A View of Kew

20 March 2025  (Thursday)

A fabulous day, even early on feeling more like summer than spring, let alone winter!

As today was forecast to be the best day of the week, and with other commitments this week and next, we’d decided to get down to Avebury and have a wander… until Richard realised today is the Spring Equinox and therefore Wiltshire, Glastonbury and Avebury would likely be awash with people, which we’re not fans of!  So, instead we popped off to Kew Gardens.

The sun shone, and it was warm… and of course, that meant there were rather a lot of people - and especially those who seem to want to visit a fabulously peace-filled outside space on a glorious day and chat loudly about everything apart from the place they’re visiting, or those that call someone to speak loudly on their phone, with the speaker on so that all can hear both sides of the conversation… I guess it’s best to not say what I’d do to these people if it was legal!  Have I mentioned we’re not fans of places awash with people!

After we'd started on a path to our Kew quiet places - where few people go, apart from those who know -  the people thinned out and the joy of Kew Gardens lay before us, with its open spaces and tranquil peace (despite the often regularity of planes flying over on the landing path to Heathrow!).

The light was that light that shows everything to its best, the fresh spring greens were jumping out, daisies were quietly dancing in the wide stretches of mown grass, and the sky was that bright wholesome blue that lends a backdrop to a spectacular view.  It was whilst we were at the southern head of Kew’s lake that I saw the view above, and thought of mum, and smiled.

Mum was always a fan of trees, and woods in particular. She’d love to spend time out in nature, with dad, walking wooded walkways at Pleinmont, watching the sea glistening in sunshine or subdued by grey cloud through the needles of the pines trees she sheltered under at Albecq, and walking down the giant avenues of oaks and firs and pines and redwoods that add such grandeur here at Kew Gardens.

In her later years, it wasn't possible for her to get out and visit woods, or many trees; the mobility and accessibility just wasn’t there.  So, she’d sit in her chair at the window of her room of the care home where she spent her last year and a half, and watch the trees up the driveway blowing in the wind or just grandly standing there. These trees were mentioned during every call we had.

“Oh, it's really windy today and the trees are really blowing”, or “Oh, there's hardly any wind, not even a breeze and the trees are as still as soldiers on guard”, or, “It rained before, and the trees are now glistening in the sun”, or very occasionally “oh, it’s so foggy today I can’t even see the trees.  I hope they’re OK”. This tiny view of three willowy firs sustained mum's love of trees through till the day she died. A view like this above, of grass and trees and the bright blue sky would just lift mum's heart, just as it did for me standing amidst the daisies on this glorious Spring Equinox.

We carried on wandering… eventually sitting down near Queen Charlotte's Cottage, where she used to picnic and have Afternoon Tea.  We had our own sustenance of rice crackers with yeast extract and a thin sliver of cheese, and a cup of tea, black with a little honey - the way Richard likes it.  After restoring ourselves, we carried on walking, losing time and getting back to Fenella almost three hours after we'd left her - she didn’t mind, and was herself warm and snugly to get back into. 

In the afternoon, with the warmth continuing, I needed to get to the plot and water the broad beans that are hardening off on an outside bench. They're growing pretty well, so the compost needs to be kept moist; I really don't want them being stressed at any point during their growing period, if I can help it.  There’s also a few other things to water, and I notice a little bit more germination in our Portuguese cabbage cross.

Happy Days!


A Chilli Concoction 

Supper is a chilli concoction - we’ve leftover veggie Shepherd's pie mix, sans potato.

In a saucepan add a rounded tablespoon of miso paste, two rounded teaspoons of cocoa powder (or four small square blocks from a bar of dark chocolate), two rounded teaspoons of ground cumin, a flat teaspoon of ground coriander, a level tablespoon of dried coriander leaf, and half a teaspoon of chipotle paste (use more if you prefer your chilli with more heat) - give this all a good mix.  Then add a tin of chilli beans (including the sauce, do not drain) and a drained tin of kidney beans.  Slowly bring this to a simmer, stirring regularly - be careful as the mixture is thick and gloopy and could splatter.  With a lid on, let simmer on a low heat until all is fully heated through. 

Serve with rice, or pitta, pasta, poppadoms, tortilla chips, bread or whatever your choice of starch is.  A bit of grated cheese always hits the spot.  


Weather:  Very sunny and warm - hitting 19° and likely to just nudge below 10° overnight.

Breakfast:  Bran sticks, yogurt, prunes and sliced banana
Lunch:  Butterbean Squish Wraps (butter beans, miso, red onion, celery, mayo, yeast flakes, soy sauce) in Lidl wraps.
Supper:   Chilli Concoction - remaining mix from Richard’s Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with added spices and beans.  Had with brown rice cooked in the Instant Pot.