Coombe Wood walk (yesterday morning)

I'm able to drive again after my eye operation so it was lovely to have an early walk without having to use public transport or rely on a lift (although I have thoroughly enjoyed having company on more of my walks than usual during the last five and half weeks). .

By the pond. 

Lilac irises caught my attention. 

These yellow petals look as if they're being squeezed out from icing nozzles.

Assorted flowers. 

It was a surprise to see the photo of these because I hadn't seen the red anthers when taking it.

Another look at the way the new growth bursts out of little protective casings.

Tiny papery, spiky protective casing on my hand.

 Cascading daisies. 

Some are deep pink. 

Ladies mantle flower buds. 

White alliums 

and bees.

Striking colour combination.

 Palm flowers opening more. 

The scalloped edges on these pink bells seemed a lot more obvious this time.

Petal pools. 

Looking down on an uncurling fern. 

Looking up at leafy canopies. 

Arches of rhododendrons still flowering. 

It's all very green after several days of rain. 

The lilac flowers up the tall tree that will have big leaves - the leaves are just beginning to grow now.

Fallen flowers (remember these flowers for later on). 

Scented pathways.

 Bright leaves. 

Weigela 

Tiny buds. 

 A few magnolia buds still opening. 

Little creamy white flowers. 

Cornus bracts lightening from green to creamy white with a hint of green.

Massive bees on the alliums. 

Then there were three.

The little tree surrounded by honesty flowers and white alliums.

I was very surprised to notice flowers up the little tree. Aren't these like the flowers earlier on - but smaller? I wonder if this is the same as the other tree or a related smaller version. This one has leaves on it - the other one is just beginning to show leaves.

Bright orange.

If I hadn't stopped to look at that bright orange I wouldn't have noticed this cascade of red flowers. I'll come back to these in a moment - I was distracted by something else.

A man who I'd seen arriving earlier with all his equipment had chosen a scene to paint.

A closer peep at his painting. 

Back to that cascade of red flowers . . . 

. . . where I also noticed these tall slim delicate irises, which I wouldn't have seen if I hadn't been taking photos of the red flowers.

Gorgeous patterns on the petals. 

Tiny blue flowers. 

More alliums.

Sunlight through yellow poppy petals. 

Happy bee. 

This bee landed on the fragile white saxifraga flower which flipped upside down with the weight of the bee.

Yellow petals bursting from bud with star shaped compartments.

The alliums have completely taken over from the tulips now.

A carpet of white flowers. 

Delicate raised white saxifragas. 

A clump of bulrush seeds on a shrub covered with tiny white buds.

The gardener was terrapin hunting. Terrapins are bought as pets when they are tiny and cute but when they grow too large people come and dump them in the pond possibly thinking they will be happier there. Unfortunately they upset the balance of the pond. They eat all the vegetation reducing the oxygenating plants, which increases the problem of algae growth. They also eat small creatures and their eggs (decreasing the population of fish, dragonflies, newts and frogs etc.) Pond life in the UK isn't ideal for them and they can get ill and spread infections to the other creatures in the pond. On this occasion the terrapin was too quick and got away. (It is apparently illegal to release terrapins into the wild.)

Calm pond - terrapin lurking below the water smirking?

Thank you very much for joining me.