Sunshine and blue sky at Coombe Wood

Lovely sunshine and blue skies for my walk this morning although after all the rain the ground was quite muddy and very slippery in places - I had to step very cautiously so as not to jolt my back.

Upside down trees reflections in the pond - slight ripples. 

I only noticed that the Strawberry Tree (Arbutus Unedo - I think) is producing new fruit because the raindrops hanging on the little green berries were sparkling in the sunlight.

Two shrivelled leaves hanging onto the acer at the top of the steps.

Around the corner a robin was singing beautifully in the magnolia tree somewhere above my head. I stood for some time trying to see where it was before realising it was just a few feet away from me.

Seed pods, new buds and some old leaves lit by the sunshine.

A few new green shoots peeping out from under the brown leafy carpet and the dying ferns.

Spiky seed pods. 

Copper leaves. 

New shoots. 

I really like the combination of old papery hydrangea blossom and new green leafy growth.

An old leaf trapped in a thorny cage. 

Hellebore buds. 

It's such a shame that the hellebores hang their heads so low - it's well worth a look under the petals . . .

. . .  at their delicate speckled patterns and crazy middles.

The gardener was using the leaf blowing machine - we passed each other near the yew arch and had a short chat.

The flowerbeds are looking very colourful - specially the top one now that the plants have filled out quite a bit more.

I stopped to photograph the raindrops on the euphorbias. I didn't realise till I got home and looked at the photos properly that I had caught various insects in the plants. A dark, winged insect was hiding in this one.

A little green spider was crawling over the top of this one . . .

. . . and a little grasshopper creature lurked in this one.

Raindrops on flower with tube-like petals. 

Plump round red berries.

Oval berries like tiny beads - some shiny and some becoming wrinkled.

Back to the pond - still waters. 

Delicate stems by the pond.

An old bulrush - there are still plenty of seeds to be dispersed but it is very soggy at the moment and the seeds are unlikely to be going anywhere till it has dried out and become fluffy again.

Thank you very much for joining me.