Chateau Villandry in the Loire valley

This is the beautiful chateau and gardens at Villandry, famed for their parterre. The clipped box hedges are immaculate.

There's a wonderful view from the chateau - many steps but worth the trip.

Flower close-ups...again!

So I like close ups of flowers...

It brings out their beauty...

ain't nature wonderful?

Paris

This is the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, probably the most beautiful church in Paris, surpassing even Notre Dame.

This is the sumptuous interior of Gallerie Lafayette, the main Parisian department store.

It rains there too...This is the square at Montmartre, Place du Tertre. Very touristy but very atmospheric with street artists and restaurants.

Glass house at Botanic Gardens

On this windy dull day, a couple of pictures from one of the glass houses at the Oxford University Botanic Gardens.

This is a Victoria water lily, named after Queen Victoria and famously able to take the weight of a small child when fully formed (the lily, not the child...)

Christmas Lights

As the Oxford Street lights were turned on last week, I thought I'd post this picture of the London lights from the seventies.

...but does anyone remember the famous lasers?

Southampton Common

This is the one picture of mine that has actually been published - it was used on the front cover of the Lloyds TSB house magazine many moons ago. It shows a frozen lake on Southampton Common, which I thought fitted in with the drop in temperatures over the last few days!

Bring them home....