Thursday 10 October 2013

Foraging for Mushrooms in the Summertime

Mama amongst the mushrooms

As predicted, Autumn has suddenly arrived here in London. Before it gets too ridiculous to post them, I thought I should drop by with photos of my visit to Kew Gardens with my mama and papa back in the sunshiny days of August. We stumbled across some giant mushrooms while we were there, so this post actually serves as a nice way to segue from Summer to Autumn, from summery outfits to autumnal fungi in one post.


The mushrooms were willow sculptures created by an artist called Tom Hare. They were pretty special, as you can hopefully see from these shots, and we enjoyed frolicking amongst them, especially my mother, who is a wee fairy at heart. We found them at a great time of day too, in the late afternoon when the light was golden and shadows lengthening.






Earlier in the day we also made it to Queen Charlotte's Cottage. This was built in the latter half of the eighteenth century and was a rustic retreat for King George III's wife. Royalty's idea of a humble country life... It was pretty sweet, really, and I certainly wouldn't mind having use of it for myself.

The front of Queen Charlotte's Cottage, with some appropriately costumed guides

The 'Picnic Room' in the Cottage

We took a cue (as opposed to Kew... heh heh) from this stylish couple and had a peek around the back of the Cottage, where there was a lovely, secluded little area for snapping a few shots on rickety fences.

Mama examining the timber framing, passed by a lovely, vintage-styled couple

Enjoying the Royal woodlands
Top: Hand-me-down from a friend
Skirt: Beyond Retro, London
Hat: Fabhatrix, Edinburgh
Shoes: Somewhere in Leipzig, Germany

So that was August at Kew. Long-time readers will recall a post I wrote when I visited the Gardens for the first time ever back in November 2011. At the time, I thought it would be wonderful to go back every season... but, like so many plans, it didn't come immediately to fruition. However, when I visited this time, I bought a year's membership, as I thought this might prompt me to make some return visits. So be prepared for more photographic records of Kew over the months and seasons in the course of the year to come...

Snapped secretly by my mother, as I re-pinned my hair...

6 comments:

  1. Awww... Yes, a lovely way to segue (an excellent word) from summer to autumn. The toadstools are wonderful, especially at that change of light (another segue - from day to night?). A fairyland for human-sized fay folk. I'm glad your Kew Gardens in Each Season has taken another step. You look lovely amongst the green and yellow in your own green and yellow. Your hat is perfect for the gardens. I'm sure you thought about that carefully. Love the candid re-pinning shot! Looks like you've taught your mama a further appreciation of architecture too.

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    1. If I've taught my mother a further appreciation of architecture, my own appreciation of architecture is partly derived from her teaching me to observe the beautiful details of the world. And yes, I certainly planned my outfit carefully for the gardens and the time of year! As I hope to for all my trips to come!

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  2. Oh what a nice place! Love the mushrooms.

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    1. It's always a lovely place, but the mushrooms did indeed make it extra special!

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  3. Now I'm a bit bummed I didn't visit Kew Gardens while I lived in London! And I lived just in Richmond, too...so it was close. Oh well, when I visit again I want to see those mushrooms, assuming they are there year round!

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    1. I lived in Richmond for a year too, and never once went to Kew then. It's only now that I live on the other side of London that I've been... which is all very mixed up! But you should absolutely try to get to Kew next time you visit London. The mushrooms are only a temporary installation, I believe, but there's lots more else to see there.

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