Monday Morden Hall Park and Tuesday Coombe Wood

Monday Morden Hall Park

On Monday I met two friends at Morden Hall Park. All three of our birthdays are during two weeks in May, and we were all born in the same year.

Two of us met a little earlier and had lunch together and then looked around the garden centre and Aquarium shop. The Aquarium shop was absolutely magical - there's such a wide variety of fish. The tanks were all very clean and clear with the blue backgrounds which showed up the occupants really well. Some had big shoals of very active fish in them

others had just a few quieter but very colourful characters

And some with strange faces or spiky fins

 Outside again I had the chance of a close up of these blue bobbly flowers

and some wisteria. 

Our other friend joined us and we sat and chatted in the sunshine with a drink  while exchanging birthday presents. Then we had a walk in the beautiful grounds - so much to look at on our way.

There were little flowers and blossom everywhere. I had to stop to look at all the different kinds

The horse chestnut trees are flowering

I love the tutti-frutti raspberry, lemon and lime colours

Different white blossom - with pink anthers

Canada Goose showing off in the water

Statue among the bluebells - I think this one is Venus. There's supposed to be one of Neptune somewhere too

More white flowers

Tiny fluffy white flowers - different again

Pale green flowers dangling under the leaves

Irises are  beginning to open at the water's edge

 I like the way the light shone through the leaves

This is what I thought wild garlic looked like but I have been getting all sorts wrong when I try to name anything on here. Can anyone tell me what this is please?

Back to the horse chestnut flowers 

I hadn't noticed the hairy edges before - it makes them look as if they have frayed

 More dangling tree flowers

As we made our  way back to the cafe for tea and cake I spotted a heron peeping out from behind the leaves on the riverbank

It strutted out

and stood focused on the water, taking no notice at all of the gathering audience with cameras

The cake was lovely. We'd had a really enjoyable time together and we had timed it perfectly - just as we were about to leave it began to rain.

Tuesday Coombe Wood

I had a walk with a friend today. We needed our umbrellas. My friend did some quick sketches while I took photos.

At the beginning I knocked the camera control by mistake and took one on the random effects setting - it takes 5 on that setting and does strange thing to them. Here are two of the results

 

I corrected the setting and carried on taking photos.

Little flowers that look a bit like fried eggs

Delicate white flowers with narrower petals and paler yellow in the middle

Alliums in the rain

The previuos one was quite round but this one is very shaggy

Judas tree flowers in the rain

Pink blossom and raindrops

The rain came down quite heavily. While we sheltered in the little hut my friend did some more drawing. I noticed the gardener in the distance still planting in the rain.

Droplets on the pine needles

Korean pine cones

The pattern created by the cone as it forms is so incredibly regular

White blossom - drenched

Clusters of catkins. Looking closer they look like strings of popcorn

Acer leaves

 Walnut tree leaves

Pink rhododendron buds turning almost white as they open 

Beautiful scented yellow azaleas

Enormous white rhododendrons hanging high over our heads

Dripping wet acer leaves

Tree peony flower

White flowers weighed down with raindrops

More acer leaves decorated with raindrops

Tulips bowing low in the rain

Thank you very much for joining me