5th July
Well readers! It hardly seems a year ago since Marcus Violet-Elizabeth and I ventured on South West Trains to go to the Hampton Court flower Show. Spencer was abroad for a whole month on some Job of National Importance and, being unfamiliar with London driving I thought we would be better on the train with our family railcard. It was a pleasant journey, with two changes and we arrived at Hampton Court before it got too busy and managed to see round the marquees when they were relatively uncrowded. We had gone on the Sunday to take advantage of the big “sell off” of plants at the end of the afternoon, as I had my eye on a pink David Austin rose. As the time for the sale approached we three all went our separate ways to bag a bargain. Imagine my consternation half an hour later when we met at the rendezvous point each clutching 2 or 3 enormous plants. Marcus had bought me a giant lily, and was clutching a standard fuchsia, I had my David Austin rose and a huge pink begonia and Violet-Elizabeth had bought 3 large geraniums. I can tell you that we had enormous difficulty on the train coming home as it was absolutely packed.
This year Spencer has promised to drive us to Surbiton station from where we will continue by train. As there will be four of us this year, we should manage a bit better. Also Spencer tends to keep a strict eye on any purchases. My David Austin rose from last year is doing rather well in the Manor rose garden together with another yellow one that the Luton branch of the family bought us for our Silver Wedding. We were also given three other “Silver Wedding Anniversary” roses as well, so we should have something to enter in the Village Show.
6th July
Good news! There is a new addition to the Paulet-Halt family. We have adopted another rescue cat from the Basingstoke RSPCA. He will never replace Mozart but he is already making his presence felt. He is black and white like Mozart was, but is younger and smaller. We have called him Pablo Picasso on account of the fact that he has a white tip at the very end of his tail that makes it look as though it has been dipped in a paint pot. He is very needy of our attention at the moment, but I hope to be able to tell you about some of his exploits as he settles in at the Manor.
11th July
Marcus has been away all week on an air cadet training camp at RAF Marham in Norfolk. It is probably better that I don’t know everything that they get up to on these camps but sufficient to say that aerobatics in a Tornado is not my idea of fun. We shall be collecting him later on today, and introducing him to Pablo!