The Eden Project (part 1), Cornwall

Returning to my postings on Cornwall, we are here visiting The Eden Project

The idea came from Tim Smit who was also responsible for the recovery of the famous Lost Gardens of Heligan (see a previous post)

It was developed from a China Clay Pit beginning in 1994

I had always hoped to be able to visit some time but then when in Cornwall I was unsure because of the time factor and the high cost

In the end we decided to go as it was only about 15 minutes from where we were staying, rather than wishing we had when back home

The project is a charity very much taken  up with conservation, climate and the environment

If you are interested in knowing more then the following link will take you there

http://www.edenproject.com/whats-it-all-about

The Biomes are large and the photos do not do them justice

Here we are inside the Rainforest Biome which I have to say was my favourite bit apart from the humidity and heat and steep slopes

Again the pictures do not do it justice

and yes they grow bananas for sale here

After an hour I was ready to leave with damp hair and perspiration running down my face

There were many eating places and food served reflects the stories told in the exhibits

Responsibly-sourced, fairly traded, single-source, organic, seasonal and/or local and freshly made, often in front of ones eyes

It was good but expensive

I have one more post on this project 

For anyone enquiring about my computer - it is working but it is going to take me a long time to get back to where it was

If you are someone who used my E-mail address then please would you E-mail me so that I have your address again

Computer Crisis

Frustratingly there is lots I still can't do on my computer so do bear with me on posting and visiting.

My laptop problem was nothing more that a clogged up fan which had been causing it to over heat and crash. This was cleaned and software checked and all was well. However when I opened it up it had been completely wiped. The only thing on it was an empty recycle bin.

I had backed up all my documents and photos but had no idea that I would need to back up everything on my computer including programmes. This was a safeguard in case anything was lost.

What this meant was I had lost virus protection, documents, photographs, E-mails (hundreds), contact addresses (hundreds), bookmarks (hundreds), downloaded software and programmes (including bought software), blog - which kept me locked out of that initially, over 900 songs in i-tunes (all now have to be re-loaded from C.D.'s) and all my personal formatting etc. 

Added to this my last back-up before I handed in computer for some reason did not work.

I went to PC World yesterday to find that I did not

'have a leg to stand on' as I had signed a document absolving them from all responsibility when I had thought I was just signing to say I was handed my laptop over to them for repair.

A pretty knowledgeable friend has been sitting with me for most of 3 days and I am now able to use the priority stuff but I have a long way to go in bringing computer to where I want it and some will never be the same. It's going to be a long haul.

I have lost most of my Summer photos as they were on the failed back-up but fortunately I had put my Cornwall photos into a separate folder.

I have now bought and installed an expensive back-up system that will automatically back  up to my external hard drive at a time I choose daily, weekly or whatever.

Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

We do learn by our mistakes don't we!

Mevagissey, Cornwall and a Treat in October

Having spent the day at Heligan it seemed a shame to not visit the fishing harbour of Mevagissey that was only 5 minutes drive away.
It's amazing how I could feel so tired at the end of our jungle trip in Heligan, yet come to life again in this new environment!

This harbour is not as pretty as some we have visited but it has it's own charm all the same

Having wandered the harbour we make our way back towards the car park visiting some galleries on the way

and on the top of the cliff on the way back to our cottage we pass St. Austell Bay

Looking across the bay to where we are staying

Now the treat

I am going to leave you with some lovely October roses from the garden

Since taking these photographs a few days ago the weather has really turned

We have left the driest September on record behind and now are experiencing cooler weather with rain and storms

The latest card I made for a friend's birthday

and lastly a sunrise a few days ago

I have really combined two posts into one here as I am going to be without my computer for a while

my laptop has been over heating for some time (very hot) and crashing as a result. Decided it was time to get it fixed.

Kept putting it off as I hate to think of being without it for 10 days!

What did we do before this technology? 

At least my i-pad softens the blow!! 

The Lost Gardens of Helligan, Cornwall

I have always wanted to visit Heligan since I watched a TV series on the restoration some years ago.

The estate has been in the Tremayne family for over 4 centuries.

The original 'lost gardens' were only discovered in 1990 and all that you see today has been restored since then.

The Mud Woman - just one of several quirky bits on the way in

There is much of interest in this garden but it was The Jungle that was the attraction for us

but first lunch in their great restaurant where everything is grown here, or bought in locally

It is situated on, and at the bottom of two steep hillsides and has it's own climate

There were steps in places but much of it was steep paths amongst the vegetation

To think that this has all been planted/restored in 24 years is incredible

Well this was scary

Obviously I could not photograph it all and we had a very long and steep walk back to the restaurant area by which time I felt I could not walk another step

However after some strong tea and a short rest I felt recovered enough to visit another cove close by which I will cover in my next post