Visions of Eden

"I had one delightful day in the Bog Walk with the M.s. I saw the great aristolochia trailing over the trees, as evil-smelling as its neighbour the portlandia was sweet. Tangles of ferns and orchids on every rock, with the clear river rushing among them, sometimes bounding between huge rocks, sometimes winding serenely between great plumes of feathery bamboos. It was a glorious four miles of scenery, but too far from Spanish Town..."


These are the words of Marianne North, (1830-1890), an unmarried middle aged Victorian lady of comfortable means who, following the death of her father, set off in 1871 on her first expedition to make a pictorial record of the tropical and exotic plants of the world. She travelled to every continent of the world, often alone and enduring hardships and dangers...

And this is what my sister TML would call a rabbit hole, and I an accidental finding, that is, finding something wonderful to blip, which then occasions further research and synchronistic findings.

Back in January, I bought a job lot of jigsaw puzzles, which CleanSteve blipped. Amongst them was "flower paintings" which I thought might be ok-ish. When I got half way down the pile, I pulled this one out, and found that not only had the artist been in the footsteps of the great Victorian lady explorers, but she had also ended her days in Alderley, South Gloucestershire. She established the Marianne North Gallery at Kew gardens, which holds over 800 of her paintings, hung almost like tiles, so close are they packed! See here..

Once I'd started the jigsaw, which TML begged me to blip, I went on to buy one of her books, A Vision of Eden, on the internet, and of course then I realised this is just the beginning. We have membership of Kew Gardens, and Alderley is just down the road!

The paintings aren't hugely realistic, but I love the colours! Marianne North, in her detailed observations, discovered several new plant species, which were named after her.

In other news, I am quite tired after yesterday's exertions, and the sun did not shine so the cabin was not the spring retreat I had hoped for. I did yet more catching up with the housework, but in a more ladylike and refined manner. CleanSteve is getting worse, but still needs to eat, alas. My taste buds and sense of smell are still shot, not to mention the hearing, so I'd cheerfully eat boiled eggs and Ryvita for another week. I guess when appetite returns, one is officially well, if combined with return of normal hearing. Tomorrow I will go back to work, if my plans turn out.