Shoo Fly

I had intended a visit to Hampton Court today to take advantage of a sunny day and 1/2 price ticket offer but, silly me, the offer only applied to online advanced bookings. So instead I headed to Osterley Park and had a lovely (if cold) day visiting parts of the house, with it's glorious Robert Adams designed interior, gardens and parkland.

As was to be expected, the walled garden was looking rather sorry for itself after the recent snow and ice, but I really liked these lantern-like structures backlit by the sun.  They are not, as I originally thought, chinese lanterns but the seed heads of the delightfully named shoo fly plant, or the more descriptive name apple of peru.


It was a good day, and Hampton Court will be for another day as the offer applies until the beginning of February.