GOLDEN ACRE PARK - LEEDS, ENGLAND

The captain on the bridge.

Ah well, Doorman-Priest was captain for the day, and a beautiful day it was, as you will see from the pictures. When I woke up in the morning, it was raining. By the time DP and I left my hotel and reached the Abbey House Museum, a light rain still fell, but, when we left the museum and walked over to tour Kirkstall Abbey, the rain had stopped, and the sun was shining.



Bottoms up.

After touring the Abbey, our next stop was Golden Acre Park, where the beautiful weather continued. We walked the paths and raised bridges and enjoyed the breathtaking beauty in the park.

Around and in the lake were geese and ducks. Before we approached, DP asked me if I was afraid of geese, and, since I have never experienced an attack from an angry goose, I said, "No", and, indeed, the geese let me be. Of course, I had to have a picture of the ducks ducking for food with their little bottoms up in the air. The duck on the right is nearly perpendicular.



The beautiful lake.

DP told me that horticulturists planted an experimental garden in the park with plants that usually grow only in warmer climates, to see if they will grow in the North, in preparation for coming climate change, which may bring warmer weather to northern England. Good thinking and planning, I say.



And the lovely flowers.

I don't know their name, but the blooms make a beautiful display in red and yellow. If any of you know the names of the flowers, I will post them under the pictures.



No names again.

We stopped for refreshments at the café in the park, tea and a sweet for me, and a fruit drink with a sweet for DP.

The park covers 137 acres, so we saw only a small portion.



Cosmos beauties (Thanks to Susan S.)

From the Golden Acre Park website:

Distinctive features of the park are the areas surrounding the lake, arboretum and picnic area, where the local flora is encouraged to go wild. Reduced mowing has seen a vast increase in the biodiversity. In the low-lying wet meadows of the picnic site, Ragged Robin and sways of wild Orchid flourish. In the higher dry meadows of the arboretum, Scabious and Harebells abound. In contrast a network of shaded woodland pathways lined with many species of Rhododendron and Azaleas provide pleasing areas for visitors to explore.

Now the dahlias, hot pink above.

The flowers were gorgeous in rainbow colors, every color you can imagine.



Reds.



Yellows.



Pink peach.



Pretty dahlias all in a row.



Flowers outside Haley's Hotel.

I love lobelia, the tiny purple flower with the white center.

After our visit to the park, DP took me to his house for a delicious meal with his lovely wife and two beautiful daughters. And I forgot to take pictures of my hosts. I'm an absent-minded photographer, when I'm enjoying the company. I have just the one picture, the captain on the bridge from the rear.

UPDATE: I reposted the pictures. Now if you click on them, you can get the enlarged view.