Kew - back to Saturday!

 No bus strike till tomorrow and Bank Holiday Monday this week...

Met the gang at the gate for our 8am entrance.  It was sunny and warm, but we all agreed there was a smell of autumn in the air..

evidenced by the first heavy dew on the grass of the Parterre

and some little fairy toadstools in the grass 

the 3 of us - me, Kim and Lynda  - agreed to meet for breakfast at 9.30 so Kim came on my normal route and we headed down the Broad Walk

looking or water drops -  a little ring round the edge of the alchemilla mollis

some of the agapanthas were till looking good

I wasn't sure if I'd managed to get the camera to focus on the water drops rather than the leaves!

the light was definitely late summer nearly autumn quality!

beautiful pink flowers on a large shrub by the Duke's Garden, where we bumped into Lynda again

water drops on grasses

lotus flower by the side of the waterlily pond

lotus pod/water drops

pattern in brickwork

gate to the student veg bed was open...

and we were both thrilled to see loads of the beautiful dark sunflowers...cue overload!

she sent me this pic she snuck!  

you can see my new rucksack style camera bag is in use now

the sun was really bright and it was warming up

the grapes on the vine round the border of the student veg beds are swelling a bit, but not sure they'll ripen much

love the blue of this climbing up the frame in the corner plot

another one poking between the leaves

couldn't see a label  but I like the cup-like shapes

some more sunflowers in the far corner

then into the vegetable garden 

tomatoes are ripening

yes, more sunflowers!

not sure what kind of mildewy stuff this is on the leaves, but it was quite pretty, even if the gardeners may not like it!

white aubergines growng

all kinds of squashes and gourds

the crafter in me thinks this would make a fabulous stamp

chard

I kept missing the bees and hoverfly things today but this one kind of posed

this one is from the phone.  love the edges,  my friend Lesley thought it had frost on it.  

surprise, blogger is reversing orders...

the height of the sunflowers!  they reach the top of the pergola along the Evolution Garden pathway

unusual colouring on this Japanese anemone, 

this is the more usual one!  

the delphiniums are in a second flush,

with more to come at the top of the stem

was amazed to see these already, 

Cape Gooseberry,  Physalis -  I even found one skeletonised which I had to hold up to photograph

seems too early for these,  I didn't notice them last week, although may not have walked round this patch of the beds 

I nearly got dive bombed by a bee buzzing past my ear closing in for this shot...

crocosmia, close up

we were both getting hungry and it was getting towards breakfast time so we headed back towards the cafe 

I had put my long zoom in the bag, and was rewarded at the fountain

I kept the zoom lens on until we got back to the cafe

so it was good to get some wider angles

and the mass of the gunnera

and a semi silhouette of the huge leaves

Kim and I had got there slightly ahead of Lynda and couldn't believe the mushroom and cheese croissants weren't available -  the main reason for eating here

luckily whilst we sat and waited for her, we saw the trays of them being delivered and YAY  we were able to tuck in 

Kim suggested this angle with the Palm House in the background

one of those trays is mine!  

(the one with 2 course breakfast!!)

after our food and a natter, we headed off - Lynda to the garden shop and Kim to the lake to feed the geese and ducks,

I diverted to the Breach, with the mirrors

which were having a clean

and several people around

too good an opportunity to miss

then I headed to the lake to catch Kim up

this didn't work quite as well as I hoped, Kim on the bench feeding the birds! 

she was surrounded! 

we walked across the grass towards the Temperate House

love the dappled sun through this tree

the Treetop walkway is shut whilst they finish the work to the lift - hopefully soon, it seems to have taken ages

then into the Temperate House

my favourite the Silver Daisy Bush has been cut back for the season...

but the viewing platform was open

the Trolls through the window

the way was free of people for my favourite shadow shot!

she snuck another one!! 

my hoodie was by now stored in the rucksack (one advantage of it)  and it was hot up there

back on the ground,   fushcia

passionflower

back outside we both played with the globe lens

gorgeous blue sky

Matt and Helen through the trees

fluffy stuff!  (yes, I did blow it like you do with dandelions....)

fruits on the Japanese Dogwood tree

hips in the rose garden

the rain this week and last, has really helped the condition of the roses for the end of the season

there were only a few lilies open inthe waterlily house

but a new leaf growing

crossing the back of the Broad Walk

before going into the Princess of Wales conservatory

more new leaves

shapes and patterns

a few orchids 

found this behind a door, between the 2 orchid rooms

had trouble with the focus as there were people in and out

passionflower, on the way out of the POW

quick walk through the alpine house

at this stage we went our separate ways home

although I got sidetracked by the beds at the end of the Broad Walk again, from the back this time 

the helenium, beautiful

rudbeckia

echinacea

just gorgeous!

I was home in quick time and have been listening to the commentary of the Liverpool game were for once, this season we seem to be playing well and are scoring goal after goal

thanks for looking,  hope you enjoyed them.