cornishcountrytreasure

cornishcountrytreasure As a gardener/designer/ community engagement officer for local government, encouraging others to share in nature's delights is a big part of my work.

Here I want to bring you a taste of the natural wonders of Falmouth and Cornwall to enjoy.๏ฟฝ

What an incredible day! We had the great honour of being shown around Shukkei-en Garden in Horoshima, home of the A-bomb...
18/08/2026

What an incredible day! We had the great honour of being shown around Shukkei-en Garden in Horoshima, home of the A-bombed Ginkgo biloba - the mother tree for the Cornish Mayors for Peace saplings. ๐ŸŒฑ
81 years ago this month, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city, horrifically killing and maiming tens of thousands of people. For five sq miles, the surrounding city was almost totally flattened and burnt. Many took refuge in the historic Shukkei-en Garden, looking for water to drink and to soothe their burning skin.๐Ÿ’ง
The following Spring, against all odds, trees in the garden thought to have perished in the intense firestorm that followed the radioactive blast, started to sprout new growth - a sign of hope. ๐ŸŒฟ
In 1982, the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagaski founded the Mayors for Peace Project, to promote peace education, help foster safe, resilient communities and campaign to abolish nuclear weapons, so no one ever has to suffer as the people of their two cities did. As part of this Project, seeds are collected from the 'survivor trees' and sent to local government partners around the world to be grown on and planted in public spaces, to spread the word of peace.๐ŸŒฑ
Cornwall's Mayors for Peace Project was co-ordinated by our friend Sam Nicholls, who propogated and grew seeds sent to him from the 200 year old A-bombed Gingko biloba survivor tree in Shukkei-en Garden. ๐ŸŒณ
With support from the fabulous Matt Stannard (David Plaister) at Fox Rosehill Garden in Falmouth, six saplings reached a suitable size for planting out this Spring. In a ceremony at Cornwall Council's New County Hall, Truro, they were presented to prestigious gardens around Cornwall to carry the message of peace forward - Trewithan Gardens, Pencarrow, Trebah Gardens, Eden Project and Fox Rosehill Gardens. ๐ŸŒณ
We cannot thank Mr Umeda, the Head Landscape Architect at Shukkei-en Garden, Tomonori Matsumoto, Deputy General Manager and Matsuko Matsuzaki, our wonderful volunteer guide enough for the generosity of their time and patience in showing us around and answering our constant stream of questions.
It is an experience we will never forget! ๐Ÿฅฐ

Japan! ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ตWhat a place! It's been a dream to visit since childhood and I still can't quite believe we made it! ๐Ÿ˜Loved eve...
24/07/2026

Japan! ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต
What a place! It's been a dream to visit since childhood and I still can't quite believe we made it! ๐Ÿ˜
Loved everything about it! The people, the culture, the food, the bullet trains and of course, the gardens! ๐ŸŒณ
Tokyo hit us full throttle! Complete contrast to laid back chilling on sunny beaches in Fiji! Crazy place, but absolutely loved it! ๐Ÿ˜
Kanazawa was our first proper introduction to Japanese gardens and it didn't disappoint.
Kenroku-en Garden, one of Japan's Three Great Gardens, was so good we went twice! ๐ŸŒณ
Loved everything about Kyoto, but needless to say, the gardens took centre stage. The contrasting styles of the famous zen rock garden at Ryลan-ji and the dry gardens at Daitoku-ji Zuiho-in, Tลfuku-ji, Kennin-ji and Ginkaku-ji were stunning. Each telling their own story. ๐Ÿชจ
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest was something else. We have the same bamboo, Phyllostachys edulis, growing in Fox Rosehill Gardens in Falmouth, but this was on another level! ๐ŸŒฟ
Then tucked away from the tourist trail we found two gems, Okochi Sanso Garden, designed and built by Japanese actor Denjirล ลŒkลchi and the moss garden at Giลji Temple, which literally stopped us in our tracks - photos and videos just don't do any of them justice and with only 20 photos allowed on Insta, I may have to do some individual posts on these treasures.๐ŸŒณ
Next stop Hiroshima for something really special! ๐ŸŒณ

Well Fiji, you captured us completely - hearts and souls! ๐Ÿ˜The warmth of your welcome has given us exactly what we neede...
13/06/2026

Well Fiji, you captured us completely - hearts and souls! ๐Ÿ˜
The warmth of your welcome has given us exactly what we needed to recharge and refill. Your breathtaking islands are such special places.Your people have the biggest hearts and welcome you like family. The world is definitely a better place when it's filled with 'BULA!'! ๐Ÿฅฐ
A huge 'Vinaka Vakalevu!' to everyone and for looking after us so well while we were with you and welcoming us into your piece of paradise. ๐Ÿ˜
Hopefully we will see you again, but in the meantime we are leaving with our hearts full and our minds overflowing with incredible memories. ๐Ÿ˜
Fiji time forever! ๐Ÿฅฐ๐ŸŒด

OMG! WOW! WOW! WOW!๐Ÿ˜WHAT A DAY! WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! ๐Ÿ˜.Just been snorkeling in the channel between Naviti and Barefoot Ma...
03/06/2026

OMG! WOW! WOW! WOW!๐Ÿ˜
WHAT A DAY! WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! ๐Ÿ˜.
Just been snorkeling in the channel between Naviti and Barefoot Manta Island and saw not one, but EIGHT Manta Rays!!! ๐Ÿ˜ฒ
Still absolutely buzzing! ๐Ÿ˜
At one point I counted four swim past me nose to tail and was so excited I didn't notice the one swimming straight up behind me until the last minute when it casually altered its course, using me as a roundabout! ๐Ÿคช Just brilliant!
The fish and the coral in the channel were spectacular. Huge shoals of fish everywhere you looked. Even saw two yellowfin tuna chasing around.
The icing on the cake was when we got back in the water for the last time and two manta were feeding doing the loop-the-loop, somersulting right in front of us! ๐Ÿ˜ฒ
Just can't believe it! Have always wanted to see that and they were right there! ๐Ÿ˜
What a special moment! ๐Ÿ˜โค๏ธ
So grateful to the others on the trip who shared their footage and a huge thank you to Sekove and Vilimoni, who were our fabulous skipper and top guide today, for making it such an unforgettable experience. ๐Ÿ˜

In May last year, we taken a massive leap of faith, given up our jobs, rented out the house and started this leg of our ...
29/05/2026

In May last year, we taken a massive leap of faith, given up our jobs, rented out the house and started this leg of our travel adventures. Our plan was to be home this month, but as you can see, as beautiful as Cornwall is, we are not there! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ
Apologies to all those who have sent messages to make sure we were still on the planet! We are still here, but have been so busy taking everything in that the posts and updates have been few and far between! ๐Ÿ˜
We have had the most amazing time, travelling through Greece, Turkey, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. We've seen and experienced wonders we couldn't have imagined and spent precious time with wonderful friends and family, some of whom it had been over 25 years since we were last together. ๐Ÿฅฐ
We even managed to squeeze in a garden redesign in New Zealand as a thank you to our fabulous friends, Jennie and Dave, for being our incredible tour guides around their beautiful country for the best part of six months! ๐Ÿ˜
We have finally stopped to recharge the batteries for a while in Fiji.ย  Fabulous people, fascinating culture, stunning scenery and delicious food! What an island paradise! ๐ŸŒบ
Over the next few days, I'm hoping to share some highlights of our journey so far, including the incredible gardens, plants and wildlife we have discovered along the way, so all I can say is, brace yourselves! ๐Ÿ˜

zealand followyourdreams worldgardens

Little Blue Penguins (Kororฤ)! ๐Ÿง World's smallest penguin - only 30cms high ! ๐Ÿฅฐ Cure and hilarious in equal measure! Ama...
21/01/2026

Little Blue Penguins (Kororฤ)! ๐Ÿง
World's smallest penguin - only 30cms high ! ๐Ÿฅฐ
Cure and hilarious in equal measure! Amazing work by Blue Penguins Pukekura to help conserve these beauties.
Perfect way to spend an evening ๐Ÿ˜

Island 2 -Tilos! ๐Ÿ˜ŽQuiet, and friendly, with amazing hikes and stunning plants along the way! ๐ŸŒบExplored historic abandone...
22/06/2025

Island 2 -Tilos! ๐Ÿ˜Ž
Quiet, and friendly, with amazing hikes and stunning plants along the way! ๐ŸŒบ
Explored historic abandoned villages, discovered pygmy elephants, that were smaller than me and randomly found ourselves on the beach with peacocks! ๐Ÿ˜ƒ
Had the vibe of Greece of old. Loved it! Would definitely recommend ๐Ÿ˜

Five fabulous weeks, hopping between seven Greek islands, exploring the Dodecanese ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ทSuch stunning islands - warm, welco...
22/06/2025

Five fabulous weeks, hopping between seven Greek islands, exploring the Dodecanese ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท
Such stunning islands - warm, welcoming people, fascinating history, delicious food, beautiful beaches, breathtaking geology and an incredible array of plants a long the way. What's not to love!ย ๐Ÿ˜
Too much for one post, so will share island by island. ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท
First stop, Rhodes Old Town with the Knights of St John, stunning architecture and beautiful wildflowers everywhere. ๐ŸŒผ

Incredibly moving and emotional few days staying in Kanchanaburi visiting the Death Railway, Hellfire Pass and the war g...
14/01/2025

Incredibly moving and emotional few days staying in Kanchanaburi visiting the Death Railway, Hellfire Pass and the war graves cemetery.
This was the hardest part of the Railway to build, breaking through solid rock with nothing more than hand tools and sticks of dynamite.
Sixty-nine men were beaten to death in the twelve weeks it took cut through the rock, and many more died from diseases, such as chlorea, beri beri, dysentery and tropical ulcers.
They were expected to walk 6km barefoot over sharp rocks before they even reached where they were working. Their days were long, hard, physical, 18+ hours, moving tons of rock by hand, whilst surviving on a couple of spoonfuls of weevil infested rice, if they were lucky.

We walked the 6kms to and from where the line ends today, and that was tricky enough in good walking shoes.
Malnutition, disease, torrture and brutality were part of their everyday lives. The misery and suffering experienced by these young men is truly unimaginable.
Over 100,000 died building this railway - 16,000 POWs, but also 90,000 Asian civilians who were forced to work and who are rarely mentioned.
Walking along the rows of headstones in the cemetery, it struck me that the age of the vast majority of these men was 23/24 years old - the same age as my children are now - full of potential, their whole lives ahead of them.
If ever there was a reminder needed of the absolute destruction, futility and complete waste war brings, it was here โค๏ธ

Travelled coast to coast from Khao Lak to Surat Thani, before catching the overnight train to Bangkok and then heading n...
08/01/2025

Travelled coast to coast from Khao Lak to Surat Thani, before catching the overnight train to Bangkok and then heading north .๐Ÿ˜ƒ
Passed by Koh Sok National Park. Stunning! ๐Ÿ˜

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