15 June 2015 - Kensington Gardens and Princess Diana's Memorial Garden

Our internet connection here is a constant frustration as it is not Wi-Fi and drops out regularly.  The big kids try many times to submit their work/do work online until they are successful.  It works well if connected to the ether net cable but that isn't always possible when they want to have access.  Distance education certainly isn't an easy option.

I, for one, was more than ready for a long walk after the frustration of the morning.  It was a cool day with patches of sunshine.  We decided on a walk to the Kensington Gardens and a visit to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground.

Teenage moorhen

The little moorhen family on the canal were busily trying to encourage their teenager to move out of home as the mother had laid three new eggs.  The other day we noticed the parents were building another nest next door so to speak.  From today's antics, it really looked to us as if the teenager was being made to move to his own pad and boy was he protesting!  Tough love!

Victoria Fountain outside Kensington Palace

We walked to the north east end of the gardens to Kensington Palace.  There were loads of Egyptian and Canadian Geese on the lake in front of Kensington Palace and a thorough bred horse auction going on at The Orangery as well as plenty of squirrels bouncing through the long grass and up trees.

Thoroughbred race horse auction...viewing from behind the face only

Avenue of trees

Sunken Garden with Kensington Palace in the background

A Lotus (?) at the  horse auction

There is a gated entrance to the Memorial Playground and it is well maintained.  Luke wasted no time and busily tried to engage some other kids.  It really was an excellent playground with heaps of space, heaps of great equipment and no shortage of variety.

Princess Diana Memorial Playground

Outside the playground

Time flies...

Elfin Oak - old carved tree

Another little elf!

Plaque plus rabbit

 After having afternoon tea we headed back home.  There was a surge of people making their way to Paddington Station but once we were past them, we had a great walk back along the canal.

Little Venice

It was a cool evening and we all huddled under a doona to watch a Kevin McCloud program on TV - what a normal thing to do!!