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Gallery: a May selection (2026)

May 31, 2026 / 51 Comments

And after winter folweth grene May

Geoffrey Chaucer

While May has been green this year, we haven’t always had spring-like weather; quite the contrary! Some days have felt as chilly as a mild day in winter, while towards the end of the month we had a heatwave that would have felt fairly extreme even in August, with temperatures topping 34 degrees Celsius, breaking – no, smashing – all records.

I was away for part of the month for the annual Virtual Tourist Euromeet, this year hosted in Liverpool by my good friends Colin and Josie. From there I went on to Hull to spend a few days exploring the area with a smaller group of VT friends. I’ve already shared a few photos from both places, with many more to come no doubt!

Either side of that I’ve been busy at home. There was the usual round of U3A activities: table tennis, and study groups looking at art history and Roman Britain. And I joined a new group which visits a different garden in the area each month. This month it was the Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park. The weather was very disappointing for May, chilly and wet. But the azaleas and rhododendrons were lovely despite that (see feature photo), and we finished with lunch in a cosy pub.

Chris and I spent a day in Winchester meeting old friends for lunch. There were also meals out in London with various friends: from Plan Zheroes, from school (!) and one from our group tour in North Korea.

We went to the annual Sony Photo exhibition at Somerset House, finding it less good than usual but with some gems. We also went to the cinema twice, to see The Christophers and Tuner. I highly recommend the first of these, while the other was also enjoyable. And, more unusually for us, we went to the theatre, the Globe to be precise, to see Mother Courage and her Daughters. I’d bought the tickets for Chris’s birthday last month. The production was excellent and it was a lovely evening to be by the river. In contrast, on one of the rather cooler evenings early in the month, I went on a photo walk with my photography group along the Thames Path in Brentford, which I’ll share in more detail some time soonish.

Technical notes

This month’s shots were taken almost all with either my phone or my point and shoot Lumix. The latter include the Banksy statue, those from the Isabella Plantation and most of those taken in Liverpool and Hull. The final shot of the moon was taken with my Lumix bridge camera, while the remainder are all phone shots. Most have been edited in Photoshop Elements, many also with Nik Color Efex and one with Nik Silver Efex.

As always, I am linking my selection to Ju-Lyn’s and Brian’s Changing Seasons challenge. And I’m also linking to Natalie’s Monthly Wrap-up. Please use the arrows to navigate the slideshow if you want to see all the images.



51 Comments

  • Melissa

    June 3, 2026 at 20:11 Reply

    So many lovely, colorful photos, Sarah! That Banksy statue still makes me giggle. Spot on, unfortunately. Hope your June is off to a wonderful start!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      June 4, 2026 at 08:40 Reply

      Thank you Melissa 🙂 Yes, unfortunately that statue is very apposite. June has started well though the weather has gone rapidly downhill! Hope yours is going well too.

  • Rose

    June 2, 2026 at 20:25 Reply

    So many great images of May, Sarah. I love the ducks, wildflowers, the moon, the rose, and the wink and smile from the parked car. 😉 (On my end the title says this is “an “April” selection”; photos are from May. Is that a WordPress glitch? Which wouldn’t surprise me, some days when I try to post or comment, I run into so many glitches, I have to give up until my patience returns. 😆)

    • Sarah Wilkie

      June 2, 2026 at 21:36 Reply

      Oh dear no, that’s a Sarah glitch 😆 I overwrote last month’s post and must have forgotten to change that! You’re the first person to spot it – well done!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      June 2, 2026 at 08:31 Reply

      Not a problem Maggie – it’s too easily done but I can’t persuade my theme to put the comments box ABOVE the existing comments, which would make it clearer I think

  • the eternal traveller

    June 2, 2026 at 04:15 Reply

    Another lovely selection, and I am always happy to see a cute squirrel. I’m catching up on everyone’s posts after being away for 10 days in the remote far north western Kimberley region with no internet. 🙂 Looking forward to some enjoyable reading.

  • wetanddustyroads

    June 1, 2026 at 15:37 Reply

    Oh, I would give anything for a 34 degrees Celsius day! Our winter has barely started and I’m already through all my winter clothes. My favourite photo(s): The laughing girl in Hull … but it ‘wins’ marginally with St Paul’s Cathedral in a solid second place 😉.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      June 1, 2026 at 16:11 Reply

      Thank you very much Corna 😊 I sat for a while watching children play in those fountains, waiting for one to be in the right place for a photo! But 34 degrees is far too hot in London, with all the buildings and no air conditioning in our homes or most of the Tube lines 🥵

  • Rebecca

    June 1, 2026 at 03:03 Reply

    Dang, 34 degrees C?! That’s extremely warm, especially for the UK! Here in LA, it’s actually cooled down a bit, considering we had abnormal heat waves in February and March. Here’s to a more-temperate summer soon!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      June 1, 2026 at 08:47 Reply

      That’s very hot for May and would be pretty hot even at the height of summer, when the mid to high 20s are more usual! We’re told we could be in for a hotter than average summer, which I’m not especially looking forward to 🙁

  • Teresa

    June 1, 2026 at 00:15 Reply

    There is so much to like in this post. I especially like your blooms and the Banksy statue. I am also leaning on the scenery as seen through the front door window… and the ducks as well. You really had an amazing April.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      June 1, 2026 at 08:45 Reply

      Thank you very much Teresa 🙂 The Banksy has been a big draw, as you can see from the crowds. I hurried to see it as I thought the authorities would remove it quite quickly but it’s still there several weeks later! You seem to have left this comment twice, the second time anonymously (!), so I deleted that second one – I hope that’s OK?

  • bushboy

    May 31, 2026 at 23:59 Reply

    A beautiful gallery Sarah. I like the flowers and general sights around England. London at night is so lovely. Squirrels are so darn cute. That is the first time I have seen a female Mandarine Duck. Everyone seems to focus on the pretty male don’t they?
    Thanks for joining in The Changing Seasons 😀

    • Sarah Wilkie

      June 1, 2026 at 08:42 Reply

      Thank you very much Brian 😊 I’m glad to have been able to show you around England a bit this month! Yes, people understandably focus on the male mandarin ducks but this pair were rather cute together and she does have a little splash of colour as you can see 🙂

      • bushboy

        June 1, 2026 at 11:26 Reply

        Most female birds have to have a little bit of bling, sometimes isn’t noticeable but others wear their out and proud. 😀

  • Heyjude

    May 31, 2026 at 17:56 Reply

    A lovely varied collection. You certainly get out and about. My last visit to Isabella’s Plantation was in early May last year when it was HOT! The azaleas and rhodies there are stunning.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 31, 2026 at 19:28 Reply

      Thanks so much Jude 😊 Yes, I like to keep busy and living where we do there’s usually plenty do! I was disappointed with the weather at the Isabella Plantation but at least the rain held off until we were more than halfway around and we were able to enjoy the azaleas and rhodies!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 31, 2026 at 19:26 Reply

      Thank you Anabel 😊 Some friends from Iceland had hired a car and gave me a lift from Liverpool to Hull. On the way we stopped to visit very hospitable friends of theirs in a village near Huddersfield and I took that photo through the window in their front door. They have a lovely home in a converted stables!

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 31, 2026 at 17:08 Reply

      Thanks so much Margaret 😊 Although we’re often in the West End after dark it’s fairly rare for us to be down by the river so it was a treat to see it last night!

  • Sue

    May 31, 2026 at 15:29 Reply

    Some great images here, Sarah, but the one that stood out for me was the Mandarin duck pair as I have only knowingly seen the male previously

  • Natalie

    May 31, 2026 at 15:25 Reply

    Another beautiful gallery, Sarah. I especially love your photos of the Mandarin ducks, Yorkshire landscape and St. Paul’s cathedral from Bankside. Thank you for linking up with #MonthlyWrapup.

    • Sarah Wilkie

      May 31, 2026 at 16:49 Reply

      Thank you very much Natalie 😊 It’s a pleasure to link my monthly highlights posts to your MonthlyWrapup challenge. That shot of St. Paul’s was taken just last night as we came out of the theatre so it’s a last minute addition – I’m glad you liked it!

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