Plymouth and Paradise

We went to Plymouth in some of the wettest days of any August we can remember. Here's the dramatis personae: Mike barbecuing before the evening rain fell; Pat and Rosie on the park-and-ride at the Eden Project; Daniel next to a granite representation of a seed at the heart of the Eden Project; and Alan, expertly photographed by Daniel.

We saw the arch commemorating the place from which the Pilgrim Fathers departed for North America. The actual spot, we believe, was a bit further back near the present-day Dolphin Pub - the harbour here - Sutton Harbour - was different in those days. It was interesting that at Easter we had been to see Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts, their supposed landing place - but it was probably, we understand, somewhere nearby. The shelter over that Rock is on the right with a picture of the reconstruction of the Plgrims' settlement in Massachusetts.

Our visit to Sutton Harbour, on the edge of Plymouth, took in as usual Captain Jasper's - for rolls or baguettes full of bacon and sausage, fried egg, onion, cheese and lashings of sauces.

Tavistock's Parish Church is dedicated to St Eustachius. Next to it was once Tavistock Abbey, of which there are only a few remains. The font was used to baptise Francis Drake, hero of the running battles against the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Scenes in Tavistock. The blue plaque remembers the town's first bank. There are many buildings and structures named for the Duke of Bedford who owned much land here. Tin was mined - it was a Stannary Town - one that could regulate the tin-mining industry within its area - as well as a market centre. The railway had an awkward route getting in to the valley of the Tavy as can be seen. The tree is made up of ceramic shapes which tell the story of Tavistock's growth.

This is a new guy at the Eden Project. Although it's a botanical garden of sorts it demonstrates flower power and more - it has attitude and something to say. He represents the tons of metal and plastic we throw out every day in industrial countries.

One of the rarest plants in the tropical biome is the Titan Arum, or Corpse Flower. It blooms infrequently, especially 'in captivity' as it were. This specimen was having one of those rare moments of glory - or pungency perhaps. Camera buffs stand well back.

A few examples from the millions of plants on show: flowers, shrubs, trees, vegetables, cereals, cacti, succulents, grasses ... all kinds of things.

Habitats: bamboo building; a project linked to a community in the Gambia; an installation by Ben Cook of a surfers' camp in California. It's a 1960 Westfalia campervan.

Left: semi-desert represented in the temperate biome. Right: an exhibit inside the Core, the Educational Centre.