One of them now lives near Penzance in Cornwall, and as she was showing us around the area she loves so much now, she took us to Minack Theatre near Porthcurno, Cornwall.
As she drove us on the winding country roads through villages and farmland, my friend explained that Minack Theatre is a world famous outdoor theatre, built right into the side of the cliffs.
Audiences watch daytime performances with a beautiful backdrop of the sea and nighttime performances under a canopy of stars in the night sky.
It's literally a Theater Under the Stars.
What she didn't mention was that it is also very well known for its sub-tropical gardens. As you walk from the car park down to the theatre, you walk through the most incredible rock garden, right on the side of the cliffs, filled with a stunning array of succulents and other sub-tropicals.
I wouldn't have thought they would do well on the southern coast of England, but they were definitely thriving.
There were quite a few people visiting and just strolling around the gardens. They probably get just as many people coming to see the gardens as they do to see performances.
Lots of the plants were labelled, such as the Euphorbia resinifera in the photo above.
But many weren't and I have no idea what this lovely white flower with deep red marks in the center is -- can anyone help? The bloom is reminiscent of my Rose of Sharon, but the actual plant was completely different.
This beautful pink flower with dark centers and veining is another one I don't know. It had a low creeping habit and certainly seemed to like its spot there.
If you plan to visit Minack Theatre (and I recommend it if you are ever in that area of the country), you do need to be fairly mobile.
After you've spent a pleasant afternoon strolling down through the gardens to the theatre, and possibly even acted goofy on the stage for the benefit of the webcams that operate during the day, don't forget you have to go back UP again!!
That's a LOT of stairs!!
Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.
