Botanic Gardens Fair - Hot Air Balloons and Prosecco

A good friend and neighbour gave me a lift down to the Fair on the Sunday, as Keith had the car to head of to Malvern.  We saw two balloons which had just taken off from a field near the Botanic Gardens.  I took some photos but they were too dark to be worth sharing on here.

When we were inside, we spotted one of the balloons so low - looking as if it was going to land on the roof!  We all headed outside, cameras and phones in hand, and saw how low he was.

He REALLY was heading groundwards.  I shouted up, "Shall I put the kettle on?"

This was the other balloon, which had managed to get a bit more height.

Some pieces of nice glass on my stand - the pink perfume bottle is 1930s French.  I am SO tempted to keep the enamelled piece with the Stork and Forget-me-Nots . . . 

Some more lovely autumnal plantings.

Red Dahlias: "Bishop of Llandaff".

A lovely Red Hot Poker.  For some reason I have never grown these.  Perhaps I should.

This gorgeous chap (or chapess) is an Indonesian Moon Moth, quite a rare thing. Apparently he was just hatched.

A Blue Morpho - isn't he beautiful?

Pupas developing in an enclosed environment, presumably at the right temperature and humidity.  There were also quite a few others hanging from trees (carefully pinned there).  The pupaes had been manufactured from leaves - almost looked like they had been sewn together by the caterpillars when they were making them.

I didn't get the name of this butterfly, but it is very colourful.

Colourful Swiss Chard and Nasturtiums in the cottage garden.

Autumn colour in the borders of the walled garden.

An outside view of the Great Dome which houses lots of semi-tropical plants from around the world, and 4 times a year, a disparate group of antique dealers and their wares!  I have to say, I cannot imagine a better place to hold an antiques fair - it is wonderful.

I had a lovely afternoon as a) Keith came back safe and sound from his middle-of-the-night trip to Malvern, and bought a couple of goodies back; and then our middle daughter Gabby arrived as planned, and we had a lovely wander round the grounds - Butterfly House again, Mews of Raptors again and the tented element of the Fair (mostly Vintage stuff down there).  There was a specially-converted van selling various gins (that really IS all the rage at the moment) and also Prosecco and as I was a Prosecco-Virgin, Gabby bought me a glass.  I have to say, I'll have THAT again!  It was lovely, like champers.  It was great to see Gabby again - she works SO hard, and although she has a car now, doesn't get much spare time off to come up and see us.