Oh my darlin clematis

Today started with a walk along the river swiftly followed by the destruction of four shrubs. Harsh I know but sorely needed they were old and scraggy and had to go. We have a strip of land up one side of the house which is a bit of a no mans land really, popped my head round the corner earlier and saw this clematis with blooms the size of my hands catching a few rays against the wall. This goes some way towards making up for the cucumbercide I witnessed earlier in the greenhouse, at least I think they were dead, they were shrivelled and brown so I'm fairly confident in my prognosis. Deciding whether earlies in the beer garden is a goer or should I be ultra sensible and stay home?