Even though we faced another hot, muggy day, Joan Ishibashi and I toured Kew Gardens today, one of the largest botanical gardens in the world.

As we had seen in Green Park near Buckingham Palace, the large grassy areas, normally lush green and verdant, were shockingly dry and brown.

News of the heat wave and drought are all over the local television networks and so far this is the longest heat wave in 42 years. Only scant rainfall has been recorded since the 1st of June.

Yet there were still many beautiful plants here, which obviously are well-cared for.

We visited The Hive, which is a unique, multi-sensory experience designed to highlight the extraordinary life of bees.

Here’s a video to show you how it works.

We also visited Kew Palace, where King George III and Queen Charlotte lived with their 15 children!

And guess what—they had an organ and a harpsichord! I thought I would get away with not seeing an organ today, but no such luck!

After our Kew Gardens visit, Joan and I had typical English food at The Original Maids of Honour Tea House. Joan had the savoury High Tea and I had a beef pasty and salad—all delicious..

Tomorrow we’ll travel to Gloucester, to hear the Duke University Choir sing Evensong at Gloucester Cathedral and hear Joey Fala play the organ!