This weekend I was reminded of just how beautiful Britain can be when everything comes together at the right time. Obviously, the wonderful weather is a major component - it transforms even the most reticent amongst us and helps us to behave as though we were living in the South of France. I took part in the Open Gardens weekend in Wymeswold in Leicestershire at the invitation of a friend. It was a little slice of the English idyll. Thatched cottages, gardens bursting with beautiful blooms, children running around in mini-Boden, cream-teas, homemade james, blackbirds singing their hearts out, and that most traditional of traditions - Morris dancers. The sun shone, and meals were enjoyed outside along with a glass of wine as the day turned into balmy evening. I didn't want to be anywhere else, and I'm sure that those car-loads of Brits who head to the Mediterranean every summer would have been hard-pressed to match the simple pleasures of the stay-cation when the sun is smiling. My plastic-bottle flowers were a step too far for some of the less adventurous, but the presence of the wonderful beekeeper next to my stall, showing off her hive and selling organic fruit and veg insured a steady flow of curious customers.
