Kewties at Kew

After the loveliness of their first weekend, Mum and Dad headed off on a big trip around England to see places of Historical Importance to Greenwoods - like the castle in Wales from where the maid and chaffeur ran off to Lancashire to begin the whole dynasty...

I was missing Ma and Pa very much by the time they got back, and took the day off work to do some special exploring of our own.

Mum had very strong wishes to visit Kew, so after an introduction to Borough Market we headed west with picnic supplies aplenty. My cousin and her son met us there for a nibble and a catch up, then we took it in turns to climb the 18 metres to the Treetop Walkway:



It winds for 200 metres through the canopy, and is quite an interesting experience:


The view is excellent as well - lots of gorgeous glasshouses:


Looking away into the distance, one can see how well London does its green spaces - every few metres seemed to be filled with a park of some sort. Richmond and Deer Park were especially close, and I have made plans to go there One Day Soon.

Back on the ground, we parted company with the cousins and headed into the botanical collections. The first glasshouse was antipodean - South Africa, NZ and Australian plants were prominent. Everywhere I looked there were lovely natural shapes like this:


It was fresh and warm and nice to explore, but we knew there was so much more on offer that we didn't spend long inside. Instead, we did our best to stroll in a straight line towards the Palm House.

This conservatory was built in 1848 to house the exotic plants coming in from all over the globe as England extended her colonies, and it is still a stunning building. The lavender fields outside are gorgeous, and I wish you could smell them through the screen:


We didn't spend much time in there, instead wandering around the back towards Queen Charlotte's House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory. This exciting building houses Kew's collection of tropical plants. It was designed in 1976 but not completed until 1987 when it replaced 28 other buildings at risk of falling down:


I am a child of my parents' architecture books and the seventies feel of the place was wonderful. I loved the neverending feeling of light:


The three of us wandered past mini waterfalls, and eyewateringly bright flowers. Each corner uncovered more space, and it was a long, lovely trip to see it all. Cleverly, one wanders downwards to see exhibitions on tropical wildlife- including fish tanks that hide under the walkways. There were stingrays and turtles and that sort of thing, but it is the first time I have ever seen a piranha!:


We loved it all, and only the darkening day spurred us outside. Sure enough, just as we go to the Thames to enquire about the three hour boat ride back to town, the rain came falling down. So, we instead opted for the one hour National Rail journey to find ourselves at my favourite Greenwich restaurant for dinner. We toasted the end of a full and exhausting day with organic wine and tapas.

Because she's worth it.

I've had the most amazing summer.

It all began when my parents arrived in London on the 31st of May to begin their month-long trip to Europe. I have missed them both so much that I wanted to do something special to celebrate. Plus, I definitely had to make up for missing my mother's 60th birthday party. Afternoon Tea at The Ritz seemed a fair apology to me...

So, Lucy and I put our bestest outfits on and met them both at Green Park to break the surprise. Does Mum's smile mean I am forgiven?:


We made our way inside to the Palm Court. The decor is opulent and very tasteful. Unfortunately, photographs inside the Court are not allowed. (My mother says this is because in the past men would take their 'secretary' to lunch and photography would put them at great risk of discovery.) However, a photograph from the Ritz website does actually do the setting justice:


The atmosphere was lightheartedly delicious, and I was so pleased with our choice. A very polite waiter took my father and Lucy's orders for tea and mother's request for coffee whilst we familarised ourselves with the tea tray. Someone else's photo to illustrate:


The tray's middle layer is left for warm scones, and these were delivered shortly, along with birthday cakes for those who had ordered them. The pianist played 'Happy Birthday' and even though I hadn't ordered cake for our table, we sang along happily.

The sandwiches were lovely, and the cakes dainty. I thought the scones were entirely average, but there was plenty of everything else to satisfy. Other tables around us didn't seem to agree, and kept the waiters busy requesting more servings of everything. I appreciate it is quite an expensive afternoon, but eating one's weight in sandwiches doesn't seem the appropriate response.

I was also surprised at the casual dress at some of the other tables. Some ladies were almost in tracksuits. It was all very strange.

Anyway, we sat happily for almost two hours, and it really was a lot of fun. By the time it came to leave, we were able to meet up with Matt after his work to take in another highlight - the London Eye.

The Eye is an enormous ferris wheel built to celebrate the millenium, and is 135 metres high. It lives on the South Bank of the Thames and rotates at 26cm per second. It has 35 or so 'pods' which you step into at ground level for a 30 minute trip.

We were fortunate to pick a quiet time, so there were only ten of us in our pod. We got some lovely views, and it was especially cool to see Westminster and Big Ben from a new angle:


Mum had said this was one of her must-do-in-London things, and I actually think all five of us loved it. (Thank goodness for the clear sky.) It was a fantastic end to the first day of Mum and Dad's trip, and Lucy was on hand to capture 4/5 of a family reunited:



(I'm so looking forward to seeing that last 1/5th in January!)