There are times where I enjoy the intersection between different parts of my life. I had a beaut this week with the Cornwall-based The Eden Project. For those not familiar with it, the Eden Project is a huge series of artificial biomes and tended gardens in an abandoned clay mine. Cornwall is already famous for its horticulture, as the warm waters of the Gulf Stream keep the area much warmer than it would be due to latitude alone. Combine a climate already predisposed for growing plants more typical of Florida than of England with geodesic “pillow” domes to allow true tropicals to thrive, and you have…wonders.
Now, it’s not surprising that many Americans have seen the Eden Project but not known what it was. It’s apparently quite popular as a location for shooting television shows and movies, and the best-known example seen in the US redressed one of the domes as a biosphere on Mars:
Well, that’s part of the draw. The other was what surprised me. On the Day Job, I work with a gaggle of serious music junkies, and they politely listen to my discussions on horticulture while smiling and nodding, but I might as well have been showing a dog a card trick. However, mention that the famed band The Flaming Lips is playing a show there on June 30, and I swear I heard their ears perk up. Suddenly, everyone’s joking “Yeah, we should have a training seminar in Cornwall at the end of the month, right?” (And considering lead singer Wayne Coyne’s last movie, the locale is strangely appropriate.)
Let’s see. Exotic wildlife, both fauna and flora. Live music. Strawberries and loquats. Oh, and they’re hiring. Should I put the pontoons on my bicycle and head out now, or should I stop by the house to leave the Czarina a note and let her know I may be gone for a while?