To Jupiter and beyond.

We've just had the best day at a place called Jupiter Artland - amazingly only 12 miles away from our very house! It is set in the 80 acre grounds of Bonningtoun House and is a private collection of outdoor artworks, commissioned by the owners, who very generously allow the public pre-booked access. Around every corner there were the most incredible sculptures, earthworks and structures by some big names - Andy Goldsworthy, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Charles Jencks to name only a few. I took 402 pictures, but don't click away, I am only going to show a few highlights here. If you are in Central Scotland in the next couple of weeks, I would seriously urge you to visit this wonderful space. It is only open from Thursday - Sunday until the 31st August, then it closes until next May. The cake from the cool Airstream cafe is worth the trip alone!

One of my favourite parts was the Life Mounds by Charles Jencks. An incredibly sexy installation comprising various terraced earthworks, paths and water which are based round the theme of the cell.



I love Andy Goldsworthy's work and this one, Stone House was just... just... well, it rendered me speechless. From the outside it looks like a little stone built hut in the middle of a nice soft green woodland. But open that nice sturdy door and - wow! He has excavated all the earth away to reveal the natural bedrock - it is really quite a shock to be confronted with the naked planet.





This was a little limestone bridge, called Only Connect, by Ian Hamilton Finlay. On either side of the bridge are two milestones, inscribed with the words Only Connect - the final words from the novel Howard's End. This was James's favourite exhibit, and we played here for ages.



The knitters amongst us were very interested in Shane Waltener's Over Here. Knitted on circular needles using different types of fishing line, this was a fabulous site to behold, like a gigantic spider's web spun between two trees, and making us see the landscape in different ways.

Finally, for this post anyway, The Love Bomb, by Marc Quinn. An enormously colourful 12 metre high orchid - beautiful and yet terrible. Mind you, James thought it was Santa Claus - hmm - yes I suppose that could fit in the the sculptor's idea.

I so loved this place and we will definitely be back several times next year. I will be posting more photographs from Jupiter over the next few weeks.