Originally, when we planned to have Uncle John visiting for the day, we were going to go to the Wetland Centre in Barnes, but the weather has been so unreliable, we decided we'd be better off somewhere at least mostly indoors, so we headed over to Hampton Court Palace instead.
We parked across the road in Bushey Park, and couldn't help but notice that the trees were completely full of mistletoe - I've seen lots of trees with a little bit of mistletoe before, but nothing like this - remarkable!
I really like Hampton Court Palace - I have been a number of times before, both with visitors and on school trips, and there is always something interesting to see.
It does, of course, have amazing chimneys.
But there are also interesting little bits of architecture squirrelled away in passageways and around corners, which I really enjoy ferreting out (hmm, not sure what's with all the rodent metaphors...).
The Tudor kitchens are always good fun as well - today Alex got to have a go at turning the spit - despite popular mythology, not a job for children as they were heavy and it was very hot by the fire.
The Palace was decked out in holiday finery, including lots of small trees decorated in what I imagine were traditional decorations of the time - lots of dried fruit and ribbons and little organza bags with fruits and spices in them. Really lovely - and it smelled fantastic when you got near them.
We didn't have a stroll around the gardens, due to time constraints and dodgy weather, but we had a nice view from the window.
And here's a rare appearance of the photographer herself - ok, you can't really see my face, but I thought this was a fun shot nonetheless.
And that's the end of the tour - then it was off to the cafe for tea and cakes (or, as it happened, coffee).
1 comment:
I havn't been to Hampton Court since my schooldays, more than 40 years ago so I enjoyed your post today Kate.
Post a Comment