Some time ago I found this poem, “First Day of War” by Ludmila Khersonsky, that was published in The New Yorker, and it has come back into my head as we prepare to welcome some young Ukrainians into our home. They are part of a theatre group who will be performing in Redruth at the end of next week. They are from Kyiv and need some rest and recuperation before they get into rehearsals and performances so we are going to show them some of the beauty of Cornwall and of our everyday lives. 
Category Archives: The Lost Gardens of Heligan
A Poem
Guest Blogger
LiveWire No 3, our Granddaughter of 10 years old who was with us recently, took lots of photos at the Heligan Night Garden and has sent them to me. If you live locally, do try to get there! Thank you, T, these are a beautiful reminder of our lovely evening all together.
Together
After a late breakfast, a quiet catch-up morning, and a cold swim for Daughter No 2 in Portreath, we went off to The Lost Gardens of Heligan for their Night Garden Extravaganza, came home to a vegetarian chilli feast and lastly watched Elf (a film I had never seen) together! Here are just a few of the treasures in the night garden where we also enjoyed hot chestnuts, hot chocolates, mulled wine and toasted marshmallows! A fine time has been had by all. It is so good to be doing things all together..
The Lost Gardens
We’ve had the best last day with the LIveWires and Daughter No2 in The Lost Gardens of Heligan, exploring areas we hadn’t visited before and generally having fun. The rain wasn’t a problem at all as we were all wearing the right clothes! Join us in the gallery.
Charming entrance made with old tools
The Mud Maid made by Sue Hill and Pete Hill
Going down to the Jungle
Hydrangea heart
Rope walk
Rope walk
Enormous tree
Bamboo
Insect hotel
View across the hills
Blue Heron
Weekly Photo Challenge – Time
The beautiful Mud Maid in The Lost Gardens of Heligan, near Mevagissey in Cornwall, has been there for a long time already and will be there for a very long time to come. She is the work of Cornish sculptors Sue Hill and Pete Hill and is a favourite for our Grandchildren to visit. They love the Giant too. For others in this Challenge, click this link.
Mud Maid by Sue Hill and Pete Hill
The Lost Gardens of Heligan – Changing, Poppy Field and Giant
We visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan this morning. The changing room for babies caught my eye!
Baby changing room at Heligan
Last year, in the gardens, there was a wonderfully moving commemoration of the start of World War 1. You can read about it here. Thousands of poppies were planted for the event but, as is the way with poppies, they chose their own time to bloom and there were few around last year. This year they have bloomed in their thousands and make for a most moving spectacle. Click your way through the gallery and enjoy them as much as we did.
3 The Giant is always one of our favourites and the Live-Wires all love him. Wish they had been with us today.Here he is for them!
The Heligan Giant, made by Sue Hill and Pete Hill
Thank you for this one, Di
100: The Day Our World Changed – The Afternoon at Heligan
The afternoon at The Lost Gardens evoked the Heligan of the past beautifully with the laundry girls washing the sheets and putting them to dry on the lawn, the gardeners working hard in the kitchen garden and suddenly being told of the outbreak of war and that they would be needed. All the time strains of music could be heard from the local bands and our very own singers from Claire’s three choirs, brought together as the Ingleheart 100 for the day. Click on any photo for detail. Thank you to the lovely Mr S for some of the photos.
Mrs Barnicoat, the Housekeeper, speaking to the laundry girls
Working hard
Singing in the Sundial garden
Heligan gardeners
The gardeners being read the announcement of the war
The gardeners have just been told about the war
Thinking hard about whether to enlist
In the kitchen garden
Produce in the garden
Jack asking a passerby what his favourite vegetable is. ‘Apples’ replied the little boy
Messages of memory and loss
The 100 band entertains the crowds
Mrs Barnicoat chatting to a member of the audience
David in costume
Don’t the choir scrub up well?
Mingling while waiting to perform
My pal Sue and I, waiting for the call to sing
More of our beautifully turned out choir
and more!
Claire off to the stage as the last part of the day is about to begin with our singing
And we are on……
The next post will show the rest of the afternoon and evening as the tragic events of the war unfold.
100: The Day Our World Changed in Mevagissey
100: The Day Our World Changed remembered the local men who went to war a hundred years ago and told the stories of the people they left behind. It was a beautiful, respectful and very moving event that I was lucky enough to be a part of, singing with the Inglehearts 100, made up of Claire’s three choirs.
The following gallery takes you through the morning in Mevagissey; my next post will take you up to The Lost Gardens of Heligan as the tragic events unfold in the afternoon.
The 100 band at Mevagissey
The band goes by
The ghosts through whose voices we follow the events.
Ghosts and the crowds watching
Reading the message that war has been declared
Did she say war has been declared?
Now, all you men, your country needs you!
The lugger brings in the fisherman
Our lovely MD, Claire, enjoying a break between scenes
The rallying call
Gathering recruits. Mr S was a conscientious objector so wasn’t taken
Getting ready to sing and play
Choir 100 waiting to sing. Director Bill Mitchell in the green shirt.JPG
Gathering the new recruits together as the choir sing Silence in June
The Inglehearts 100 have just sung Soldier’s Farewell
The new recruits go off up the hill singing ‘Little Eyes’
Nearly out of sight -their voices are fading and those left behind are weeping
A tearful goodbye to the new recruits
Thank you to the lovely Mr S for some of these photos, taken while I was singing.
Yesterday, Dying Day Lily and Strawberry Jam
1 I’m still reeling from yesterday’s wonderfully moving production. Tomorrow, I promise, the photos of the event. For now, – war has just been declared and recruitment has begun.
Who is going to volunteer?
2 As each Day Lily fades there is the most beautiful veining in the petals for just a couple of hours each day.
Beautiful veining
3 We’ve been so busy recently that I thought I’d missed finding strawberries to make the best jam in the world! Today we found some reduced English strawberries and so have started off the freezer jam. Because it isn’t cooked, it retains the truly delicious taste of just picked strawberries……… I’ll put the very easy recipe up the days after tomorrow when it is finished.
Strawberry freezer jam started
My Costume, Flowers and Broad Beans
1 I have assembled all my 1914 outfit for the Wildworks event 100: The Day Our World Changed tomorrow and I’m really rather pleased with the effect!
My outfit for Heligan
A long view
2 The Day Lily buds keep coming and the Agapanthus is almost fully open – we are delighted with the way the colours look together.
Agapanthus and Day Lily
3 For one reason and another, we have been rather late harvesting our Broad Beans and they needed double podding. So, as well as having some for supper tonight and freezing away a heap for later, I have made a scrumptious Broad Bean Soup with some delicious chicken stock from an organic chicken I cooked a few days ago and using all the skins and the biggest beans – two pints frozen away for a summer taste in winter. Success!
Broad bean harvest
I love how the beans rest in their little furry pod
