Open Garden Open

Ellie loves the smell of Wild Fennel

After a week or more of weeding in the rain our weather expectations for last Sundays open garden day were dwindling, just like the ever decreasing midsummer nights.
With wellington boots, umbrellas and dripping wet customers in mind I had a brain wave: cream teas to be served in the gypsy caravans. I sourced real devonshire clotted cream. Trad music session in the front room next to a roaring fire and so I purchased fire logs. Finally a massive pan of soup would be essential and a sweet potato, chilli and bean stew - a real winter warmer was cooked up.
Sunday morning at 6am and the sun blazed through my bedroom window "It 's a dream" I murmered but the pinching was painful and my eyes watered as I blinked and unbelievably there she was " The big fat yellow sun".
Rain became an old bad memory, wind - a past whisper  and pulling out bright summer dresses I knew today was going to be fantastic.
We started with a herb walk by Christine Best and as she began the crowd increased and our lunch guests joined in. It was good to see a wise woman talking about the healing properties of the plants that gardeners see as something to prettify the view.

Pansy

The cream teas were a huge success, and not tea with deliciously warm gluten free scones with a thick wedge of clotted cream generously dripping with home made strawberry jam.

yellow loose strife

As the afternoon wore on the restaurant became bare as tables and chairs migrated to the lawns. "Shade or sun" we asked and of course the answer was "sun please"
The Sun pacified all [my] gardening aches and pains, it satisfied the eye and made invisible all the rough patches that the trowel and pruners missed.
Keen gardeners wandered happily through the colour spectrum of pretty flowers and were made peaceful by a million shades of green dancing in the warm light. A beautiful midsummers day with a typically long stretch into the ocean enhanced sunset. It was a joyful day, and a celebration of the magic of nature at its best.

Our next open event is The Holistic day on 8th. July. so come along and see what fun will happen then.