Continuing On Our Trip In Kew Gardens,

we made our way,

past trees it was now easier to see the trunks of, 

like this one, as they had shed their leaves for the winter,

I moved further back but still could not squeeze all of the tree into the frame.

here the oldest tree I believe in the gardens,

the Pagoda tree,

 

the sign says it all, 

it hardly seems credible, but this twisted tree, 

is exactly the same as this one opposite!

the Hive has gotten bigger than the last time we were here,

a little about it, 

we were now all a tad thirsty, so a trip to the café it was, passing one of the Citroen vans that are so popular in the summer used to sell food and drink,

a quick pose,

before looking at the food,

we snagged a table,

the café was in what was once the orangery, coffee and chips over, 

we were back outside into a grey wet day,

we made our way towards the Palm House,

in the flower beds in front of it, 

winter pansies,

the waterlily house closed for the winter,

as was this end of the Palm House,

we made our way to the rear of it, 

we were going to visit the Temperate House first, 

we passed some of the huge pine trees here, 

this cherry tree is in the summer time a favourite with the crowds, 

in the summer time it looks like this,

a work in progress, 

by the folly, 

and some more next to it,

this tree making an early start,

with its buds opening into leaves,

again this avenue popular in the spring as the cherry blossom on both sides of it flower,

then a bit of drama, 

2 pairs of geese were having a major spat,

 

chasing each other on the ground and in the air,

we made our way into the Temperate House

a look at the Golden Lotus Banana, sometimes known as the Chinese dwarf banana, (Musella lasiocarpa),

we had visited the plant before,

now just a few leaves, 

but in previous visits, 

it really did have a 'golden' look,

through the house there were many displays, 

each of the houses,

connected by corridors,

in one of them, 

a delightful waterfall,

moving water always looks so nice,

into the next corridor,

and into the next,

I spotted this flower but I do not know what it is, but looked so pretty,

then a tree with a very strange looking fruit, named the sausage tree, (Kigelia africana),

due to the shape of the fruit, 

we made our way outside, 

and away from the building walking towards the Palm House,

but alas it was closed, 

so back past the restaurant at the far end of the lake,

looking back to the Palm House, 

we then had a look at outdoor plants for sale,

some bedding plants, 

like these mini cyclamen,

and bulbs,

lots of tin garden ornaments for sale,

at the back,

a owl, I have not seen a live one of these in years, but there must be some in the park I would have thought,

on the right, the sales area, the Potting Shed,

I would just love to have a garden and a green house like this,

outside of it some of these, 

the soft tree fern, (Dicksonia antarctica),

as well as smaller, 

normal ferns, 

that you would find in any garden,

also a few dwarf conifers, 

ideal to practise making them into bonsai I guess,

inside more indoor plants for sale,

plus lots of seeds,

and bulbs,

with lots of toys as well,

we decided on a coffee before leaving,

Diana almost took a lemur home with her!

back to the entrance,

past the stand of black bamboo, 

and the Tap on the Line, 

a quick pose from the girls onto the tube,

alighting at the Embankment station,

for a walk towards Chinatown,

a great shop if you want a souvenir of London,

then I nearly had to drag Diana past this shop, 

doughnuts!

it was raining and as you might expect this shop was doing a good trade in umbrellas,

we made our way past Charring Cross station, 

looking back to it and the memorial outside of it, 

we carried on walking,

looking at some of the buildings surrounding us,

until we reached Leister Square, 

where one of Diana's favourite shops was situated, 

the square famous for its cinemas,

and this shop, M & M's, Diana, Kai and Steve went inside, 

I took a few photographs outside, 

this is where we will be heading, 

purchase made,

and we were on our way,

to Chinatown,

the streets festoon with lanterns which always look nice,

nearly there,

and here we are, the Golden Dragon restaurant,

Diana first,

and inside we went, 

a starter of crispy duck for all of us,

complete with pancakes, sauce, slices of onion and cucumber, 

'Cheers!', from Steve with a beer and a wine for myself,

we ordered some din-sum along with beansprouts,

a huge dish of noodles,

chicken and cashew nuts, crispy pork belly, sweet and sour pork, pork fried rice, a plain boiled rice and a few other bits and pieces, 

as no one wanted it I had the duck leg,

group photograph thanks to Diana, the bill for the four of us came to £198.00, 

after our meal we made a move on the tube to Battersea,

 

we had been told a night light show was taking place, 

a walk from the station, 

it was still raining, one of the exhibits in the distance,

another here, 

but this was the main deal,

by the side of what was once the power station,

it was a circle, 

of radiating lights,

that went through a series of colour changes,

light to,

dark blue,

and purple, after which we made a move to Victoria, where by sheer happenstance our train was waiting, we said our goodbyes to Steve and Kai as they left the station before ours, arriving home it was hang up our wet anoraks and feet up for a coffee and a Endeavour, before a Have I Got More News For You, after which we were off to bed.