We had a rendezvous planned with a friend in Kew Gardens on the 2nd January. Waiting for the North London Overground train to arrive at Kew Gardens station, we explored the triangular enclave of interesting shops. A bookshop, a guitar and music shop, a butcher, greengrocer and hairdresser. Inviting looking cafés, restaurants and the inevitable estate agents sprinkled through the mix. And a post office at the back of the paper shop. This part of Kew is well served – District Line trains also stop here, rattling slowly along to Hammersmith and beyond or almost at their journey’s end at Richmond.
Everything was crisp and sparkling in the sunshine with deep blue clear skies – clear except for the massive shadows of planes – giant, sinister birds making their inexorable way to Heathrow. In the sun you could shut your eyes and guess you were in a warm, if not tropical, climate. It was a joy to be sitting outside the Orangery eating our lunch.
Branching out in Kew
Winter’s day – Kew
Kew inside out 1
Kew – inside out 2
Smoothie with a spiky heart – Kew
Goofy – Princess of Wales greenhouse – Kew
John loves orchids so we made our way to where the orchid paintings are housed. I don’t quite know how I took those images of ‘inside out’ above – but then we were ‘in’ – or at least, our shadows were …
Exotic beauties …
… followed by John and John and royal purple …
Uplifting light and colours and, despite the worry of climate change, a warm sun welcoming in 2015. This was a January day to keep in my box of memories.