Wednesday 29 May 2013

Spring time in London

Hello there! It's a dull old day here, but I am being cheered up by looking back at some photos from last weekend, when Mr JK and I were in London. The sun shone for much of the weekend, and we were able to make the most of our time. On Saturday we visited the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. We first went there a couple of years ago and have wanted to visit again ever since. The huge old glasshouses are very impressive.

 
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Despite the rather chilly start to the year, there was lots of colour to admire. We saw a couple of plants that might just find their way into our garden next spring. We definitely need some tulips - we have pretty much every other spring bulb, but no tulips. I'd also like to plant some alliums if we can find the right spot for them.
 
 
Kew Gardens May 2013


I especially love the water lily house. There is something rather soothing about it. The giant lily pads dominate the pond, and some of the lilies were in bloom.

 
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On Sunday we decided a bit of culture was in order, so we visited Tate Britain. We decided to take the BP Walk through British Art to get a taster of what was in the gallery. It was incredible to see some of the great works of art by Turner and Constable as well as more modern pieces by David Hockney. My favourite was a painting by John Singer Sargent called 'Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose'. It had a really magical air to it.  Later on we headed up to Islington so I could call in at Loop. I wanted to buy a present for Snoopydog's birthday, and managed to find just what I was looking for!! After a quick bite to eat, we went to Hoxton, where we thoroughly enjoyed the Geffrye,  Museum of the Home. Like many museums and galleries in London, entry was free. It was a fascinating look at how homes have changed over the past 400 years. The museum is set in an old hospital and one of the almshouses has been restored, although it isn't open every day.
 
 
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There are also some rather beautiful gardens attached to the museum. Firstly, a walled herb garden, where the herbs are planted according to their uses.

 

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As well as this, there are four period gardens, from the 17th to the 20th centuries. They were really beautiful. I'll leave you with a selection of photos to admire. I'll be back soon with some knitting to share with you. xx
 
 
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5 comments:

busybusybeejay said...

Looks like a great trip.Havn't been to Kew for years and was last in London for the Hockney exhibition last year.

snoopydogknits said...

Fab photos! You obviously had a really lovely weekend. was great to catch up with you yesterday and see your lovely new house and garden. Enjoy the rest of the week. Ros

Lynne said...

Wow! These photos are fantastic, the flowers are so beautiful.

Jennyff said...

I bet you came back from the trip with all sorts of ideas for your garden. Inspirational photographs.

Anonymous said...

oh wow! what absolutely gorgeous photos!! thank you for sharing them with us!
-melissa