Bonsai Trees at Wisley Gardens
If you think I’m daft enough to climb all the way up there to get photographs of little trees at Wisley Gardens ? Oh you do. Oh well, fair enough then. 🙂
There is a whole avenue of them, this is jut a few. There ages are mainly 40-60 years, with one exception.
Acer Palmatum – Japanese Maple Bonsai
It is amazing to see the whole detail of tree and leaf encapsulated in one small growth.
Ulmus Parvifolia – Chinese Elm Bonsai
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Juniperus Chinensis – Chinese Juniper Bonsai
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Juniperus Rigida Bonsai – Temple Juniper 150 yrs
This one is 150 years old. It was around before the first telephone was installed, successfully cared for all that time and has never received a telephone bill. 🙂
Falconry at Leeds Castle
17 pics. A Harris Hawk waits pensively for the launch signal. That beak means business. You can click twice for a better view.
“Ain’t I awesome”.
The trainer sends a morsel into the air using an elastic catapult. A little to the right of the hawk is a distant seagull and just below is the morsel. The hawk now has folded wings for the dive.
And the flyby with trophy.
“Nothing to see here, move along now. Ahh, with fava beans and a nice bottle of Chianti”.
A victory lap.
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“I’m firm but fair and you will applaud”. And they did.
The owl, the trainer said, had a short attention span and was easily distracted. He also said they were “thick”.
“He said what”.
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“Right, I’ll have your scraggles off”.
“I am, in fact, wise and dignified and I’ll murgle anyone who says otherwise”.
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Meanwhile, several gulls were scriking and showing off by making feint dives at the hawks. But, they carefully kept their distance. The hawks disdained any interest. After all, one does not converse with one’s food.
This little miss is a North American Kestrel weighing in at a mere 4 ounces. She was so fast on the wing, that the only photographs I have, are where she used to be. Even the gulls were bemused and kept their distance.
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Falcons, we are informed, will only fly free and return if they are happy with their conditions. They also live twice as long as in the wild. So, everybody’s happy. Yay . 🙂
There are more falcons including an amazing peregrine here.
Tweet and thanks for the visit.
Brighten the Day 1
10 pics. I’ve put aside some florality to brighten the winter days. Collages will include flowers, orchids, bonsai trees, statues, an occasional odd duck and perhaps something photo-shopped. Mostly from the Wisley flower show. This is the first, I hope that it brightens your day. 🙂 Click on twice to expand an image.
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Have a guess how old this Bonsai tree (Juniperus Rigida) is, Answer further down.
It’s not my fault. I just live here.
Best Friends by Harriet Francis
Fluffy did it.
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And, the Bonsai tree is an amazing 150 years old.
More Brighten the Day ⇐.
Hatfield House and Gardens
There is a lot of history and a lot to see at Hatfield House. This is just a sample. I’ve started with this flower because it is the most regal that I have seen. You might also like to view the amazing interiors and some of its Elizabethan history by clicking here.
Inside the house are the famous Rainbow and Ermine portraits of Elizabeth I, together with a number of ornate ceilings and artifacts.
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For instance, this is Lord Burghley who created and ran what was probably the first organized intelligence service.
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. Access from Hatfield rail station is via a viaduct (I’ve always wanted to say that) that spans over a village.
Further into the estate is the old house and gardens.
This is the rear view of the newer house.
Across the green is the old church.
And, nearby is a path leading to the church which is open to visitors for part of the day.
In the church grounds there is this Tudor cottage.
And, inside the church the ceiling is being restored.
There are a number of gardens and water features.
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Meet the crew. There are several statues but I thought this was the best and appears to feature Queen Elizabeth I herself.
There is quite an extensive shopping mall with a gallery, large cafe and this. A toy shop and gun shop side by side. What can I say, it’s the countryside. Here are some flowers.
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If you like history then Hatfield House is steeped in it. More here.
Hatfield House and Elizabeth I
17 pics. Hatfield House is one of the most historically significant places to photograph near London and The Grounds ⇐, Extraordinary Chickens ⇐, Hatfield House Website ⇒.
Upon an autumn day being 27th November 1558 beside an oak tree near to Hatfield House which was her home at the time, Princess Elizabeth Tudor was told that she had become Queen Elizabeth I of England, following the death of her elder half-sister Queen Mary I.
Elizabeth’s accession had not been a certainty. Queen Mary I, also known as “Bloody Mary”, resented her own mother’s displacement as Henry VIII’s wife by Elizabeth’s mother Anne Boleyn. Queen Mary’s sobriquet stemmed from her attempt to return England to Catholicism by persecution of Protestants. Elizabeth was considered to have protestant leanings and likely to undo Mary’s efforts.
Fortunately Elizabeth was popular and had a number of powerful allies. Otherwise the whole future of Britain would have been changed and would have had a significant impact upon world history. Elizabeth’s reign of 44 years was known as a Golden Age with herself as “Gloriana” the virgin queen.
Portraits of Elizabeth started to include a variety of symbols which made them statements of intent and power and helped to establish the cult of Elizabeth. Here are two of them with some of the symbols explained, followed by images from within Hatfield House.
The Ermine Portrait shows Elizabeth holding an olive branch in her right hand signifying the offer of peace. Upon her left is an ermine wearing a crown as a collar and near her left hand the sword of state.
The ermine in the picture, with its black flecks, is a stylised version that indicates its heraldic significance that looks up to the queen.
An ermine is a stoat (short-tailed weasel) in its white winter coat. It represents purity and valour based upon an old legend that it would rather die than soil its white coat. Monarchs and peers had used the ermine to make cloaks. With several of the pelts sown together, the black tipped tails created a pattern of dark flecks. This then became an heraldic device of black flecks upon white.
Taken overall the message is that whilst Elizabeth offered peace, she was ready to use the sword, limited only by righteous regal purity.
The Rainbow Portrait includes the Latin phrase “Non Sine Sole Iris” (No Rainbow Without Sun). Although in the last year of her reign, Elizabeth is depicted in her prime with flowery symbols of spring on her dress.
The dress is protected by a cloak that has eyes and ears both inside and outside. There is also a serpent on her arm that represents subtle wisdom and a powerful bite.
The rainbow in her right hand seems to have no colour. I have not found a commentator who explains this but does seem to be of significance.
Taken altogether this is Elizabeth as the source of nature’s beauty and light protected by an ability to hear and see everything and to act upon that knowledge.
One of the famous Queen Elizabeth I Armada paintings can be seen at The Queen’s House ⇐ in Greenwich.
There have been many films depicting Elizabeth’s very dramatic life. My personal favourites are the 1998 film “Elizabeth” and the 2007 film “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” both starring Cate Blanchett and, I think, definitely worth seeing.
And, here is the house:-
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There are a great many works of art in Hatfield House, this one took my interest because it shows that artists of the past had some curious notions or tried to create them. In this picture of Eden there are people other than Adam and Eve and some of the animals are transparent. Click on twice for a closer view.
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This painting of Cicely Alice (Marchioness of Salisbury) was painted about 1910. I found it to be somewhat enigmatic. Whilst I could not find any cause for it, if you click on twice to expand, it looks as if she is about to burst into tears.
More from the grounds ⇐.
Sculpture at Wisely
One of the events at Wisley Gardens has been the sculpture trail. Here are just a few that I found particularly engaging and here are the Alice in Wonderland pieces. A couple of clicks to expand. Enjoy ~
Sea Horse in Rockery at Wisley Gardens
Figure XVIII by Henriette Van der Does at Wisley Gardens
The Dodo by Robert James Sculpture Ltd at Wisley Gardens
Making Time by Lynn Warren at Wisley Gardens
Time to Go by Lynn Warren at Wisley Gardens
Pan at Wisley Gardens
Moon Gazing Hare by Alan Wallis at Wisley Gardens
Offering by Everard Meynell at Wisley Gardens
The Dancers by Lilly Henry at Wisley Gardens
Wisley Gardens Orchids and Pitchers
Wisley Gardens (main post here) has a very well kept glass house with many amazing inhabitants. Here are just a few.
I didn’t know what this was called. I thought “Your Highness” was probably the safest option.
The glass house is much bigger than this, but I particularly like this section. More at Wisley Gardens.
Freed From Time 