Well I wanted to write a little about something more positive, away from studies and other aspects of my life.
Living near Dumfries I am vaguely aware of a bizarre private garden that opens its doors to the public on only one day a year. In previous years I have missed it. This year I was determined to go.
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is utterly bonkers and absolutely brilliant. It is owned by American landscape architect Charles Jencks and was developed to reflect ideas from physics, mathematics and cosmology. It is large and includes amazing sculptures, trees, terraces, bridges, a full size railways engine, waterfalls and is beautiful beyond words. But more than its breathtaking beauty it really seems to get under the skin.
I can't claim to have any knowledge or interest in gardens but I found this place has stayed with me. I have found myself doodling spirals on pieces of paper and drawing railway lines that veer off in impossible angles. I googled Charles Jencks' other gardens (and would encourage you to do the same), beyond his private home in south-west Scotland and will look forward to visiting as many as I can. I am very grateful to him and his family for allowing people to walk through this beautiful and delicate creation.
Some of my friends blame all their ills on living in a part of the country they regard as a back water. I urge them to open their eyes. So much beauty surrounds them. The limiting factors are not in the environment but in the person.