Wakehurst Place 10 August 2017

To refresh your memory, here's a map of Wakehurst. Today I'm venturing around the bottom of the doughnut - which is the top of this picture, if you get my drift. I'll leave the Millenium Seed Bank for another visit. A greyish kind of day but not cold, just a touch of Autumn in the air and lovely to be outside.

I'm in the middle of looking for a job - having to sell yourself, really stressful, so a walk is necessary.

It's quite a steep drop from the entrance down to the lake. Could be slippery when wet I would imagine. The route I took is the Rock Walk with ancient yew tree roots clinging to the bare rock of Ardingly sandstone. The geology of this area dates back to the Early Cretaceous period - 140 million years ago. That'll put job hunting into perspective.

Down into Bloomer's Valley (named for the iron smelting that took place here in Roman times) which has been re-established as a natural wild meadow. In September the Southdowns sheep are allowed into the meadow to graze and complete the natural cycle of re-seeding.

Into the Horsebridge Wood.

Redwoods - such amazing trees. On two of the trees there are plaques stating that one has been grown from seed taken from the General Sherman tree and the other from the General Grant tree - among the largest and most famous of the Giant Redwoods in America. Illustrious roots indeed (literally).

All through the gardens you come across sculptures like this. They are made by Woodland Centre - Chainsaw Sculptures - (http://www.woodlandcentre.co.uk/). Aren't they fantastic? How do they manage that level of detail with a chainsaw?

These awesome mushrooms are by renowed willow artist Tom Hare.

The lakes, at last...

and ducks everywhere!

I think they must be accustomed to being fed, they are incorrigible and insistent.

This poor tree had just toppled over, it's very wet down here.

Then the steep walk back out, through the Himalayan Glade.

Out on the other side is this most amazing living sculpture. It is the head of a Sika deer. This method of carving is known as Tachigi-bori, a traditional Japanese method of carving sculptures into living trees linked with the Shinto belief that the sacred force resides in all things and in particular in ancient trees. This tree was damaged in the great storm of 1987 and the scars will eventually, in the next 20 - 50 years, cover the carving. The Sculptor was Masa Susuki.

And then something completely different ...

A story of a secret underground radio station, dashing Canadian officers and espionage! It was only in 2003 that these facts came to light, but this was the spot.