Silly post part 1

Hello Dear Readers,

The trip to the Isles of Scilly was so big, I think I need to split it into two posts. The first day we assembled at the train station in Paddington. My first time at this iconic station, though I did have a Paddington bear as a kid. Megan who I work with at Kew was there looking stylish as ever.

We took a short 5 hour train ride down to Penzance, on the international day of the pirate no less. It was a really nice ride by what they term the Cornish Riviera, Cornwall being the name of the county at the far south west corner of England. I did quite a bit of knitting and caught up on the latest Southern Vampires mystery during the trip, so it was great! We spent the evening at a pub in Penzance and slept at a youth hostel. Unfortunately one of our party was a snorer, not just chopping logs as Chris would say but chain sawing them so I didn't get much sleep!

Three Cornered Leek, delicious in salad

The Not so Elusive Scarlet Pimpernel

 The next morning we took the ferry from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly. I slept a good bit of the trip, but really enjoyed the rough waters, at times it was like being on a roller coaster.  Apparently this is some of the worst waters off the English coast, notorious for shipwrecks. What I wasn't prepared for was how blue the water is, it was so much like the Mediterranean, except, you know, for all the cold and wind and rain in June...... We settled in on the first day and headed up to our lodgings. Half the group stayed in a holiday flat and I went up with Elisa, Kath and Megan to The Garrison!
 It's an old military bunker built in 1900 according to a stone in the wall. It was designed to protect the island from attack by the Spanish armadas etc., but was built in a bad spot for protecting and the story goes that the guns were never "fired in anger."  Our beds were in the underground bunker bit, with one small window that looked out into the ditch cut between the sleeping rooms and living area.  At one time where we slept was the ammunition's room, and there was a small dumbwaiter in the wall used for hauling ammo up to the big guns mounted up top.

 Sunday we took a boat from St. Marys where we were staying to the island of Tresco.  In the morning Mark gave a nature walk/talk for the Wildlife Trust to a very attentive audience.  Here is Elisa intently listening to the history of the island

It is clear from the twinkle in his eyes and the alarming pace he sets that Mark really gets a kick out of giving these talks, and why not, it's nice to be appreciated for your botanical knowledge.  That's something Mark has in spades.

We walked for quite a few miles while I furiously tried to keep pace with sketching in my notebook and trying to capture Latin plant names.  I probably learned more about  English plant life in that first trip to Tresco than I have in the past year.

Tresco is one of the more touristy island, and offers the usual stunning views of the sea and ruins of old fortifications.  I know, yawn yawn, amazing company, great plants and a perfect sea breeze.  We even managed to make it to the world famous (yeah, I never heard of it either) Tresco Botanic Gardens, though we only had a short hour to spend there.  Because the islands are so far south a lot of things grow here that you won't find anywhere else in England outside of a greenhouse.