July 2012

On Friday I went to the Hampton Court Flower show with my friend Monica. It was one of those summer days that we seem to have seen so much of this year, it rained nearly all day. Now traipsing around a garden show in squelchy shoes is not really my idea of fun and we very nearly called it a day. But a quick trip to a local cafe seemed to have changed the weather. But by then I discovered that my car keys were not in my bag. I may be scatterbrained, but I do look after my keys. We reported them lost – everyone was very helpful but no keys. Lots of suggestions that I had left my keys in the car, which I discounted – the car was locked. I did find my keys – they had been locked in the car – my excuse is that it was pouring with rain when I returned to the car with my haul of plants (an agapanthus called Margaret, a helitrope (smells of cherry pie), a pear tree (small), and a lavender bush for lavender bags. My patio now smells of cherry pie even in the rain.

In the end I phoned my long suffering spouse, who agreed to drop my keys off at Hampton Court Railway Station – just up the road from home. Now reunited with my keys, Monica and I headed back to the show for a well deserved cup of tea and as it was not raining to visit some of the stalls and gardens that we had missed due the pouring rain. One of the gardens was this one – a fantasy community garden where all the materials (or most of the materials used) are second-hand. Quite a revelation in this materialistic age. And I bought the book – and got free copy of the magazine thrown in. I did have some strange idea that I would justify buying the book because it would be a present for someone but the way it is going I am keeping it for myself!

The book is a scrapbook of pictures and ideas – often harking back to a bygone age (hence the title Pretty Nostalgic). The philosophy is reuse (and upcycle!), buy British, make it yourself, grow it yourself… Maybe I am not that eccentric after all. The Pretty Nostalgic website: http://prettynostalgic.co.uk/

Pretty Nostalgic Home by Nicole Burnett and Sarah Legg, published by Pretty Nostalgic Ltd, Wales.