Chelsea Physic Garden, Body Worlds and Mr Gum and the dancing bear.

We visited Chelsea Physic Garden, a short walk from Sloane Square tube station. You enter by an assuming entrance - 4 acres surrounded by high brick walls. It is a remarkable garden originally created in 1673 by the Apothecaries in which to grow medicinal plants. It’s a living, breathing museum, complete with labels and educational messaging next to every ‘exhibit’. If you want to know where aspirin comes from, you can actually see and touch the plant right here. We just enjoyed wondering round. P did the children's trial which she liked!

 We then went for a wonder round Battersea Park...

 ...and a snack in the park.

 We the took the tube to Piccadilly where we went to Body Worlds, a new permanent museum taking the place of Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Body Worlds is a museum made up of real, plastinated people and is unlike any museum or exhibit you’ll have ever seen. preserved human bodies used in 200 exhibits across 6 galleries giving a thought provoking, educational insight into our reproductive, respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic systems. All exhibits are fascinating and strangely beautiful! It is worth noting there is a cloakroom before you enter the museum as you are only allowed a small bag for your journey round. There is also lift access and stair access on each floor as well. You get an audio guide which tells you about the different exhibits. 

We then walked over the river to the National Theatre.

 We went to see Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear in which Andy Stanton has adapted his own crazy but kind children's book about the unlikely friendship between feisty nine-year-old Polly and the giant bear she rescues from a miserable life of humiliation, and peppers it with bouncy songs by Jim Fortune. From what I remember it seems quite faithful to the book with shouts of, "The truth is a lemon meringue." It is suitably bonkers and we loved it! 

Cornwall - Day 2

Today we left our holiday cottage and drove to visit the Lost Gardens of Heligan. There are over 200 acres which are now a paradise for the explorer, wildlife, plant lover and garden romantic. Victorian gardens provide the café with homegrown vegetables and the pleasure gardens beckon, along with winding paths laid out over 200 years ago. The Jungle takes you on a sub-tropical journey through bamboo tunnels and under majestic tree ferns, giant rhubarb and banana trees. As well as playing host the UK’s only Burmese rope bridge, these Jungle is 5 degrees warmer than the rest of the gardens! You can wander around the estate and discover traditional and rare breeds, wildlife and ancient woodlands.

Cornwall - Day 1

This morning, we went on the 3 hour ocean discovery trip with Marine Discovery. We were lucky enough to see seals, common dolphins who came and played round the boat and lots of beautiful sea birds. We loved the boat; it is a sailing catamaran which allows fantastic views. You can sit on the trampoline net and see the dolphins underneath.

 The views from the boat of the coast was stunning too!

 In the afternoon, we walked to the stunning Nanjizal beach where we all went swimming! The water is so crystal clear.

30 Days wild - Day 29 The Confetti Flower Field

Today E, P and I drove two and half hours to visit the Confetti Flower field in Pershore, Worcestershire. It is only open one week a year and so I decided it was worth the drive. The flowers were beautiful but it was very hot! We also enjoyed ice-cream and yummy cake! There was also a lack of insects which I found very odd!

30 days wild - Day 1 Falkirk wheel and swallows

Driving back from Scotland, we stopped at somewhere I had wanted to visit for a long time - The Falkirk Wheel. Standing at a massive 35m high, it’s a rotating boat lift, designed by Tony Kettle of architects’ RMJM. The design was inspired by a double-headed Celtic spear, the propeller of a ship, the ribcage of a whale and spine of a fish. It is the only rotating lift for boats, connecting the Forth & Clyde canal and the Union canal and lifting boats 24 metres. We paid for a ride on the wheel, but before we went we enjoyed watching the swallows dart around! We loved the view from the top of the wheel!