Tag Archives: branches

Spring

Image

3

Blossom
There’s been rumours over the last few weeks that Spring is just around the corner here in London, but I haven’t been so sure. Over the weekend, however, the weather’s been wonderful; warm and sunny. I think we can now confirm that Spring is officially here. I can’t wait for the trees and buds to burst in bloom

I hope it’s brightening up wherever you are too

Kew Gardens – Autumn visit 4

Posted on by
8

One of the things I was most excited about seeing at Kew Gardens was the Xstrata Treetop Walkway that was constructed a few years ago. The idea behind the walkway was to enable people to walk among the tree tops to get a closer look at the best part of the trees; the branches and leaves which aren’t usually easily accessible. Walking toward the structure it seems to appear suddenly from amongst the trees.

IMG_2363 -small

To access the walkway you have to climb up a winding staircase with mesh sides, allowing you to see the view as you ascend. For those that can’t quite manage the stairs there’s also a lift that will take you to the top. The walkway is 59 feet high from where you get a great view

IMG_2378 -small

IMG_2389 -small

I was able to get really close to some of the branches but as it was Autumn some of the closer trees had already shed their leaves. I expect the walkway is even more enjoyable in Summer when leaves are aplenty

IMG_2373 -small

Another one of the other things I spotted almost immediatley as I entered the Gardens was this tall structure in the distance. I could tell straight away that it looked like a giant Pagoda like those found in Japan and wondered what it was doing in London!

IMG_2406 - small

IMG_2438 - small

It turns out that the Pagoda was completed by Sir William Chambers in 1762 and that there is also a section dedicated to a Japanese landscape, with plants and flowers typically found in the country as well as a structure called the Chokushi-Mon meaning Gateway of the Imperial Messenger

IMG_2424 -small

IMG_2440 -small

I thought the Japanese landscape was really nice and something different. I especially liked how tidy and organised it was (and if you look carefully you can see there is a circular pattern created in the pebbles)

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Kew Gardens, I saw some amazing plants, trees and flowers, some that don’t originate from England and learnt a lot whilst walking around, soaking in the fresh air and peace and quiet. I think the gardens are something really special and the thing I like most is that you could visit at various times over a twelve month period and there would always be something new or different to see. I really hope I will be able to go back later this year when the plants and flowers are in bloom and nature has something else to share.

I hope you have enjoyed my photos and there is still so much I didn’t see or haven’t posted about so please don’t think that I have covered even a fraction of what else can be found at Kew. I would definitely recommend a visit if you like being outdoors and are interested in all things green.

For more on Kew gardens please see my previous posts

Kew Gardens – Autumn Visit 1
Kew Gardens – Autumn Visit 2
Kew Gardens – Autumn Visit 3

The best of 2013

Posted on by
6

2013 has been an exciting year for me with regards to photography; I finally managed to get myself a DSLR and was able to take some great photos with it at some amazing places. I have also been learning more about photography through a course as well as through all of you bloggers out there. Some of you have left helpful tips, while others have left kind and encouraging words, but I think most of all I feel that having seen photos that you have taken and published on your blogs you have really set the bar high, with beautiful, amazing shots of the world around you. I thank you all for your support on my blog and for helping me see the world in a different perspective.

I hope you all have a happy and successful 2014 and I leave you with some of my favourite photos from this year.

Kew Gardens – Autumn visit

Posted on by
6

I recently went to Kew Gardens in West London; the last time I went was in school and I’d been meaning to go back ever since, especially as over the last couple of years there’s been some changes. For some reason or another I just wasn’t able to go, so a couple of weeks ago I decided not to wait anymore and just go. Initially I was a bit apprehensive about going in late autumn, as I imagined that most of the trees would have shed their leaves and there wouldn’t be much to look at, as well as the point that I always imagined going in late spring/early summer to see nature blossoming. In the end I decided to go anyway and see what there was to see, and learn from the experience.

I packed my DSLR camera to take with me and got there by mid morning. I was really lucky with the weather as it was nice and bright, and not grey and cloudy like it had been in previous days. I was also pleased to see that as we’ve had a mild autumn in London so far, most of the trees still had their leaves, and many were in now in brilliant shades of yellow, red and orange, which in the bright sun looked even more magnificent.

Here are a few of the photos that I was able to take whilst there, but what I didn’t realise was just how big the Gardens were- that after walking around for about 5 hours I still hadn’t managed to see all of it!

2013-11-26-1896

IMG_1995

Seeing as I managed to take lots of photos and because there’s was so much to see I’ve decided to do separate posts on different parts of Kew Gardens, this one being about the Palm House which houses plants from tropical and subtropical climates all over the world

IMG_2132

Here’s a banana tree with bananas growing from it, with leaves so big you could place two grown ups end to end and the leaves would still be bigger! There was also a pineapple plant – these pineapples were so tiny – the size of walnuts

IMG_2006

IMG_2043

The walkways were full of leaves growing over it, giving you a an idea of how they would grow in their natural habitat

IMG_2065

There was a strange looking plant growing in the Palm House too called a Cycad, that is known as a living fossil. These plants have been around before dinosaurs, living up to 2500 years long!

IMG_2071

There is so much more to see but I don’t want to post too many photos of one area in case you want to visit the Gardens soon. I will hopefully be able to do another post soon on another part of Kew gardens

Robin

Image

8


I saw this pretty robin resting in a bare bush recently and was really pleased to be able to get quite close and capture a good photo. You can see how the colours of it’s feathers blend in perfectly with nature at this time of year, so was especially pleased I managed to spot it

Fiery leaves

Image

1

Fiery leaves
My favourite time of the year is Autumn because the weather in London is often sunny and bright but feels cooler, and nature all around begins to change like the leaves on the trees from various greens to brilliant shades of reds, oranges and yellows. I also love Autumn because there’s less bugs around!

Tree and steeple

Image

Reply

autimn
This photo is of the church St Martin of the Fields near Trafalger Square. I like the contrast of the light and dark colours of the tree and building against one another and the great sense of height that you get. But best of all I think I like the bright blue sky as the backdrop.