Here are 25 things I spotted in September and October that I thought were beautiful for all manner of reasons and managed to quickly snap on my camera.
1) London at its best
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament seen from the garden in front of St Thomas’ hospital at Waterloo / Southbank
2) Herefordshire doesn’t disappoint
Croft Castle, Herefordshire
3) No artist can beat nature
Boston Ivy caught midway through turning a blazing red on a building just outside of East Croydon Station – caught in a split second on the train on my way home (thus the wonk and blur!)
4) Sometimes, what people do can still make you smile
What I think is the late flower of Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’ in October in a community planting on a pavement on Clapham Manor Street – someone just stuck this planter in the ground to grow up a lamp post
5) Magic still exists
A tree’s roots growing over a mass pile of gravestones in St Pancras Gardens cemetery
6) I can breathe!
Clapham Common always looks beautiful
7) I wonder if someone intentionally positioned that fence to frame the line of trees?
Chelsea Pensioners’ Royal Hospital Chelsea
8) You can’t really describe why they’re so majestic
Bought for a fiver, some stunning Helianthus annuus from Columbia Road Flower Market
9) I’ll come back here
At the peak of Richmond Park
10) Someone created this space
St George’s Gardens, King’s Cross – this seating area caught my eye
11) Ooh, you can have water up against an external wall
Open House Weekend, a modern Clapham mansion courtyard with man made stream water feature
12) Nature
A big mushroom
13) Such a weird flower
Passiflora ‘Purple Rain’ on a railing of Clapham Manor Primary School
14) In a dream
A view across the Kent countryside
15) Soak it in while you can
A vibrant (if a little munched) Dahlia in Kent
16) Transported to the 17th century
Knot garden at the Garden Museum by Waterloo / Southbank
17) Could stay here all day
Immaculately kept trees leading to a secret garden
18) Should probably look up at trees more
Very black bark against light leaves shows off the structure – I can’t actually remember where this is, but I think it was Clapham South
19) Trees are so odd
Monoecious gymnosperm in action. Can you see both the male and female reproductive organs? Same tree.
20) I wonder if this is the main cause of hay fever
Give it a bash and… pollen anyone?
21) Increased respect for apples
Apples! At Wisley
22) Feel like I shouldn’t be allowed in here
RHS trials field at Wisley, where all the best plants are selected and rubber stamped (and yes, that’s a cactus)
23) As much as I like the flowers, this is all about the bark
