Kew - blue skies!

 The blue skies returned as we waited to be let in today

and the sun came out to shine on the sculptures at the Palm House

trying to get some different angles 

Kew had put a video on FB in the week about clearing the beds - but it must have been an old one, because as you can see, they are still full! 

they've not dusted the alliums yet this morning !!  

down the Broad Walk 

I think the undersides are more interesting than the tops!

wish we could get closer to these, but they're at back of the bed and no access.  

loved the light on the euphorbia

and one from above

they're so tall I stood on the bench again

the light today was great early doors

hadn't noticed the perfectly formed water drop on the left petal at the time

I think I mentioned a few weeks ago we've been meaning to sneak into the children's playground again early when the sun was out....

today was the day.

the jasmine at the entrance smelt divine!

the sun was in the wrong position really 

there are lots of different areas for kids to play

this was what we really wanted to re-visit as the light makes interesting reflections

although I didn't take any of the floor!

luckily, Kim did!

lots of rudbeckia

I had to go over the stepping stones!

on our way back to the exit

we decided to head to the rhododendron dell to see if we could see the fox cubs

love the undulating ground (this is near the magnolias)

we didn't see the fox cubs so went on up to the woodland walk 

we took the newer walk round to the right 

lots of birdsong and sounds from the golf course nearby (outside the boundary of Kew obviously)

Queen Charlotte's cottage 

wildflowers near some bird boxes and bird feeders  - there were some blue tits around but as my macro doesn't zoom I didn't try and catch them

at the top of the lake, the heron was sat watching for fish

we carried on round the lake

crossing the lake

great reflections

we were looking for the swans - they were swimming across the middle of the lake 

black headed gull on the crossing 

there was another heron in a tree by the crossing

by now the swans had mounted the bank on the right side (as we were headed) so we walked round the end and back towards them

the fast-growing cygnets were lazing in the shade

it was 10 now so we headed to the pavilion cafe for some outdoor tea and pastry!

then into the Temperate House

these are what is left of some yellow daisy-like flowers in the middle octagon 

love the fluff!

we saw these last week, love the light on them today

the glinting is the Marc Quinn sculpture in the background

then into the davies exploration house

and some old favourites!

more fluff!

closer in on the fluff!

and my other favourites!

then it was off to the Princess of Wales (we saw the crowds outside the waterlily house on our way past and decided to give it a miss, plus it had got hot so we forwent the heat in there!

this agave has flowered - it's been coming a while (and blogger has reversed the order I wanted to show them in) 

this is as they start to open

they are at the top of a tall spike out of the middle of the plant

there weren't many flowers on any of the cacti today just this one

waterlily about to flower - it is one of the new variety discovered a couple of years ago - it will flower overnight probably when it does 

something else coming a bit further round

and a fern 

it was really hot and humid in the POW today so we didn't stay long

we did got and check the orchid rooms

where the artist was working again

before escaping into the relative cool outdoors

wild carrot between the POW and alpine house

as we went round to the evolution garden, the gates to the student plots were open for the first time in weeks,

sunflower time!

love the new emerging flowers, the spiky growth is gorgeous

none of the students seem to have grown the darker varieties this year 

ok I'll stop now

then into the evolution garden itself 

sun shining through the flower stems

loving the purple and yellow together 

heading up the other side of the evolution garden

this sunflower seems to be conjoined with a twin - they weren't just adjacent flowers 

agapanthas

some beautiful apricot coloured roses

and that is where I stopped!

thanks for looking hope you enjoyed the colour today.

it was home for the Olympics - not much else might get done for the next couple of weeks! 

but it will be back to Kew next Saturday!