I found what I was looking for! I was having a hard time holding that umbrella in the blustery, wet conditions.

Miraculously the rain stopped by the time I reached the gates. Someone really wants me to continue these photos! A classic sign of fall, Hydrangea paniculata (PeeGee Hydrangea) which starts out white and turns dusty rose as the temperatures drop.

The serpentine beds are still looking great, though the annual Alyssum have given up the ghost.

The fallen berries of the Sorbus aucuparia (Mountain Ash Tree) carpet the gravel path.

Pretty soon the nymph and her cherubs will be coming off their perches for some much needed rejuvenation. 

A lovely plant grouping which will remain mostly unchanged during the winter,except for the absence of the Sedum.

Hard to know who has the most stature. Flora or the Miscanthus sinensis ( Maiden Grass) . Pun intended.

Things are still pretty floriferous, especially the Dahlias in the background. Unfortunately with low temperatures being forecasted they’ll soon be gone!

The Maritime Ship Modellers Guild who maintains the Titanic model every year has its work cut out for it ! A Cormorant has taken up residence on the stern (I think it’s the same one, though they all look the same to me) and appears to have collapsed the stern decks. The steel pipes placed through the bow and stern to discourage the birds from perching didn’t work. Kind of like deer repellents.

Everyone’s favorite tree! The spectacular weeping branches of the Fagus sylvatica ‘Pendula’ (Weeping European Beech’, are the favorite destination of young and old alike. The spreading canvas forms a huge cave to meander through or sit and listen to the falling water of the Boer War Memorial Fountain.