One down, 99 to go!

It is sad I know but over many years visiting flower shows at Hampton Court & more particularly Chelsea I have looked on with more than a little envy at those people who have been invited into the sacred area that is the show garden by the designer or someone making a good job at pretending to be the designer or as important. Anyway, they hang around for a while looking smug, possibly imbibing something with a little fizz, before mwah mwah on each cheek & they swan off looking with disdain upon us mere mortal gardeners as we tug a forelock & tighten the twine holding up our patched & dirty kneed trousers.

Those of you who do such swanning around on a regular basis will read this with an enormous sense of pity, but you know, I don’t ask for much in life, just a foot upon a real live big show garden.

At last, thanks to the lovely Jo Thomson, I got my wish earlier this week at Chelsea. I swanned onto her glorious frothy yet sophisticated silver-gilt winning show garden, a Celebration of Caravanning, gazed into the depths of Doris, had a hug & a ‘mwah’ before swanning off again! Oh you poor ordinary garden folk.

I confess that flushed with success I considered shouting at Cleve West, ‘Do you remember that cake I gave you at Highgrove? Well can I come onto your garden?’ But decided not to tempt disappointment.

So, what next thing on my 100 things to do before I pop my clogs.