Tag Archives: nature
Tiny Hippo at the Apple Orchard
September is the perfect time to visit the local apple orchard. The air is crisp and clear putting one in the mood for long walks and tart apples!
So off I went to Wilson’s Apple Orchard, to partake of deliciously fresh apples. Of course, there are many distractions at the orchard, other than apples.

First, develop a battle plan, you don’t want to get half way to your dream apple only to be foiled at the last-minute by poor planning
A trip to the apple orchard is a great way to spend the afternoon, and there are so many things that you can make with your freshly picked treasures. Check out my spicy apple chutney recipe, or my red rice salad with apricots, and try substituting apples in place of the apricots.
Kew Gardens the Pagoda and the Japanese Gateway
There are many wonderful and unique attractions that can be viewed at Kew Gardens.
The serene Garden of Harmony with the Chokushi-Mon (Imperial Envoy’s Gateway) are gems in Kew’s landscape.
The gateway is a four-fifths replica of the 1573 Nishi Hongan-Ji gate in Kyoto, Japan. The gateway was created for the Japan-British Exhibition in London in 1910. Once the Exhibition was over the gateway was dismantled and reconstructed on Mossy Hill, near the Pagoda in Kew Gardens.
The Great Pagoda was completed in 1762 under the supervision of Sir William Chambers from a design imitating traditional Chinese pagodas.
We ended our tour of Kew Gardens with a relaxing break under the shade offered by the Great Pagoda.
Grackles in the Garden
The grackles in our garden are very mischievous, making themselves the jesters of our tiny backyard jungle.
The less active grackles prefer to stroll through the grass looking for easy snacks.

To freshen up stale cereal, this grackle decides that it would be much better after being dipped in the bird bath
The grackles discover that the bird bath is great for other uses, not just softening up old cereal.

As soon as this grackle became distracted with his bath another bird decides to sneak into the picture
What will the bathing beauty do, will he flee in fear or stand up for his right to enjoy his bath in peace?
Kew Gardens: Golden Pheasant Don’t Give a Hoot
We discovered this strange fellow near the Minka House in Kew Gardens, England. He was not disturbed by anything. Most people didn’t even notice him because he was so quiet. One man almost stepped on him, that’s how nonchalant this Golden Pheasant was.