Same Shirt, Different day-2012 Adventures of the "Devonport Wonder Babes"

Saturday 11^th August.

Have been watching London weather forecasts, which have been very accurate while we have been here, to try to  do outdoor things before rain comes again maybe Monday, maybe Tuesday, so we have set aside those days for indoor museums and concerts and tidy up stuff here in flat before we go to France on Friday.

So today, on another bright sunny 26 degree, sunscreen required, day,  we headed out south west again on Overground line to Kew Gardens, somewhere we have planned to visit on previous visits to London but not managed to do so. £12.50 entry for pensioners.

Interestingly both of us had had quite different expectations about what it would be like. Lyndsay thought it would be a more structured place than it was and I had expected that there would be more glasshouses, so we were pleasantly surprised by the vast expanse of woodland plus some trees in formalised settings. Most of this area has been in a park since mid 1700’s with some combined with Richmond Park next door. Total park area is about 300 acres.

Lashed out ( £4 each ) and went on a little tourist train all around the gardens which was a great thing to do as guide was quite informative and gave us a great overview of the whole 300 acres of park.

Then sat under trees ear Victoria Gate,  for the obligatory sandwiches and fruit lunch ( plus we have just discovered Hob Nobs  biscuits, which are nearly as addictive as Sainsbury’s Ginger Snaps, not to mention Bakewell tarts-I fear we may have to visit the English grocer in Devonport when we get home) before walking to the Rhizatron and Xstratata Tree Top walkway, pretty impressive steel structure up in the tree tops which  sways a bit when lots of people are walking around on it. Great views across the park and out to London high rise buildings.

Visited the David Nash Wood Quarry where the sculptor is working on site, making large wooden sculptures, many of which are throughout the park, some now cast in bronze Also small video about his work in a small wooden building and interesting volunteer whom we spent some time talking to.

 Continued to walk on thru the wild woodland areas now set aside just for the wildlife, no humans allowed and we did see quite some wildlife in that area, spending about 20 minutes  watching a whole tribe of rats in an area under a bird feeder, just at side of  pathway thru  the wilderness area of the park. There seemed to be 2 large adults and about 6 juvenile rats racing around in about a 20 sq m area. Quite fascinating to just sit quietly and watch.

As in rest of UK we are amazed by the plantings of gorse, blackberry, dock and ragwort  in all sorts of places , not to mention the rabbits though we didn’t see any in Kew.  

 Then to Queen Charlottes Cottage, a royal summer house where they had picnics  and across to the Pavilion Tea Rooms for late cup of tea and bit of a book read ( on my new Kindle) and then on thru the Temperate House  and then the Palm House before they shut up shop there at 5.30 pm.

Left grounds about 6 pm and had wander thru shops by Kew Station (Kew is or appears to be a  very affluent neighbourhood with the cars in driveways being BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar and the odd Lamborghini )    

 Onto Overland train and in ½ hr we were home to West Hampstead to watch evening Olympic coverage from Stadium with commentators nearly hysterical when Mo ( that’s Mo for Mohammed!)  Farar won Gold on 5000m after previous win in 10,000m plus saw the Jamaicans break world record for 4x 100 metres.

Another nights very sound sleep after all that walking.