Kew - on a Sunday!

When Kim and I saw the forecast for yesterday we decided to delay our weekly trip to Kew, until today- a very  wise choice!!

there would have been no blue skies yesterday!  

it was a fresh start, late August early mornings are getting chilly!

caught in action already!

I love this view of the pond on such days as today 

there was evidence of yesterday's rain still around in puddles and water  drips on plants 

the low sun was glinting off the sculptures

bed at top of Broad Walk

I was tempted to move the leaf in the middle of these white flowers but then saw he sun shining through the top of it... and you can't beat water drops

the raindrops on the euphorbia looked  like they'd been sprinkled with glitter

wildflower meadow at the Hive

grasses in front of the alpine house

cosmos in the vegetable garden

then into the evolution garden

the low lying echinacea have been mud-splattered from yesterday's rain

blast, blogger has reversed the next few 

teasels at the end of the evolution garden

 light through dahlia

michaelmas daisy (aster)  

sparkling sedums 

we rejoined the Broad Walk to cross it 

passing Kew Palace

and heading for where we'd seen the foxcubs a few weeks ago - rhododendron dell.

we did see one crossing a path ahead of us but that was it.

so we carried on to the bird feeders in the woodland walk in the hope of seeing the golden pheasant.

there were lots of squirrels and green parakeets

regular visitor Peter arrived with food for the birds/squirrels  but still no sign of the pheasant.

a few young rats, and lots of pigeons 

and some great/coal/blue tits  not sure which.  Great tits, having googled,  I think.  

I had brought my long zoom lens today but the birds were very fast for precise focusing!

I should probably have cropped them! 

the squirrels got into some funny feeding positions! 

we left Peter to them - feeling sure the pheasant would wait for us to leave before appearing - and headed for refreshments of our own!  it was now 10 o'clock

Danish pastry and hot chocolate (tea for Kim)  sitting outside at the Pavilion cafe.

in the sun it was lovely and warm now

nest stop was the Temperate House so crossed the grass past one of the sculptures

remember those lovely yellow flowers a few weeks ago - now just fluffy seed heads.

we both love "fluff"

begonia leaf

into the davies exploration house

I make no apologies for lots of strawflowers again

especially when they are going to fluffy seed!

then headed to the lake, 

we could hear off to our left from the crossing,  a performance of Wind in the Willows taking place - the boat is to do with that

other side of the lake

we headed along the grass back to the Palm House - brief pause at the Marc Quinn in the rose garden 

then a walk through the Palm House

shadows on trunks

for the waterlily house I put the long zoom on 

which made a big difference to how close I could get to the lilies in the middle of the pond

and the newly emerging lily pads, too.  love this one! 

and closer in to the ones round the edge too

the "curtain" across the pond - I really like this idea.  They always try something different with the planting in the waterlily house each  year.

outside planting.

the aoeniums covered in rain drop stains!

there were 2 or 3 drops of rain as we crossed to the Princess of Wales conservatory (unexpected, but not enough to wet us)

in the Princess of Wales.

sadly no flowering cacti today, 

love how these flowers drop and collect in the leaves

there wasn't much in the alpine house 

on our way back to the exit and as I had the long zoom, had to stop at the fountain

it also let me get a good view of the sculpture in front of the palm house.

so that is my week off done, Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow but a chill out day before going back to work on Tuesday -  thanks for looking, hope you enjoyed the week's trips and see you Saturday for Kew again!