I have lived in Liverpool in the UK all of my life and although I am immensely proud of my city and my fellow Scousers (the slang for people from Liverpool), I have always dreamed of living in the tropics.
Trips to Thailand, Egypt and most recently the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico leave me dreaming of life in the heat, the tropical beat between dry/monsoon seasons and the swelter of growing things.
The smell of the jungle, when I visited Koh Sok national park in Thailand will stay with me forever. It felt like I could literally inhale the breath of the trees, measuring time with the changing sounds of the wildlife echoing through the jungle. Whether the barking call of the Great Hornbill mingling with an explosion of other bird songs in the morning or the deafening cicada heralding the approach of the evening with a cacophonous clatter, the heartbeat of the jungle sank deep into my bones on that trip.
The pictures above and below were taken while on a jungle treck in Koh Sok national park, that is me taking a well-earned dip in a jungle pool after emerging from a cave exploration.
But I am getting distracted! This post is about a touch of the tropics in Liverpool, UK. When the cold British weather is getting too much to bear there is a place I retreat to which offers a reminder of the lush verdancy of tropical paradise.
The Palm House in Sefton Park in Liverpool is a lovingly restored Victorian-era hothouse conservatory which was originally built in 1896 by MacKenzie and Moncur Ltd. The palm house fell into disrepair over the 1970's and 1980's before a long-running campaign began for its restoration. You can read all about the trust who restored it and what it is used for now in the link above.
Upon entering the palm house I am always struck by three things, the lush variety of tropical palms/flowers, the heat and the smell. The smell takes me back to those jungle trecks and amazing adventures, the only thing that is missing is the sounds of the tropics. It is an extremely peaceful place, a retreat from the hum of the city and a great place for meditation or yoga. I regularly set up my matt, after checking with the security guard that it is ok, and stretch out my stresses in the tropical heat.
![IMG_20171014_145534245[1].jpg](https://images.hive.blog/768x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmWaVaahRoYpXNbjCn2LdNbjB2pnBerX1kgSfkoqSwoZp6/IMG_20171014_145534245%5B1%5D.jpg)
As you walk around the central canopied area of the building you're struck with a cacophony of colors and a wide range of flowers. The palm house has over twenty varieties of palms and thirty-two different orchids among its collection. Many of which bloom at different times of the year.
As you walk on, the flora continues to amaze and inspire. It is the perfect place for a painter or a poet to visit when the dreaded creative block strikes. I have been feeling particularly flat over the last three days creatively and my trip today has inspired me to share these words and my experience with all of my fellow Steemians. We all walk different paths but we are on the same journey :)
All pictures are original property of myself.
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I love it.
Best bit of writing I've read for ages.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi mate. Nice to see you on here :) I have followed your profile and if you want any explanations about the complexities of steemit I'm just a phone call away. Cheers for lovely comment, I was pleased with this piece.
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STOPThe palm house sounds great! Lovely to hear about it, thank you.
Most welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed the tour :)
A jungle in liverpool...thats great...
Ha ha, yes indeed @buttcoins. It's one of my favorite places in the city :)
The Brugmansia (yellow Angel Trumpets) are beautiful! I feel the same way @raj808. It is freezing here in Seattle and I have to head to the conservatory or the nocturnal house at Woodland Park Zoo in order to get a touch of the tropics. Great post.
They are impressive aren't they, the yellow Angel Trumpets. I must confess that I didn't actually know their name so thanks for the lesson, @crystalize. I am an avid gardener but primarily veg, which is why A touch of the tropics in Liverpool, UK is more of a sensory description than anything else. I didn't want to get any names wrong and my flower knowledge is rather thin if I'm honest 🌺 lol. Glad you enjoyed it and hope the weather improves for you over there in Seattle soon. I took a gander at your profile and your A Profundity of Loss post really made me chuckle. Loss is a terrible thing and time heals all 😉 Anyway I upvoted it and followed you.
Thanks for the upvote and follow, @raj808. We are having our first windstorm of the season today i Seattle, and it looks like our gusts will be only 45 mph. My greenhouse is still intact and holding its own!
Nice! Yes, the press does get a little crazy when storm season comes. I did happen to notice that hurricane that was headed for Ireland...a bit of a head-scratcher for me since most of the big ones seem to nail the southern coast of the US. Glad to see your gem of a greenhouse has weathered the storm!