Two walks with a friend on Tuesday

A lovely sunny day inbetween two very wet days. Perfect day to visit a very good friend and have two lovely walks together.

Walk 1: A park near the station

I've never grown petunias - although I've been meaning to since a holiday in Woolacombe many, many years ago when there was a pot of petunias on the balcony. I've just never got around to it. I love the marking on these (and the ones in my friend's garden).

Different coloured hydrangeas - were they all one plant or several? They turn different colours in different soil types - but what is happening here? Pinks, blues and purples all in the same area.

Hips.

Such a bright pink.

Long orange hips. 

I liked the contrast of the large leaves over the smaller leaves and tiny bright red hips. 

Close up red hot poker.

There seems to be a dragon! 

It was in the middle of a maze - a low one that we could see over easily...a very simple one too which was fortunate for two people with slightly odd sense of direction! This is the St Leonard's Forest Dragon by Hannah Holmes (May 2001).

And here are the eggs to prove it! 

Lily with crinkly edged petals.

My friend told me the pond had been covered in weed. We certainly weren't expecting it to be this clear!

The gates to the Human Nature Garden were decorated with coloured metal plants mice and a dragonfly .

A big wooden bowl with wooden gourd-like objects in.

There were plenty of bees. 

I like the contrast of the big daisy-like echinaceas and the tiny yellow lacy flowers.

Artichoke 

Wonderful fluffy topnot. 

Hover fly

Rhubarb and a fence that reminded me of a whole series of drawings I did a couple of years ago.

A wooden sheep. (More later.)

More artichokes and some lovely blue sky. 

Hollyhocks. 

I said there were more sheep.

And a strange looking shepherd and his dog. 

These poor sheep had some fungal growths! 

Walk 2: By Channels Brook after lunch. The trees were covered in fruit (and so was the ground in places!)

A pretty grey cat insisted on being stroked. 

Yellow damsons (wild damsons?) in the trees

and on the ground.

These were so bright and perfect in shape - like Christmas baubles.

So many colours together on the ground. 

Acorns and a peculiar spiky one! 

Thank you very much for joining me.