Thursday 2 October 2014

Breaks from Planning

I've been glued to the computer having a lot of fun and planning the forthcoming trip though I must admit that at times it feels as if I am planning a gigantic tour for 100 people instead of just T and me. We will be away for quite a while, taking in three different countries altogether, and doing different things in each one.

Since I'm immersed in Lewis Carroll right now, I found time to go to the latest meeting of the Lewis Carroll Society, which was in the extraordinary surroundings of  @Waterloo, one of the new breed of serviced offices in London, it was designed by Peldon Rose, (which also designed the new Google office block in  London) on the theme of "Alice in Wonderland."  It's been so successful that it was 98 percent let within a couple of weeks of opening.

Since it was evening, we had it more or less to ourselves. So here are a couple of LCS members braving the enormous White Rabbit and coming to meet me....



What you really can't see from my photos is the dazzling whiteness of it all, like something out of a science fiction movie.   Click the link for more photos of this place. It is quite exhilarating to be meeting there.


Then at the weekend we had young visitors who really loved having a picnic on the balcony. They didn't actually want to have one in the garden, the balcony was far more exciting, apparently!


And we had an autumn walk through Regents Park. I loved Nadezda's post on the rose garden in Regent's Park recently (and if you like gardening, by the way, look at her blog here. I often think I'd love to see her garden in real life, she gives it so much love and skill).

I'm a big fan of the rose gardens but I am just as fond of some very Victorian-looking gardens in the southeast part of the park - they were designed originally around the 1860s and restored about 25 years ago. . They're usually planted out several times a year with striking colour schemes and combinations of plants.



 I was entranced by this great shout of autumnal colour as a sort of defiant reminder that winter is coming.

And I spotted this cat television in someone's garden ...


34 comments:

  1. The garden is striking; love the little orange daisies tucked in, waiting to shout Boo.

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  2. I love the large white rabbit, that's just so cool.

    I'm sure we'll all miss you when you are away but I hope you have a wonderful time!! I look forward to reading all about it!

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  3. Oh I know that feeling, when you almost hate to be too over joyed with autumn as if you're welcoming winter! Very fun picnic spot! Your trip sounds amazing, and I just know you will share lots of the fun and excitingly interesting stuff with us. Please. I can just imagine how bright and lovely all that white is, and it's not snow!

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  4. I love the autumn garden, Jenny. I'm not nearly so big a fan of roses or rose gardens as most are. I like the big burst of color of zinnias and snapdragons and hydrangeas more! But that said, the white rabbit and building are amazing -- and what a perfect place for your Lewis Carroll meeting! Couldn't be better!

    I love a picnic in the garden but with such a lovely view, I may have opted for the balcony as well!

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  5. I don't know about living with a giant rabbit in a very white building. Rather odd.

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  6. The fall blossoms here are amazing. So much color. Wild and planted.
    Love the cat TV. Perfect.

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  7. LOL at the cat television! It looks like the cat was quite thrilled with what I'm guessing were young chicks fluttering around. My cat always thought our front-loading washing machine was her television. She used to sit there and follow the movement of the wet clothes with her eyes as they turned in the washer.

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  8. oo the gardens are lovely...a balcony picnic sounds quite fun...gotta love those little visitors as well...they keep you young....

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  9. I don't know why, but I really love that large rabbit!

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  10. The white rabbit at that size, and so shiny and white, definitely gives the place a surreal air!

    The autumn garden is beautiful, and I am sure the cat gets at least as much thrill from watching "TV" as we do when we watch our favurite shows :-)

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  11. The big white rabbit is extraordinary - like a giant bookend.
    Oh! I can just imagine how those young children enjoyed having a picnic on your balcony - it looks intimate, cosy and fun - in a little world of their own.
    Not sure when you go, but happy travelling.

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  12. Oh, the balcony is much more fun....you can spy on people in the garden and even drop bits of crust on them!
    What a sensational place for a Lewis Carroll get-together. I wish he could see it.
    And the cat tv makes for compulsive viewing.

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  13. A great garden - and how wonderful the Alice in Wonderland building is!! Maybe if you work there you stop noticing it, but as a visitor it must be such fun. Though it must be hard to concentrate on anything with all those playful images about.

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  14. Wonderful photos, but I do so love the one of the two kiddies...it is terrific. :)

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  15. That's an amazing bunny - a worthy playmate for Harvey? Love the garden shot too. I hope you're you're fully fit now - have a great trip!

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  16. I hope you are getting enough rest with being busy. Pulling up chair to stare or snuggle with the white rabbit is a thought. It must be fascinating to feel stories open into real living. I love seeing the bicycles in the background.
    Nadezda's post on the rose gardens is a treat.
    Thank you for another wonderful post!

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  17. The white rabbit is amazing and just a tiny bit scary. Can't wait to read about your extended trip.

    Darla

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  18. Will 100 people fit in the rabbit hole?

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  19. LOL! Loved the Cat TV! Beautiful gardens and spooky white rabbit. Enjoy your long vacation and take lots of pictures!! Sounds like you need to relax a little before you leave. ;)

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  20. Love the cat! Even better than the white rabbit.

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  21. Hi Jenny, I was just thinking recently about Lewis Carroll (and by default, you, since you are the only Carroll expert I actually know) and his gift for stringing wonderful sounding words together, even if he had to make them up! Going into that white wonderland must have been quite inspirational.

    Is that your balcony? No wonder the kids wanted to picnic on top. The lush view of the trees and garden below is fantastic.

    So what scrumptious scene is the cat watching?! Now, I wonder if he's seen any of those cat videos that seem to be populating social media these days.

    We are finally getting fall weather here ... nearly time to bring out the rake! It is actually a pleasant change from CA's one season all year round.

    Jenny

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  22. All that white does remind me of some kind of science fiction movie! Must have been really something to see it in person!
    Yes, honey, I will most certainly take the Victorian gardens too, just gorgeous!

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  23. Great photos - I particularly love the balcony one :-) x

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  24. Thanks for all the comments. Yes, Jenny, it is strange how some people do have this facility for putting words together in the "right" way and Lewis Carroll at his best was up with the greats. But he was mostly inspired by the funny side of life, and his serious poems are a different kettle of fish.
    Judith and Rosemary, the kids' excitement at being on the balcony made me see it in rather a
    different light, as something very special and unusual! :) Nice.
    The cat was watching some quails. I think they were glad to be safe inside. He soon got chased away by the "resident" cat who knows better than to touch the hens!

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  25. Some very interesting pictures here, Jenny, and I enjoyed following your links to the other buildings. I don't go for a lot of whiteness though, it's too stark for me. Hope you have great time on your travels and look forward to hearing about them at a later date.

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  26. Lovely post of different bits and bobs going on in your life. I really wish you a safe trip to all those countries (I feel jealous!).

    Have a great week.

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  27. Cat television - that’s a new one! Love the Autumnal colours in the urns and flower beds.

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  28. I love the autumnal flower garden! It's absolutely gorgeous. Hey, we can't stop summer from ending, so we may as well celebrate fall, right?

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  29. What a great garden, and the white building is very unique. Yes, kind of looks like science fiction. hehe - the kitty tv made me laugh. Out cat has bird TV, squirrel TV, and raccoon TV.

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  30. Dear Jenny – So, this is one of the two balconies of yours? It looks so nice, I think I know how the young visitors enjoyed their picnic. My 45-month-old girl loves having a picnic on our wood deck. Victorian garden is so gorgeous with various different flowers. Thank you for the link; I enjoyed the autumn-flowering roses.

    Yoko

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  31. I love the big White Rabbit - I'm a sucker for surrealism of any kind! And I wonder why your young visitors preferred the balcony? Maybe the feeling of being lord (and lady) of all they surveyed?

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  32. I can imagine how those young visitors were having a great time at the balcony.
    My cat is also glued to birds tv and animals tv. When he saw tv for the first time and I turned it off after a while, he was perplexedly looking for them behind the tv.
    You must have a lot on your plate before and after taking off. Take care of yourself, Jenny.

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  33. The last one of the cat is funny. Good luck with the travel planning!

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