Island Paradise

"Get Drunk on the flowers of Cornwall"

Said Basil (For Basil read lovely friend of the family ~ ex Cornish hotelier and Bon Viveur!)

Well we did!

In fact we went one better.

For my Birthday surprise Mr.Lane presented me with two helicopter tickets to fly from Penzance to Tresco. ( so yes Kate, we did go to your neck of the woods!!!)

An Explosion Of Colour, Joanne Short

I have long hankered for this trip to the Isles of Scilly ~ off the southern tip of Cornwall ~ as I have been captivated by the work of Joanne Short and her husband John Dyer. Particularly their paintings of Tresco Abbey Gardens.

Secret Garden, Joanne Short

Picking Asparagus, John Dyer

And oh my goodness it did not disappoint.

Someone once described it as "Kew Gardens with the roof off!"

It is a truly magnificent sub tropical garden. Where else in the British Isles can you see red hot pokers flowering on March 1st?




The island is small and there are no cars we dropped off our bags and headed straight for the gardens.

The ruined abbey buildings are an ideal spot for a garden, which has developed from a small formal area into a seventeen acre site of terraces, walkways and fish ponds.
Augustus Smith was responsible for importing and planting many of the exotic species seen in the gardens today. Over a period of forty years, he developed the gardens to include various species of palm trees and succulents alongside various other exotic plants. The Dorrien-Smith family have continued to develop the gardens since the latter part of the 19th century.

Many of the walls and ruins are festooned in succulents and exotics tumbling out from all the crevices.

And once you begin to explore there are thrilling new vistas, walkways and focal points throughout.

I had just had to go and poke my nose inside this little summer house

What I discovered took my breath away....

The most wonderful shell mosaics

The shell house interior was designed by Lucy Dorrien Smith, isn't it breathtaking?

And so we wind on through these magical gardens.

The Sculpture at the top of these steps in Neptune from a shipwrecked Figurehead.

Gaia, The Earth Mother

Fell in love with this stone bench spotted with age and weather

I love the vista at the very top of the gardens as over the tropical trees you look across the turquoise waters to the other islands.

I must now say that throughout all my gushing and wowing Mr.Lane was also soaking in the atmosphere of the place~ he wrestled the camera from me as I was taking this picture and here is his

" Red Hot Robin"

It is brilliant!

Lovely Abbey ruins with green adornments

Ok, I am a bit breathless after all that!

Joyous day, thank you Mr.Lane, you're the best xXx