The weather forecast promised rain at 11am on Bank Holiday Monday and then for the rest of the day. So, I thought, if I get to Kew as the gates open at 10am, not only will I miss the rain but the bank holiday crowds. Great theory – and I did miss the crowds, but …
Handkerchief tree
Set the Handkerchief Tree free!!
Have you ever met a Handkerchief Tree? They are relatively rare trees and in May they produce a profusion of large white bracts which look exactly like freshly washed handkerchiefs. The trees originate in China and were first discovered in 1869 by a French missionary/naturalist, Armand David. He found just a single tree way up …
Talking the Walk
Longstanding subscribers to this blog may remember that a couple of years go I talked about my cousin Des in the west of Ireland. Des has ‘Inherited Retinal Dystrophy’….. ‘Inherited’, he says, ‘because I told them my mother was affected, and retinal dystrophy because the cells in the retina are dying off. Which, to me, …
More on Kenwood
Before we leave the azaleas and the handkerchief tree I wanted to show you the tree in all its rather over shadowed architectural glory…. And another view of the lawns in front of the house that roll down to the lake… …and indeed, the lake itself, lying still and dark at the bottom of the …