The Garden Party

So, this is what an 'alternative' garden party is! You invite all your friends to come and do some gardening, and bribe them with offers of food and drink!

This was friend June's brainwave. She and husband Laurie are keen gardeners, but he has recently had surgery on his shoulder and she has been looking after him, so the garden had been rather neglected recently.

The invitation emphasised the food and drink, with coffee and shortbread from 10.30, a soup and sandwich lunch, afternoon tea and scones, and 'supper' for anyone who wanted it.

I offered to bake shortbread, but had a bit of a disaster! Suffice it to say, I am not used to baking in an Aga and the shortbread was burnt black due to a timing error on my part, though I partly blame Kate Humble for keeping me engrossed in her programme about shepherds in wildest Afghanistan last night.

As you can see, there were plenty willing helpers of all ages, not all of them able to do gardening, but their talents were otherwise put to use - in the kitchen, behind a camera, giving orders...

In case you're wondering, I didn't just take photographs. I was put in charge of removing all the cow parsley (but not the roots - June likes cow parsley and wants it to grow back) which was in danger of overtaking everything else. I arrived in time for coffee and shortbread and stayed for lunch, but am now back at my house-sit to give the animals some attention.

And guess what! Not a drop of rain! Hallelujah!