What on earth is everyone wearing these days? There’s mornings when you have to dress up like Scott of Antartica and a few hours later you’re sweltering or you go out without a coat and end up longing for a duvet! I don’t mind if it rains as long as it’s overnight and I’ve not got washing on the line. But hey it’s summer and not only that it’s the Longest Day so please let there be sunshine aplenty and the weather gets the hint that although we’re midway through the year we’d still like some warm and dry summer weather. That said the garden needs a drop of rain and as I am settling in a lavender border I’d like both sun and rain. Please and thank you!
Yesterday saw the start of the House and Garden Festival at Kensington Olympia where hundreds of brilliant business have set up shop. If you’ve never been then you are in for a treat - it is literally shopping and inspiration heaven. If you have been before the layout and the entrances for the Fair this year are different, so take a moment to check out where everything is and where you want to be. They have radically improved the seating throughout the halls, and also many more places where you can sit and have lunch - hurrah!! People to look out for are Giftpop Boutique, Punica, Rhodes to Heaven, The Holiday Shop, East London Parasol Company, 2 Little Boys, PomPom Galore, Eve of St Agnes, YunionT and Lazy Flora.
In a few weeks it’s RHS Hampton Court Flower Show and my recommendations are Woodee Ltd, Lou’s Poo, Garden Brocante, Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, Hogben Pottery, Hortus Loci, Moorcroft Pottery and Slug Bell. For me getting out in the garden is a real wind down exercise and to get the chance to see lots of different gardening styles and meet like minded people in a hugely inspirational environment as an RHS event is a real treat.
At the start of the summer holidays is the hugely popular Traditional Boat Festival in Henley which is an exciting and fun day out for the whole family, a celebration of all that's best in British boatbuilding and craftsmanship evoking the nostalgia of boating from a bygone era. This popular, long-running event, now offers more attractions on the water, in the air and on the land.
Henley Royal Regatta starts next week which means that Henley will be abuzz on the river and in the town, then in late September Henley Literary Festival begins and I can assure you it’s going to be a corker. Michael Morpurgo is well worth booking tickets for and much excitement for me is that I will be in conversation with Elizabeth Burton-Phillips of DrugFam on Friday 5th October.
Of course the big excitement is Keeping Faith that I have been banging on about starts on BBC One in the summer. Having watched the Welsh version Un Bore Mercher (which is now showing again on S4C) and then Keeping Faith (the English version) when it first aired I crowed loudly about it. It has been the most downloaded series on iPlayer with 9.6million downloads to date. You’re in for a real treat I tell you and while you’re at it why not watch Hinterland and Hidden which have amazing casts and are both set in wonderful Wales.