Bluebells in Kew Gardens

Today was another hot day in London so we decided to head to Kew Gardens. It was a perfect destination to stroll around in dappled shade and look at the spring flowers including rhododendrons, azaleas, and woods filled with bluebells. There was lots of birdsong too; robins, blackbirds, song thrushes and even parakeets! I was quite overwhelmed with the beauty of the gardens and the scents of the flowers were heavenly. We arrived at the Pagoda just as a tour was going in; we were able to join it and climbed the 253 steps to the ninth floor. We had fabulous 360 degree views for miles around, including London City away in the distance, slightly hazy in the heat. The pagoda’s sloping roofs are decorated with dragons, brightly painted in gold, blue and green. Apparently these were removed in a state of disrepair in the late 1700s and were only reinstated in 2018. I took a few photos, one of which was of the Japanese garden which had bright red rhododendrons. A gardener could be seen in the distance and when we arrived at the garden shortly afterwards she was still there and I showed her the photo. She was delighted and I offered to send it to her, which I then did. It was a very good photo if I say so myself. We had lunch sitting outside the Pavilion Restaurant and then I sat on a shady bench with an amazing view of the Pagoda while James went for another walk, and when he returned we read our books for a while. Later we went for a curry with Ally, Cat and their lovely friend Nick, to the excellent Holy Cow near their flat. A convivial evening ensued.