Kew Gardens

This was my first visit and I hope it won’t be my last.  It was a sunny morning and we went earlier than our entrance ticket.

The camellias were out and very beautiful. One magnolia tree had opened its flowers too.

Our entrance for the orchid exhibition was at 1145. There was an enormous queue. I went to the front to ask if our entry was going in, to be told we should go to the back of the queue. Mistakenly, I showed our entrance to Kew tickets which said 11 to 1145 and we were hustled into the glass house and everyone was told were were late. As it happened we weren’t but the tickets were on my phone!

600 people can go into the orchid houses at a one time. Please don’t ask about social distancing!  The collection of orchids is truly amazing.

Our favourite, possibly, was Zadok Ben-David's Natural World in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery. My blip is one of 1700 tiny, etched flowers in the display. My extra is from the same exhibition where a video plays behind the two silhouettes. See the video: https://www.zadokbendavid.com/conversation-peace

We had good exercise on the site, climbing 108 stairs to the treetop walk and down again.

Our evening entertainment was the film The Duke with Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent. It was touching and fun and set mainly in Newcastle. Do see it.

We met one of the cast from Bloody Difficult Women on our way in. He was with the play's director and happy to talk.

I was too tired to blip so this is a back blip.