Episode 5 (11th August 2007
Before I go any further I must just add one more bit about the Lost gardens of Haligan. It’s about the ‘bee boles’. These were in one wall by the walled kitchen garden. In two rows one above the other, each one with a dome roof, they are the forerunner of the modern bee hive. There may be a photo of them that David has loaded.
On our way to Stansted we called in to see my young friend Rebekah, her husband Barry, young son Jack and in-laws. It was good to see her again after almost a year. She is pregnant and looking really well. She and Barry and Jack are going back to Australia in September so this was my only chance to see her before they left. Rebek also cut my hair, it was much needed and much appreciated.
On a lovely sunny day we flew to Iceland from London Stansted. I got the most marvellous view of the countryside as we lifted off them Stansted. The place is almost surrounded by wheat and barely fields that have either been harvested or shall soon be. A few deep green fields of pasture for cows and sheep and some copses of trees with trees or hedges along fence lines. I don’t think I have ever had such a great view, pity I hadn’t had the camera handy. Sadly we soon ran into cloud that got more and more thick as the journey progresses. Over Scotland we still had some broken patches and could see the ground occasionally but once out over the sea it was just solid cloud. As we came into Keflavik we descended through many thousands of metres of cloud before finally getting a view of the ground through rain lashed windows. It was a very dreary welcome indeed.
We found a hostel in Keflavik that had sleeping bag accommodation available, there was nothing to be had in Reykjavik, I expect that the inclement weather had driven a lot of others indoors too. We had been hoping to camp but it was just too wet for our little tent. A short walk around the immediate area to find a shop and something for tea and although we had rain coats our boots and jeans were soaked. Wouldn’t you know it, my boots that have been really good up till this point have now decided to leak, damned if I can work out why!
Still raining the next morning but looking a little brighter none the less, we headed out to go to Reykjavik. Busses only run every 3 hours or so and we’d just missed one so we hitched a lift, the popular alternative. The trip took us over an old lava plain with the sea on one side and in the distance on the other are high hills, in front too, beyond Reykjavik. This city is like most others, the first you encounter are the sprawling suburbs with shopping centres. The elderly couple who had given us a lift let us out at just one such place but only a couple of k’s from the city centre. We walked on and the first place of interest we came too was the very large church, hallgrimskirkja, which dominates the skyline for quite a distance. It’s fairly modern and the ‘wings’ flanking the tower are built to represent the basalt columns that can be seen in many parts of the country. Inside there was some musical rehearsal going on so we sat and listened for a while. Behind the Altar the wall is dominated by the many pipes of the organ otherwise it is quite plain inside. Out front is a statue of Leif Eriksson that famous fellow who was the first European to ever reach North America. Maybe it would be a vastly different place if the Vikings had settled it first.
From the top of the tower we got a great view over the city, and one of my first thoughts was of its similarity to Anchorage Alaska, but I really don’t know why apart from the fact that it is at a similar latitude. I suppose the style of building is quite similar too. Its not a very large city, around 200,000 I believe, but the centre is no more that you would find in a large country town at home except for the number of cafes, restaurants, pubs and hotels. Some boutique shops but no big department stores and no great office blocks. Both these are spread out around the city. A shallow lake had hundreds of ducks and some geese on it, and a couple of white swans that were sleeping on a small island in the middle. I expect that it makes a great skating rink in the winter months. That reminds me of another thing I haven’t seen and that is the posts that you plug your can into to keep the battery warm. Just about every parking space is Alaska has one so that you can start you car during the winter months. Not one to be seen here so presumably it does not get as cold as Alaska.
With rain threatening yet again we found the Volcano Show and went it. We were met by the film maker himself Willi Knudsen. (think I have that right). He is quite a character, he asked where we were from, when we told him Australai he asked if we’d got lost. He also showed a sense of humour in the commentary of the film. When one eruption started and there was a fissure several k’s long a sign was erected warning people to stay well clear of the area, Willi said that it was the best advertisement the place could get, all the tourists knew exactly where to come to get up close to the volcanic activity.
The film showed some spectacular explosions along that fissure, around 6k’s long it was. All its length it was spewing forth great fountains of molten lava and to get the photos the ground was so hot to walk on that one could not stand still. I’m not sure if that was from molten lava below or from the stuff freshen fallen from the fissure. Either way its a wonder no-one was injured as this stuff has a temperature of over 1000 degrees C. Wouldn’t want a bit of that ‘hot stuff’ going down the back of your neck:
A second film was on the formation of the Island Surtsey off the southern coast. It happened in 1963 and started out as a great fountain of boiling water spewing upward out of the sea 18k’s off the coast of another Island, Heimaey. It is now an island covering 4sq k’s (I think that is what he said) and is very closely studied by a team of scientist who are watching to see how life begins on such an island. No one is allowed to settle there but even while it was still forming there were scientists making excursions there to check it’s progress. It was a crescent shape to begin with, the sea filling the creator from one side, but now it is almost round.
The last film was about the eruption on Heimaey where there was and still is a fishing village. Here the ash filled the streets burying some houses and the lava flowed down and nearly ruined the harbour, while great lumps that were thrown from the long fissure set many houses alight. Most of the families were evacuated and a great many of their belongings too. This was all done while the volcanic ash was falling like black snow and lumps of molten lava dropping like great fiery hailstones. The backdrop being the great red fiery fountains from the fissure brilliantly lighting the dark winter skies: After months of erupting it finally stopped and the people began to clear away the enormous amount of ash filling the street. They had stopped the molten lava from ruining their harbour by pumping cold sea water onto it. Millions of cubic metres of sea water in total were used, pumped by massive pumps brought in from where ever they could be had, but the whole process had begun as an experiment with just small pumps from the fishing boats maned by the fishermen trying to save their harbour and their lively hoods. It had been successful. The eruption had begun early in the year 1973, but before the summer was over the grass had come up through 15cm of volcanic ash and the flowers were blooming again.
In the late afternoon we caught the bus back to Keflavik, the 50k journey cost $22 each, I was glad we’d got the lift in the morning, saved ourselves $44. This place sure isn’t cheap.
Next day we collected our hire car around 1pm and set off on our journey around the Island. The sun was shinning, a chilly wind was blowing but altogether it was really a beautiful day. The first place we visited was the site of the original parliament the AlÞing of this land. That was in the year 930AD and was really a meeting of tribal chieftains who made all the important decisions from marriages to enacting laws affecting all. It was here that Christianity was accepted as the national religion around 1000AD. It continued this roll until infighting got so bad that the King of Norway stepped in and took charge in 1262. It continued in a strictly judicial way until 1798 when the AlÞing was shifted to Reykjavik and soon stripped of its powers entirely. It was not re-instated until 1843, then it chose to stay in Reykjavik. Iceland gained independence from Denmark in 1944.
Not only is this site of historical importance but also geological as sits in the rift formed by the two tectonic plates, the North American plate and the European plate. These plates have drifted apart (continental drift) approximately 4 metres in 1000 year. On the western side is a sheer cliff of about 20 to 25m high then a floor that makes a good walking path, up to 20m wide, then a much lower cliff rises about 8m then a more gradual slope leads down to a stream, but there are still more deep rifts here and there in that slope, a metre to 3m wide. It really is quite spectacular. The stream at the bottom gently cascades down to the lake that is one of the largest in Iceland. It’s a stunningly pretty setting. Beyond the stream on a high bank is a small church but in is not all that old, in the grave yard are buried some of Iceland’s most important poets.
There are many Sagas about Icelandic families and some of them started from meetings at the AlÞing. That letter in the middle sounds a bit like th.
It was even a sunnier day that we passed near Snaefelljokull Ice field. We could see the glaringly white ice cap on the mountain in top the bright sunshine, with a low layer of cloud creeping over the higher parts. In places on the cinder slopes great pinnacles of lava stick up like giant sentinels stranded in time on the gravelly slopes. This Icefield and the volcano it covers is said to be the setting that inspired Jules Verne to write “Journey to the centre of the earth”.
On the western side and near the little town of Hellissandur there is a small church that is famous for housing some of very old painted wooden altar pieces and some heraldic tombs. Sadly the church was locked and like other tourists there at the time the best we could do was to peer in the windows. Could not see anything historic but the ceiling was painted blue with many gold stars. It was the first concrete church built in Iceland.
The town itself has an interesting maritime museum. Part of the display is a turf roofed hut that is a replica of an old original fisherman’s hut. It had a brick fire place and once that was going I expect that it was lovely and warm inside as the turf roof and thick walls with turf some way up the sides would have made very good insulation. Don’t know what was used to burn in the fire as there are no trees in Iceland, only what has been planted in quite recent years. Probably coal was imported. Sadly all the original huts were pulled down in the 1950’s and replaced with modern housing with central heating and inside toilets and bathrooms. Ah! The price we pay for modern conveniences:
Also on display is an old fishing boat that required 8 oarsmen to man, and a more modern fishing boat with an old inboard engine. I looked at both these boats, neither of which is very large and then considered the weather that these people went fishing in and have a great respect for them as even on a good day in summer the water is bitterly cold, despite the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. It’s not that dam warm by the time it reaches here: These are a hardly people indeed!
We have travelled mainly along the narrow coastal plain with the deep blue sea on one side and the high volcanic mountains of the other. All along the way there are numerous waterfalls, mostly small but they have cut deep chasms through the soft volcanic ash. On the higher mountain slopes there are patches of snow and this is the height of summer. There was a nice frost this morning.
There are plenty of farms with pasture fields. Silage has been made and wrapped mostly in white plastic then collected and stacked in great piles near barns or left scattered in the fields looking like very white giant sheep grazing. Plenty of the real sheep too, and they come in all colours, with black and brown being quite common. Saw a few of said sheep grazing seaweed on the shore in one place. Seen some cows, dairy ones, and plenty of the small Icelandic ponies: These latter are the descendants of those brought many centuries ago: Horses have not been allowed to be imported for hundreds of years with the result that the ones here have unique qualities that are now found nowhere else. One of those qualities is their 5 gaits. One called the ‘tolt’ is very smooth apparently; I have not ridden one myself.
Near the tiny village of Rif there were thousands of a type of small sea gull. They were in crowds on different parts of a small lake but also they liked to sit on the road, I expect that the tarmac was warm and they liked that, anyway they would not move until we got right up close then at the last possible moment they would fly off even with car horns blaring at them. It is no wonder that many of them had been killed by passing traffic. Where many were gathered on a small rocky knoll we pulled off and watched them, they are beautiful. Much smaller than the gulls and terns we are familiar with they are white with black heads and red beaks and almost a swallow shaped wings. They look so incredibly graceful in flight. We tried to get some video and photos of them.
In Stykkisholmur we took a 2.25hr boat trip to see the bird life on some of the many small islands nearby. We were quite lucky with the weather as it can be even more unpredictable here than in Reykjavik. It was sunny with some cloud and out on the water it was quite windy too so everyone was well rugged up even the locals and a group of Canadians, not just us.
We saw plenty of Puffins which I had been longing to see, I just love the look of these birds. They have lovely faces and large red webbed feet. Twenty million of them come to Iceland each summer and nest here. They take two years to build a burrow; it’s about 2 metres deep and has two chambers one for the nest and one for the toilet; Even birds can be civilized. Presumably they come back to the same burrow each year after going to all that trouble but I can’t be sure. Another bird we saw was the fulmar; these are the smallest of the Albatross family I think our guide said. These birds have the charming habit of vomiting on anyone or anything that gets too close to them. Others we saw were kittihawks, eider ducks (the ones they used to use to make eiderdown quilts), cormorants and shags, the last two may have been the same bird. We did see a shag feeding its chick, the chick put its head right down the parents neck. I tried to get David’s attention so that he could photograph it but I sadly failed there. A few grey geese and plenty more puffins in another place.
There are a huge number of small islands and islets here but only those with grass on them have been named. There used to be farms on some but they have all been abandoned long ago, now there are only a few summer houses, no-one stays all year round any more. Here, they have 5 to 6 metre tides and on one side of these tiny islands the water can be 2 metres higher than on the other and the tidal surge causes whirlpools and eddies and some very rough water in places, no place to get caught in a small boat.
Our boat dropped a small weighted net overboard and scrapped the bottom for s short distance then pulled it up to show us what can be found on the sea floor here. Plenty of empty scallops shells for the most part; along with some full ones which we got to eat after the crew opened them for us, some sea urchins, I didn’t get to try them, a few star fish both large and small. One of the star fish was bright blue, and the smallest one was bright red. The few small crabs all seemed to be male. Some little hermit crabs too, a few muscles, and a whelk or two. Apart from the starfish that appeared to be injured from the haul and the urchins and scallops we ate all else was returned to the sea alive. Probably be pulled up again in a few days time for another load of tourists.
It had been a really enjoyable trip even if it was really expensive for the amount of time. Our boats captain was a young woman, she was also the guide and had two young men as crew, and a girl to serve in the snack bar.
©Lynette Regan 13th August 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Episode 4
Episode 4
Another gardens I visited whilst in Cornwall are the Lost gardens of Haligan.
There gardens had been started as early as the 1600’s and perhaps even before that as some document has been found from the 1500’s relating to building some part of the garden. Most of it however was established in the 19th century by the Tremaine family. After WW1 it fell into a state of sad neglect and it is only since 1993 that work has begun to restore the place to its original glory. Covering many acres, it has all different types of gardens from almost tropical jungle in a steep south facing gully to the walled kitchen gardens that supplied vegetables and cut flowers to the big house.
The jungle area is a thick forest of plants some temperate like the big stands of bamboo and some monkey puzzle trees, these latter are an araucaria from Chile or Argentina and closely related to our bunya pines in Queensland. In amongst these trees are more tropical plants including bananas. I think I’ve seen more bananas in England than there is in Burnett Heads. During the time when the place was neglected the stands of bamboo took over vast areas and much had to be cleared. There are 3 ponds, one below the other and fish in the ponds, there is also an otter that visits the ponds but has not yet been seen, only his droppings that are quite distinctive apparently. At some time in the future a CCTV camera is to be installed to spy on the otter and any other nocturnal visitors. They could easily import an endangered panda or two to browse on the bamboo there is enough to support several pandas I should think.
On the higher slopes there are proteas, grevilleas and callistamons that are frost tolerant but there are also big trees that help to protect the lower plants and keep it a bit warmer. Amongst these I saw an avocado that seemed to be doing quite well despite the fact that the temperature can drop to -6C
In the lovely walled kitchen garden there were a couple of glass houses; one was for growing peaches and the other for grapes. Not many of either has survived but new plants have been planted recently. There is also only one of the original fig trees still growing up against one wall but many young ones heavily loaded with fruit were standing in pots. A wide variety of citrus trees were standing outside in pots too, and all of those had some fruit or flowers on them. I expect that they are put away into a more controlled climate for much of the year otherwise it would get far too wet for them and possibly too cold too. Here too, I saw the biggest sunflower I have ever seen, it was massive, The cockatoos would love it.
Half of this walled garden was devoted to flowers that filled the place with colour, plenty of sweet peas in bloom and a variety of other flowers that could be cut. Originally these would have been cut and placed in vases in the ‘big house’. Now many are sold as bunches in the shop. The vegetable garden here didn’t really have a lot in it, some young lettuces, some broccoli and cauliflower, asparagus, and other summer vegies. Someway further back up the hill was an even larger kitchen garden but it too did not seem to have a great deal in it, perhaps because it has been so wet this summer. There were a lot of stone fruit trees growing on trellises that makes them very easy to prune and to pick. Some of them had some fruit but they were not loaded, not like Heather’s plum trees that are so heavy with fruit that the branches are breaking.
All around the whole gardens there are great hydrangeas in full bloom, blue, white and pink. Also huge banks of rhododendrons: In the Sikkim garden a few of these rhododendrons were so massive they are the size of an oak tree, not quite as tall perhaps but spread out. They are so dense that very little grows beneath them. They would be great for climbing, kids would love them. Some member of the family had collected these in the late 1800’s and had been put in jail in Sikkim for a short time during his expedition there.
Yet another area was designed to resemble a mountains pass with a rough foot path and gardens designed in a rockery style. All the plants here were of Alpine origin.
In another gully that was made for use as a pleasant carriage drive there are more large trees and dense vegetation along with more pools but here it is not so warm. One of these pools was the mill pond. Also along here were the charcoal burners, and there is still one that is used now for the excess trees that are being taken out. Especially sycamore trees that have propagated well over the years of neglect: The charcoal is sold in the shop for barbeques and they also make artists charcoal using other plants including bamboo.
A quite recent addition is the wildlife hide and the CCTV camera that have been installed to spy on the family of barn owls that have their nest in one of the buildings. The spy camera makes it easy to monitor the progress of the family whilst not interfering with them what-so-ever. During the spring when there were 7 chicks hatched one BBC program was monitoring them and watched as the 3 stronger chicks killed the 4 weaker ones. Another camera is installed around yet another pond and this one can be controlled from inside the hide and focused on different areas to watch birds or small animals that might be about.
I spent several hours wandering about here while David stayed in the car and read a book, I think that he had looked at enough plants the day before at the Eden Project.
Of the time we spent in Cornwall it rained most days for a few hours at least but still we enjoyed some lovely warm sunny weather too. Our SatNav system we programmed to take us along routes other than the major highways with the result that we wound our way around many a country lane with high embankments and trees that met over the top so it was like driving through a green tunnel. Most of the lanes are so narrow that if you should happen to meet another car then one of you has to find a place where you can pull off the road far enough to let the other pass, that often requires someone reversing quite a way. Even passing a cyclist or a pedestrian is not easy; in fact I don’t think a big 4wd would have fitted down some lanes.
We made and excursion to Boscastle, a lovely little village in a steep valley on the Atlantic coast. It had suffered badly in severe storms a while back. Some of the houses had been swept away along with a bridge. All the houses here are a lovely grey stone. From here I walked someway along the cliff tops. Again David didn’t want to take part so I went by myself. I met several other walkers along the way. It was very pleasant and I saw some lovely wild flowers. One of the heather was in full bloom while another with a smaller flower was not yet fully out. Its such a lovely purple colour. Then there is the bright yellow gorse and a small pea shaped flower that was bright yellow and deep orange on the one bush. I looked down into one little cove that had a dark shale beach and deep blue very clear water. Sometimes the only thing that separated me from the vertical cliffs are very well made slate fences; with the slates laid vertically they can be found all over Cornwall and elsewhere too, they often have brambles (blackberries) growing through and over them as well as other plants.
This time we also made a trip to Lands End. The last time I was there was on a very cold day in 1972 I think. It was still chilly this time but I managed ok in my shorts and t-shirt. Now you have to pay 3 pounds to park the car and there is a choice of entertainment on offer for which you have to pay extra. One is some Dr. Who show. There are also shops, a restaurant, a pub and a bakery. We walked along to the last house, I think it was here last time we came. Its a souvenir shop now, probably was then. There really isn’t much to see, you just stand on the most westerly point of England and look out at the little islands offshore. Its 874 miles to John O’groats the most north-easterly point of this British Isle: and the start or end of a 500 mile walking track, wouldn’t mind doing that but probably never will. Bad weather with heavy fog would make it quite difficult I should think. There are also two boats on display here. Set on blocks one is able to walk on them and explore. One is an old trawler that was built in 1945 and decommissioned in 1993. Inside we could read the history of the boat. The other vessel was a rescue boat, not so much to see on this one, only the wheel house really.
A nearby place we visited here is the Minack theatre. This is really a small amphitheatre built in a shallow, steep gully overlooking the sea. It was the lifetime project of Rowena Cade 1893-1983. She moved to Porthcurno after WW1 buying some land and building a house for herself and her mother. Local actors used to stage plays in her backyard. Then in the winter of 1931-32 she embarked on the project of making this amphitheatre on her land. With her gardener as the chief architect and his assistant and herself as labourers they set about clearing and moving large amounts of rock to make a stage area and some rough seating leading back up the cliff.
The very first play performed on the stage here in 1932 was Shakespear’s “the Tempest”. More improvements were made over the years of the 1930’s then when the war came again the cliffs were fenced off. Rowena used to crawl through the barb wire with her mower and mow the grass on the seats. By the end of the war much had been destroyed and it was back to the basic state of 1932. Again Rowena and her same two assistants set about the reconstruction. They worked on it over the years improving it continuously. Indeed Rowena did the hard physical work required well into her 80’s, she died in 1983 just before her 90th birthday.
The theatre is designed in a shallow curve with a small stage at the bottom well above the sea and the seats facing out over the sea and rising steeply. Seating for a few hundred people in about 15 or so rows: There are stairs on either side for access to the stage and seats. Large rocks on either side of the stage act as wings. Just as we were looking a troupe of actors in white and cream tunics rushed down the stairs and started rehearsing a play. The life of some person set in 1539, we did not find it particularly riveting and as it was beginning to drizzle and getting quite chilly we only watched for a short time. Our sunny day had gone.
This place is now run by a public organization and they charge for entry for sightseeing as well as for attending performances, on the day we visited there must have been hundreds of visitors. Yet, for all the funds they must raise they have really made very little improvement of what this remarkable woman had created. Makes one wonder what these organizations do with the funds they raise. Rowena was planning to put a roof over the place but there is still no roof all these years later.
It is quite the thing to visit this theatre at any time of the year in any weather. People come quite prepared for it. They bring their sleeping bags, hot water bottles, flasks of hot drink or something stronger, snacks and rain coats etc. Some of Britain’s best know actors have performed here.
Just to one side of this theatre was a little cove with a lovely sandy beach that was crowded with people swimming and sunbathing (the sun had gone by this) and resting under beach umbrellas. Further around the coast we could see two other equally crowded beaches. The sea was fairly flat on this day but there were plenty of surfboards atop cars that we saw about.
During our time in Cornwall we stayed with Josephine and Allen, Jo is David’s cousin, they made us very welcome, we had missed seeing them last year. Also caught up with their daughter Sharon, she was badly injured in a car accident nearly 4 years ago and though she still has some on-going problems she is looking well and very fit. She has bought herself a log cabin that is on a residential park site.
We left Cornwall on a sunny morning and had a good run back towards Arundel. Around lunch time we went into Weymouth where we sat on the waterfront and ate some lunch. There were fishing charter boats and many private recreational boats in the water. The town was very busy with summer visitors. One little village we passed through nearly all the houses had thatched roofs, some very new and one still being done. In that part of the country thatch seems to be becoming more popular despite the higher insurance premium. A couple of very heavy showers dampened our way.
Now we must re-organize everything for our trip to Iceland, we fly out on Thursday. I plan to call and see Rebekah on our way up to Stansted on Wednesday. We shall stay the night near the airport.
©Lynette Regan 7th August 2007
Another gardens I visited whilst in Cornwall are the Lost gardens of Haligan.
There gardens had been started as early as the 1600’s and perhaps even before that as some document has been found from the 1500’s relating to building some part of the garden. Most of it however was established in the 19th century by the Tremaine family. After WW1 it fell into a state of sad neglect and it is only since 1993 that work has begun to restore the place to its original glory. Covering many acres, it has all different types of gardens from almost tropical jungle in a steep south facing gully to the walled kitchen gardens that supplied vegetables and cut flowers to the big house.
The jungle area is a thick forest of plants some temperate like the big stands of bamboo and some monkey puzzle trees, these latter are an araucaria from Chile or Argentina and closely related to our bunya pines in Queensland. In amongst these trees are more tropical plants including bananas. I think I’ve seen more bananas in England than there is in Burnett Heads. During the time when the place was neglected the stands of bamboo took over vast areas and much had to be cleared. There are 3 ponds, one below the other and fish in the ponds, there is also an otter that visits the ponds but has not yet been seen, only his droppings that are quite distinctive apparently. At some time in the future a CCTV camera is to be installed to spy on the otter and any other nocturnal visitors. They could easily import an endangered panda or two to browse on the bamboo there is enough to support several pandas I should think.
On the higher slopes there are proteas, grevilleas and callistamons that are frost tolerant but there are also big trees that help to protect the lower plants and keep it a bit warmer. Amongst these I saw an avocado that seemed to be doing quite well despite the fact that the temperature can drop to -6C
In the lovely walled kitchen garden there were a couple of glass houses; one was for growing peaches and the other for grapes. Not many of either has survived but new plants have been planted recently. There is also only one of the original fig trees still growing up against one wall but many young ones heavily loaded with fruit were standing in pots. A wide variety of citrus trees were standing outside in pots too, and all of those had some fruit or flowers on them. I expect that they are put away into a more controlled climate for much of the year otherwise it would get far too wet for them and possibly too cold too. Here too, I saw the biggest sunflower I have ever seen, it was massive, The cockatoos would love it.
Half of this walled garden was devoted to flowers that filled the place with colour, plenty of sweet peas in bloom and a variety of other flowers that could be cut. Originally these would have been cut and placed in vases in the ‘big house’. Now many are sold as bunches in the shop. The vegetable garden here didn’t really have a lot in it, some young lettuces, some broccoli and cauliflower, asparagus, and other summer vegies. Someway further back up the hill was an even larger kitchen garden but it too did not seem to have a great deal in it, perhaps because it has been so wet this summer. There were a lot of stone fruit trees growing on trellises that makes them very easy to prune and to pick. Some of them had some fruit but they were not loaded, not like Heather’s plum trees that are so heavy with fruit that the branches are breaking.
All around the whole gardens there are great hydrangeas in full bloom, blue, white and pink. Also huge banks of rhododendrons: In the Sikkim garden a few of these rhododendrons were so massive they are the size of an oak tree, not quite as tall perhaps but spread out. They are so dense that very little grows beneath them. They would be great for climbing, kids would love them. Some member of the family had collected these in the late 1800’s and had been put in jail in Sikkim for a short time during his expedition there.
Yet another area was designed to resemble a mountains pass with a rough foot path and gardens designed in a rockery style. All the plants here were of Alpine origin.
In another gully that was made for use as a pleasant carriage drive there are more large trees and dense vegetation along with more pools but here it is not so warm. One of these pools was the mill pond. Also along here were the charcoal burners, and there is still one that is used now for the excess trees that are being taken out. Especially sycamore trees that have propagated well over the years of neglect: The charcoal is sold in the shop for barbeques and they also make artists charcoal using other plants including bamboo.
A quite recent addition is the wildlife hide and the CCTV camera that have been installed to spy on the family of barn owls that have their nest in one of the buildings. The spy camera makes it easy to monitor the progress of the family whilst not interfering with them what-so-ever. During the spring when there were 7 chicks hatched one BBC program was monitoring them and watched as the 3 stronger chicks killed the 4 weaker ones. Another camera is installed around yet another pond and this one can be controlled from inside the hide and focused on different areas to watch birds or small animals that might be about.
I spent several hours wandering about here while David stayed in the car and read a book, I think that he had looked at enough plants the day before at the Eden Project.
Of the time we spent in Cornwall it rained most days for a few hours at least but still we enjoyed some lovely warm sunny weather too. Our SatNav system we programmed to take us along routes other than the major highways with the result that we wound our way around many a country lane with high embankments and trees that met over the top so it was like driving through a green tunnel. Most of the lanes are so narrow that if you should happen to meet another car then one of you has to find a place where you can pull off the road far enough to let the other pass, that often requires someone reversing quite a way. Even passing a cyclist or a pedestrian is not easy; in fact I don’t think a big 4wd would have fitted down some lanes.
We made and excursion to Boscastle, a lovely little village in a steep valley on the Atlantic coast. It had suffered badly in severe storms a while back. Some of the houses had been swept away along with a bridge. All the houses here are a lovely grey stone. From here I walked someway along the cliff tops. Again David didn’t want to take part so I went by myself. I met several other walkers along the way. It was very pleasant and I saw some lovely wild flowers. One of the heather was in full bloom while another with a smaller flower was not yet fully out. Its such a lovely purple colour. Then there is the bright yellow gorse and a small pea shaped flower that was bright yellow and deep orange on the one bush. I looked down into one little cove that had a dark shale beach and deep blue very clear water. Sometimes the only thing that separated me from the vertical cliffs are very well made slate fences; with the slates laid vertically they can be found all over Cornwall and elsewhere too, they often have brambles (blackberries) growing through and over them as well as other plants.
This time we also made a trip to Lands End. The last time I was there was on a very cold day in 1972 I think. It was still chilly this time but I managed ok in my shorts and t-shirt. Now you have to pay 3 pounds to park the car and there is a choice of entertainment on offer for which you have to pay extra. One is some Dr. Who show. There are also shops, a restaurant, a pub and a bakery. We walked along to the last house, I think it was here last time we came. Its a souvenir shop now, probably was then. There really isn’t much to see, you just stand on the most westerly point of England and look out at the little islands offshore. Its 874 miles to John O’groats the most north-easterly point of this British Isle: and the start or end of a 500 mile walking track, wouldn’t mind doing that but probably never will. Bad weather with heavy fog would make it quite difficult I should think. There are also two boats on display here. Set on blocks one is able to walk on them and explore. One is an old trawler that was built in 1945 and decommissioned in 1993. Inside we could read the history of the boat. The other vessel was a rescue boat, not so much to see on this one, only the wheel house really.
A nearby place we visited here is the Minack theatre. This is really a small amphitheatre built in a shallow, steep gully overlooking the sea. It was the lifetime project of Rowena Cade 1893-1983. She moved to Porthcurno after WW1 buying some land and building a house for herself and her mother. Local actors used to stage plays in her backyard. Then in the winter of 1931-32 she embarked on the project of making this amphitheatre on her land. With her gardener as the chief architect and his assistant and herself as labourers they set about clearing and moving large amounts of rock to make a stage area and some rough seating leading back up the cliff.
The very first play performed on the stage here in 1932 was Shakespear’s “the Tempest”. More improvements were made over the years of the 1930’s then when the war came again the cliffs were fenced off. Rowena used to crawl through the barb wire with her mower and mow the grass on the seats. By the end of the war much had been destroyed and it was back to the basic state of 1932. Again Rowena and her same two assistants set about the reconstruction. They worked on it over the years improving it continuously. Indeed Rowena did the hard physical work required well into her 80’s, she died in 1983 just before her 90th birthday.
The theatre is designed in a shallow curve with a small stage at the bottom well above the sea and the seats facing out over the sea and rising steeply. Seating for a few hundred people in about 15 or so rows: There are stairs on either side for access to the stage and seats. Large rocks on either side of the stage act as wings. Just as we were looking a troupe of actors in white and cream tunics rushed down the stairs and started rehearsing a play. The life of some person set in 1539, we did not find it particularly riveting and as it was beginning to drizzle and getting quite chilly we only watched for a short time. Our sunny day had gone.
This place is now run by a public organization and they charge for entry for sightseeing as well as for attending performances, on the day we visited there must have been hundreds of visitors. Yet, for all the funds they must raise they have really made very little improvement of what this remarkable woman had created. Makes one wonder what these organizations do with the funds they raise. Rowena was planning to put a roof over the place but there is still no roof all these years later.
It is quite the thing to visit this theatre at any time of the year in any weather. People come quite prepared for it. They bring their sleeping bags, hot water bottles, flasks of hot drink or something stronger, snacks and rain coats etc. Some of Britain’s best know actors have performed here.
Just to one side of this theatre was a little cove with a lovely sandy beach that was crowded with people swimming and sunbathing (the sun had gone by this) and resting under beach umbrellas. Further around the coast we could see two other equally crowded beaches. The sea was fairly flat on this day but there were plenty of surfboards atop cars that we saw about.
During our time in Cornwall we stayed with Josephine and Allen, Jo is David’s cousin, they made us very welcome, we had missed seeing them last year. Also caught up with their daughter Sharon, she was badly injured in a car accident nearly 4 years ago and though she still has some on-going problems she is looking well and very fit. She has bought herself a log cabin that is on a residential park site.
We left Cornwall on a sunny morning and had a good run back towards Arundel. Around lunch time we went into Weymouth where we sat on the waterfront and ate some lunch. There were fishing charter boats and many private recreational boats in the water. The town was very busy with summer visitors. One little village we passed through nearly all the houses had thatched roofs, some very new and one still being done. In that part of the country thatch seems to be becoming more popular despite the higher insurance premium. A couple of very heavy showers dampened our way.
Now we must re-organize everything for our trip to Iceland, we fly out on Thursday. I plan to call and see Rebekah on our way up to Stansted on Wednesday. We shall stay the night near the airport.
©Lynette Regan 7th August 2007
Episode 3
Episode 3
Back again. Haven’t really been doing much since we came to Arundel: Been going for walks along the river bank in the mornings whenever I can, that’s about it. Often I would meet only one or two others who were usually walking their dogs, but mostly I only had the swans on the river for company. These swans must be used to people feeding them as whenever I speak to them they swim over to me and swim along beside me until they realize I don’t have anything for them then they go about their business. I still have not seen any cygnets, most odd!
In fact for mid summer there seems to be very little activity on the river. I remember when I used to live here and work in the tea hut, there was always some people in boats out and about quite early. Now at 11am there is little activity.
One day I visited the tea hut, it’s changed quite a lot since Heather and I used to work in it. Been modernized inside to meet new health requirements, but the basic building is still the same. The tea garden now has a log cabin in it to provide shelter for customers during inclement weather. Much used this summer I should think. The wall behind the tea garden separating it form the car park used to be covered in climbing roses that flowered all summer and the ruins and little park between the tea garden and the bridge also used to have gardens full of pink and red roses. I am sure I must have some old photos of them some where. Now all I could find was one lonely rose bush beside the ruins. None any where else:
During the summer holidays Heather and I used to be very busy in a morning. Busses bringing loads of tourists to visit the castle would park in the car park and people would rush over for a cup of tea before entering the castle grounds and come again when they’d finished there. Well, the castle still seems to get plenty of visitors but the tea hut doesn’t seem to get business from the busses like they used to. I had Heathers 7 year old granddaughter, Madeline, with me and we sat and ate an ice-cream in the tea garden one morning, it was lovely and sunny and warm. There was a crowd about the ruins and watching the swans, but we were the only ones at the tea garden. The couple who owned it years ago have both passed on to the big tea garden in the sky and there are new people running the show. The boat shed beside the tea hut that was once an Aladdin’s cave of gear that Andre (the owner) acquired from all sorts of people, some a bit dubious, and sell on: It is also the place from where the hire boat business was run. There were about 12 little hire boats in those days, I could only see 9 now.
After we got the car sorted and ourselves, whoops, don’t suppose I have told you about the car have I? We got it through a friend of Heathers whom we have met previously when he used to live next door to Heather and John. The car is a white citreon, something or other, about 1991 I think and a diesel. Used cars are not as cheap this year as they were last year but this one should do us ok for 250 pounds. David had got himself a satellite navigation system for the car, then we set out for Cornwall on a sunny Wednesday morning. We tried to get an early start but it didn’t happen. We did have a good run along the A27 past Portsmouth and the motorway around Southampton, then on westward through the new forest. After we passed around Dorchester the country became more hilly and picturesque. Many of the fields of wheat and barley have been harvested leaving the fields a straw colour. Add to that the fawn and browns of the ploughed fields, the bright, lush green of the pastures with black and white cows (Friesian/Holsteins) or white sheep (woolly things) grazing. Then there are the deep greens of the trees and hedges along fence lines and in small and large copses of trees. It made quite a kaleidoscope of colours. Just so pretty: God! I love to see the green, after so much drought its just so great to see.
We came to a lovely rest area where we sat and ate a late lunch. It was so hot we had to park in the shade. We set out heading for the Eden Project near St Austell but when we got past Exeter we thought we might make a detour to Launceston and see if David’s cousin Josephine was home. We had tried to phone her earlier but the phone had not been answered. When we arrived on her doorstep her husband Allen was home but shortly after Jo arrived. They made us very welcome so we didn’t get to the Eden Project that day.
The Eden Project is something we had heard quite a lot of people talk about. Everyone here seems very enthusiastic about it. I had decided we should visit it to see what all the fuss was about. After looking it up on the internet I found that as from this week it was open on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening till 9.30pm and after 4pm it has a reduced entrance fee. With things very expensive over here saving 4 pounds each seems like a good idea.
The concept for the project came about in the early 1990’s but the place wasn’t started to be built until 1998 and it was opened to the public in the spring of 2001. What was desired of the project was that it would be totally self-sufficient eventually and to have a neutral impact on the environment. It is still a work in progress and heading towards that goal: Sufficient water is caught to water all the plants in the two large biospheres (called biomes) and to use in the restaurants and cafes and the toilets. That would be a huge amount I should imagine. Everything is either reusable or recyclable, especially all the items used in the restaurants and cafes. The disposable knives and forks are made of a wood that grows quickly and so is an easily renewable source. No polystyrene cups and plates, all china that can be washed. It is also the aim of the project to produce all its own electricity from waste.
It is built in an old china clay pit, steep sided and 60m deep, so that it had to be started right from scratch because there was not even any soil in which vegetation could grow. The bottom was also several metres below the water table. Heavy equipment landscaped the sides and flattened the bottom, 83,000 tonnes of soil made from recycled waste was brought in and spread about before anything could be planted. There are two large biospheres, they look white from the outside and as if they are made of bubble wrap. The material they are made from is (try pronouncing this after a few drinks) ethylenetetrafluoroethylenecopolymer, ETFE for short. It is 3 layers thick and filled with air to form pillows. This material weights only 1% of the same area of glass, it lets in sunlight and UV light, but is slightly opaque to look out of from inside. Its insulation qualities are very good too and this is really important in the one biome that is filled with tropical rain forest or jungle. These biomes seems much bigger on the inside than they do from outside.
We did eventually get here the following afternoon late enough to get the discounted entrance. This seemed to be a good idea as most people were leaving and not many entering. We set off along the paths that meander down the hillside towards the big biomes. All along the way there are masses of plants with small signs here and there to describe the type of vegetation in each area or a particular plant. Unfortunately it was not always possible to work out just which plant was being described. The sign gave the common name, the Latin name and either something about where it grows or a special use that might be made of it. It is really very interesting for me but I fear that David got rather bored with it, especially as I take much longer than most people to read the signs. There is even a large area of tea plants growing. For those of you who don’t know this plant is one member of the camellia family. The tea plants here have not yet grown large enough to be pruned into the neat hedges that you see where it is grown commercially. Along one fence there is a display of many different ropes made from hemp, it makes extremely good rope but unfortunately due to its narcotic qualities it can only be grown under licence in most countries, thus we are encouraged to use the synthetic stuff that is not biodegradable and causes damage to the wildlife and the environment.
Just outside the building known as ‘the link’, it joins the two biomes together, and there are some restaurants and amenities here, we saw some lovely runner beans growing. They were loaded with ready to eat beans, and covered in scarlet flowers. It surprised me that no-one had picked the larger beans. A large patch nearby had a wide variety of small lettuce growing. Everything grown here is supposedly used in the restaurants.
The first biome we entered was the tropical rainforest/jungle one. It was just like arriving back in Brunei, humid and warm. Considering that the majority of plants in this biome have been grown from seeds or seedlings they have done well over the years. It really is just like a jungle all that seems to be missing is the monkeys. There are some small birds in here. It is the long term aim of the project to make each dome a sustainable environment, or at least that is my understanding. We spotted a number of plants we were familiar with, like most of the types of palm trees, some mango trees and other tropical fruit. They had monsterios but none that we could see had fruit, the bananas on the other hand appear to being fruiting well. There are some big stands of bamboo and a couple of huts built of bamboo to show its uses. In here we also saw some rice growing in a paddy field and some millet on a dryer slope. One of the ponds had the giant lily pads that we had seen growing in Vietnam, they are over a metre in diameter.
Many of the plants here are endangered species that are grown so that they can be used to propagate more of their species. One is so rare that all the remaining seeds are numbered. The plants used in this dome are mainly from Asia and central Africa. There may be just one or two from the jungles of central or South America but I don’t think I saw any.
The other biome is designed for plants from Mediterranean climates. The plants in it come from the Med area itself and South Africa and California mainly though I did see just one or two from Australia.
This dome was much cooler and drier; the temperature was equal to that outside. In here as we walked along the higher paths we could look down on the Mediterranean gardens full of stone fruit trees and citrus trees, just as you would see them growing in Greece or someplace similar. We were up amongst the agaves and aloes, proteas, prairie grasses and daisies. The plants here have been selected from those that grow along the Med, in South Africa and California mainly. There are also a great variety of bulbs here, but mostly they have finished flowering, many of these come from South Africa, apparently the coastal strip of vegetation in the Cape area has a massive range of native bulbs that are now cultivated and found in gardens all over the world. A wide range of herbs are growing here too and some of their uses are described, medicinal as well as culinary.
By the time we’d finished in this dome it was almost closing time and we had to make our way back to the exit/entrance and catch a bus back to the car park. It was getting dark outside, 9.30pm. I would love to go back another time and look some more but I think David has had enough.
© Lynette Regan 4th August 2007
Back again. Haven’t really been doing much since we came to Arundel: Been going for walks along the river bank in the mornings whenever I can, that’s about it. Often I would meet only one or two others who were usually walking their dogs, but mostly I only had the swans on the river for company. These swans must be used to people feeding them as whenever I speak to them they swim over to me and swim along beside me until they realize I don’t have anything for them then they go about their business. I still have not seen any cygnets, most odd!
In fact for mid summer there seems to be very little activity on the river. I remember when I used to live here and work in the tea hut, there was always some people in boats out and about quite early. Now at 11am there is little activity.
One day I visited the tea hut, it’s changed quite a lot since Heather and I used to work in it. Been modernized inside to meet new health requirements, but the basic building is still the same. The tea garden now has a log cabin in it to provide shelter for customers during inclement weather. Much used this summer I should think. The wall behind the tea garden separating it form the car park used to be covered in climbing roses that flowered all summer and the ruins and little park between the tea garden and the bridge also used to have gardens full of pink and red roses. I am sure I must have some old photos of them some where. Now all I could find was one lonely rose bush beside the ruins. None any where else:
During the summer holidays Heather and I used to be very busy in a morning. Busses bringing loads of tourists to visit the castle would park in the car park and people would rush over for a cup of tea before entering the castle grounds and come again when they’d finished there. Well, the castle still seems to get plenty of visitors but the tea hut doesn’t seem to get business from the busses like they used to. I had Heathers 7 year old granddaughter, Madeline, with me and we sat and ate an ice-cream in the tea garden one morning, it was lovely and sunny and warm. There was a crowd about the ruins and watching the swans, but we were the only ones at the tea garden. The couple who owned it years ago have both passed on to the big tea garden in the sky and there are new people running the show. The boat shed beside the tea hut that was once an Aladdin’s cave of gear that Andre (the owner) acquired from all sorts of people, some a bit dubious, and sell on: It is also the place from where the hire boat business was run. There were about 12 little hire boats in those days, I could only see 9 now.
After we got the car sorted and ourselves, whoops, don’t suppose I have told you about the car have I? We got it through a friend of Heathers whom we have met previously when he used to live next door to Heather and John. The car is a white citreon, something or other, about 1991 I think and a diesel. Used cars are not as cheap this year as they were last year but this one should do us ok for 250 pounds. David had got himself a satellite navigation system for the car, then we set out for Cornwall on a sunny Wednesday morning. We tried to get an early start but it didn’t happen. We did have a good run along the A27 past Portsmouth and the motorway around Southampton, then on westward through the new forest. After we passed around Dorchester the country became more hilly and picturesque. Many of the fields of wheat and barley have been harvested leaving the fields a straw colour. Add to that the fawn and browns of the ploughed fields, the bright, lush green of the pastures with black and white cows (Friesian/Holsteins) or white sheep (woolly things) grazing. Then there are the deep greens of the trees and hedges along fence lines and in small and large copses of trees. It made quite a kaleidoscope of colours. Just so pretty: God! I love to see the green, after so much drought its just so great to see.
We came to a lovely rest area where we sat and ate a late lunch. It was so hot we had to park in the shade. We set out heading for the Eden Project near St Austell but when we got past Exeter we thought we might make a detour to Launceston and see if David’s cousin Josephine was home. We had tried to phone her earlier but the phone had not been answered. When we arrived on her doorstep her husband Allen was home but shortly after Jo arrived. They made us very welcome so we didn’t get to the Eden Project that day.
The Eden Project is something we had heard quite a lot of people talk about. Everyone here seems very enthusiastic about it. I had decided we should visit it to see what all the fuss was about. After looking it up on the internet I found that as from this week it was open on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening till 9.30pm and after 4pm it has a reduced entrance fee. With things very expensive over here saving 4 pounds each seems like a good idea.
The concept for the project came about in the early 1990’s but the place wasn’t started to be built until 1998 and it was opened to the public in the spring of 2001. What was desired of the project was that it would be totally self-sufficient eventually and to have a neutral impact on the environment. It is still a work in progress and heading towards that goal: Sufficient water is caught to water all the plants in the two large biospheres (called biomes) and to use in the restaurants and cafes and the toilets. That would be a huge amount I should imagine. Everything is either reusable or recyclable, especially all the items used in the restaurants and cafes. The disposable knives and forks are made of a wood that grows quickly and so is an easily renewable source. No polystyrene cups and plates, all china that can be washed. It is also the aim of the project to produce all its own electricity from waste.
It is built in an old china clay pit, steep sided and 60m deep, so that it had to be started right from scratch because there was not even any soil in which vegetation could grow. The bottom was also several metres below the water table. Heavy equipment landscaped the sides and flattened the bottom, 83,000 tonnes of soil made from recycled waste was brought in and spread about before anything could be planted. There are two large biospheres, they look white from the outside and as if they are made of bubble wrap. The material they are made from is (try pronouncing this after a few drinks) ethylenetetrafluoroethylenecopolymer, ETFE for short. It is 3 layers thick and filled with air to form pillows. This material weights only 1% of the same area of glass, it lets in sunlight and UV light, but is slightly opaque to look out of from inside. Its insulation qualities are very good too and this is really important in the one biome that is filled with tropical rain forest or jungle. These biomes seems much bigger on the inside than they do from outside.
We did eventually get here the following afternoon late enough to get the discounted entrance. This seemed to be a good idea as most people were leaving and not many entering. We set off along the paths that meander down the hillside towards the big biomes. All along the way there are masses of plants with small signs here and there to describe the type of vegetation in each area or a particular plant. Unfortunately it was not always possible to work out just which plant was being described. The sign gave the common name, the Latin name and either something about where it grows or a special use that might be made of it. It is really very interesting for me but I fear that David got rather bored with it, especially as I take much longer than most people to read the signs. There is even a large area of tea plants growing. For those of you who don’t know this plant is one member of the camellia family. The tea plants here have not yet grown large enough to be pruned into the neat hedges that you see where it is grown commercially. Along one fence there is a display of many different ropes made from hemp, it makes extremely good rope but unfortunately due to its narcotic qualities it can only be grown under licence in most countries, thus we are encouraged to use the synthetic stuff that is not biodegradable and causes damage to the wildlife and the environment.
Just outside the building known as ‘the link’, it joins the two biomes together, and there are some restaurants and amenities here, we saw some lovely runner beans growing. They were loaded with ready to eat beans, and covered in scarlet flowers. It surprised me that no-one had picked the larger beans. A large patch nearby had a wide variety of small lettuce growing. Everything grown here is supposedly used in the restaurants.
The first biome we entered was the tropical rainforest/jungle one. It was just like arriving back in Brunei, humid and warm. Considering that the majority of plants in this biome have been grown from seeds or seedlings they have done well over the years. It really is just like a jungle all that seems to be missing is the monkeys. There are some small birds in here. It is the long term aim of the project to make each dome a sustainable environment, or at least that is my understanding. We spotted a number of plants we were familiar with, like most of the types of palm trees, some mango trees and other tropical fruit. They had monsterios but none that we could see had fruit, the bananas on the other hand appear to being fruiting well. There are some big stands of bamboo and a couple of huts built of bamboo to show its uses. In here we also saw some rice growing in a paddy field and some millet on a dryer slope. One of the ponds had the giant lily pads that we had seen growing in Vietnam, they are over a metre in diameter.
Many of the plants here are endangered species that are grown so that they can be used to propagate more of their species. One is so rare that all the remaining seeds are numbered. The plants used in this dome are mainly from Asia and central Africa. There may be just one or two from the jungles of central or South America but I don’t think I saw any.
The other biome is designed for plants from Mediterranean climates. The plants in it come from the Med area itself and South Africa and California mainly though I did see just one or two from Australia.
This dome was much cooler and drier; the temperature was equal to that outside. In here as we walked along the higher paths we could look down on the Mediterranean gardens full of stone fruit trees and citrus trees, just as you would see them growing in Greece or someplace similar. We were up amongst the agaves and aloes, proteas, prairie grasses and daisies. The plants here have been selected from those that grow along the Med, in South Africa and California mainly. There are also a great variety of bulbs here, but mostly they have finished flowering, many of these come from South Africa, apparently the coastal strip of vegetation in the Cape area has a massive range of native bulbs that are now cultivated and found in gardens all over the world. A wide range of herbs are growing here too and some of their uses are described, medicinal as well as culinary.
By the time we’d finished in this dome it was almost closing time and we had to make our way back to the exit/entrance and catch a bus back to the car park. It was getting dark outside, 9.30pm. I would love to go back another time and look some more but I think David has had enough.
© Lynette Regan 4th August 2007
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