I'm glad you like that link. I still enjoy going back and perusing those pictures, five years on.
Regarding the red sculpture, my guess is lucite, though I don't know.
I've often wished I could have had that lizard sculpture. So imaginative.
Hopefully the Russian visitor was there on a nicer day when the weather was more cooperative; although it doesn't look like she took many outdoor photos. The temperatures were unseasonably cool that entire week (if there is such a thing as "unseasonable" in England - the weather is never very reliable).