A frosty Kew Gardens (December 2013)

The weather was not particularly kind over the Christmas holiday period and most of my walking was snatched in moments between showers. Several days I stayed indoors.

There was one golden opportunity to visit Kew Gardens and I took it. It was a Sunday morning, my usual time for going, with crisp frost and bright sun - a delightful combination.

Playing the Play School game I decided to go in through Lion Gate where the Pagoda looked as good as it ever had. I do wish they could sort things out so that we could go up there to look over the whole garden.

The only plan that I had for the visit was to do some brisk walking which meant keeping to the paths and avoiding the attractions. I first headed towards the main (Victoria) gate where the acers that I had admired for all their colour just a few weeks previously were as bare as all the other trees.

And that is one of the nice things about trees, they look good with or without their leaves, especially on a day like this one where the clear blue sky lets even the smallest branch be seen.
 

The frost on the ground was another nice touch though the sun was dealing with that quite quickly creating patterns on the grass as it did so.

The Palm House, close to Victoria Gate, looked as though it was born in frost.

Being early in the day meant that not only was much of the frost still around in this shady part of the garden but also there were few people around to spoil my photos. There are only two people in this picture (by the front entrance) and they both had the decency to wear black/grey to blend in.

Not far behind the Palm House lies the lake and that was also having a good day. The Winter had stripped some of the vegetation away to show more of the lake itself and the light/frost combination introduced some new colours to the familiar scene.

At the end of the lake the frost was still strong, despite the best efforts of the rising sun.

From there I followed the river, went around the palace, had a cup of coffee in the Orangery, walked past the grasses, tramped through the alpine rockery and out through the Victoria Gate. I have lots of pictures of all those parts too but five is enough for one day.

Once again Kew Gardens provided the ideal fillip at the start of the day. It is a very special place.