.


the leaves have backed up against a cable lying across the water, (to do with the laser light show, part of Christmas at Kew.)

 you can see the v-shaped benches at the foot of each of the lights this time.  Sadly there'd be no sitting on them today as they were very wet from all the rain

Lots of decaying leaves on plants... 

 and the water drops are always a firm favourite of mine, especially on the euphorbias

 Huge trees call for huge baubles

magnolias in bud too

soft and fluffy

 I walked round towards the Princess of Wales glasshouse,
past the Weeping Beech, now nearly devoid of leaves, it looks so different, and HUGE with no leaves on

 and you can see more of the shape when it's just branches

 I was hoping to see the Chinese Water Dragon but perhaps it was too early and they were all still asleep...

some lovely leaf shapes though

 some of the water lily pad edges are collapsing. 
they'll be dying off soon I guess then

 the pink bananas have flowers!

they looked fab!

 no sign of lizards anywhere...

 big construction starting for the Orchid festival in February

 some of the permanent orchids

 great patterns

everything had just been watered inside!

 more patterns

 can you tell what this is?

 yes, it's the dying titun lily

 eurphorbia fortissima  - a succulent from Zambia.  not noticed it flower before, but I am sure I've just missed it

and there are loads of them!  the plant is huge

outside, the order beds being rejuvenated.  I couldn't work out why they looked so different, but I realised later they've levelled the beds and are seeming killing off the grass...

i am sure they will reveal all soon

 multi coloured leaf in the rock garden

 Nerine

the alpine house blending into the grey sky!

 this week I went over to see the water feature in the Secluded Garden - which isn't so secluded at this time of year as the leaves that form the hedging round it, have fallen.


but I do love the slates

 the maidenhair, gingko, leaves are mostly on the ground now!

 even though there was no sign to make these leaves glow like last week, they still look amazing

cut back across the Broad Walk and down another part of the Lights trail...

 pausing for some bauble selfies - still covered in water drops

 I know they will look so much better lit up, but i was interested to see the structures in daylight too so spent some time walking round the trail

 and there is still a lot of leaf colour on some trees

 this one, in the gloom, almost looks illuminated - this is the Cathedral of Lights

 and I took a closeup of one of them


can't wait to see this at night!

 walking across to the lake (grass is very muddy)

 the ducks were playing in amongst the boats/stars.


not so much light here so they don't look very starlike today

the swans were dipping in unison to feed

 couldn't resist another one, another massive bauble

 trees by the Treetop Walkway

 Temperate House,
"kangaroo paws" 

 seville orange tree

 camelia (still in the temperate house)

 the Walkway peeping through the trees from the ground

 nice pop of colour left on this one too

 the maple that I got so carried away with in the sun last week, has now thrown most of it's leaves to the ground...

 but there were still plenty left

 camellia outside also flowering

On the way home, well actually past home and beyond, I called in to see my cousin who was having an open house sale of her fabulous photographic and art works, an when I was waiting for my final bus of the day, in Croydon (major office/shopping town) I caught a last couple of photos

I couldn't face doing any shopping though so waited for the bus... their Christmas lights are already on and they even had some down the middle of the road.

I love the multi coloured lights on the building at the end, the red and green ones

the sky was darkening now as it was past "sunset" time... not that we saw any sun today, to see setting!

this is actually Sutton, when I was walking to the bus stop on my way out this morning.
Part of the road was closed to traffic for some major crane work going on at this building development.


Hope you've enjoyed this week's damp trip... hopefully the next one will be even more exciting - Friday sees me go to Christmas at Kew.

I pray that the camera takes some good shots of the lights... only get one chance to do it, tickets are sold out so I can't go back. 

See you then!