Hey friends! Sorry for the quiet, I've just been away to Borneo with university, but there'll be plenty of posts on the way soon.
Last month Leon and I visited the Eden Project on the way home for the holidays, and despite being more excited than a 6 year old on Christmas Eve, the day somehow managed to exceed all expectations!
I've visited a few times before with family, but never been to their 'Shadows and Light's show.
After exploring all day and marvelling at bright flowers and colourful birds, as the daylight faded the domes started to come alive again. The photos really speak for themselves!
As it was getting dark we found ourselves in the Mediterranean dome, which came alive with colour and lights. All the olive trees had streams of fairy lights, and the projections onto the plants made it feel like we were underwater. We'd spent the day looking around the domes, but when night came it was completely different and it felt like we were on a different planet! In the middle of the dome there was a laser forest, where you could walk through and as each laser moved it made a different sound. It was so surreal and magical I'm sure we enjoyed it more than the children did!
Now to the rainforest dome! This one appealed to the scientist in me- the lights and mist were based on an algorithm that took into account precipitation, temperature, humidity, wind speed and cloud cover from real time rainforests. You could easily have missed it, but if you watched carefully you could see the slight changes to sound and colour as you walked among the plants. Even regular leaves were transformed into something from Avatar, and the whole experience was mesmerising. I really don't think there's much I can say to do the whole experience justice, so I'll leave the photos to do the talking...

It seems like only a few days ago I was thinking autumn had crept up on us, and now it's time for winter too. Despite the cosy crunch of leaves underfoot, a gentle tap on the head from a falling acorn, and the familiar smell of fallen apples, there is a chill in the air.
Saturday morning we set out on a gorgeous sun drenched morning, and despite looking cosy and happy (happy I was), I spent most of the day shivering. The first few days of cold always take me a bit by surprise. One minute you're swimming in the sea and sipping lemonade until the middle of the night, the next you're tucked up at six, huddling into a hot chocolate and having urges to knit about 10 hats. Or is that just me? Probably just me. I'm an old lady at heart.

Anyway, despite being a hermit as of late, this weekend called for an adventure. Leon's mum was down so we took a day trip out to the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which neither of them had been to before. I last time I visited was last year during summer, and then before that was about 4 years ago with my family. At that time I was planning to become a fashion designer in London, and now here I am being a little country bumpkin tree-hugging zoologist in Cornwall.
Funny how things change ;)
 The gardens were beautiful and still full of colour. There were bright squashes and festivities throughout the acres of land, and we even saw a few little witches and devils!
 Of course, my favourite area is always the flower garden, filled with roses, dahlias and chrysanthemums. Spring feels like years ago, so seeing a patchwork of beautiful colours and petals.  There was also still a variety of herbs growing that put my little windowsill pots to shame, and rows of beetroots, apples, chard and cabbages. I'm so excited to come back in spring to see how the gardens change each season.

 The last couple of times I've been, there are normally some chicks hatching in the barn, however being Halloween, this time there was tarantulas and stick insects. I've not included photos of those for my friends who despise creepy-crawlies, but here's a photo of some beautiful geese instead. Don't say I don't treat y'all ;)  There were also ducks, turkeys, goats, sheep, pigs and horses. 
 And finally, every corner of Heligan has something new to explore. My favourite sculpture is the 'Mud Maid' which was made in 1998, so she's the same age as me! She's made from timber and netting covered in mud, sand and cement. Her hair is planted with Woodsedge and Montebretia and ivy has been trained to clothe her. She's so peaceful looking, especially with the sun setting behind her, it's hard to feel stressed whilst you're in her presence. 

Emma xo

Boulder's Beach

 During the first few days of settling in, we visited the penguins at Boulder's beach and explored Simon's Town which was beautiful. The sea and sky were brilliant shades of blue in the heat, with my senses bombarded with local music, tastes and smells. Local men danced in their bright outfits whilst we sipped lychee juice and admired the views.

Simon's Town

 Cederberg Mountains

The next four days were taken up by a 1250km motorbike trip! We explored the Cederberg Mountains followed by desert and coast and villages in between. On the first night, we stopped off at the Cederberg Oasis overnight which was stunning. It featured a backdrop of the mountains, and we were so far from anywhere that there was no light pollution. The owner of the showed me different constellations and also the big splash of the Milky Way that covered a huge stretch of sky. If ever I've felt small, that was the moment!

Porcupine Rest Camp

The second night was even more rustic, yet even more fun! We stayed at a place nestled in the middle of nowhere (surprise) called Porcupine Rest Camp. The night was full of cocktails, pool, fire pits and the best pizza I've ever had cooked in an outdoor oven.

We even gave The Wurzels a listen because we bumped into a fellow man from Somerset called James. I thought the trip was long enough on a motorbike, but James was actually cycling around South Africa for three months! That kept me inspired for my trip for sure.
Some other inspiring/mad people we met were a group walking in the 30 degree heat, down one of the longest stretches of road in South Africa with no town in between. Maybe the sun had made them go a little crazy, but it was pretty amazing what they were doing all the same!

Below: my shower whilst at Porcupine Rest Camp! The water was heated by a log fire and there was no roof. Maybe a bit basic for some people, but quite possibly my favourite shower I've had- who needs luxurious tiles when you have birds flying overhead and morning sunlight on your face?

Seven Weeks Port, Route 62 and the coast

 We also headed to Cape Agulhas, the Southernmost Tip of Africa to admire the view and also to dip my hands in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans at the same time. I can confirm both were very cold! This final day was a 400km loop back towards Cape Town, where an indoor shower and sofa were much appreciated after 4 days sat on the back of a motorbike!
The second week of my trip included learning to bead in MonkeyBiz, which supports local artists to earn money creating beautiful beaded animals whilst they still have time to look after their children. I came home with five animals because they were all so unique and colourful! We also explored a few vineyards, the Two Oceans Aquarium and also Table Mountain.

Table Mountain