This is my first post for a very long time and I will give a quick resume of some of the events of last year!

The Queens Diamond Jubilee was celebrated last June. You have probably read or seen some coverage of the magnificent official events.

There were celebrations all over the country and I think most families were involved in some way.

Guildford Castle Grounds had a stunning display of colourful carpet bedding  celebrating the Jubilee.

 

I made this cushion to celebrate the Jubilee

and this one to give to a friend who is moving away from London, 

Our daughter Susannah and her husband Jon, who live in Wisconsin, USA celebrated the Jubilee with a tea party for their friends. One of her cats is helping to decorate their home with the Union Jack.

Roger and I and our friend Julie went to the Big Picnic at Hampton Court Palace. The Queen wasn't scheduled to attend but we caught a glimpse of her and the Duke as they drove past Hampton Court on their way to the Diamond Jubilee celebrations at Epsom Racecourse. The Big Picnic was a great success with over 13,000 people attending. Entry to the gardens was free. Stalls sold delicious food and there were traditional games and races for the children.

Roger and Julie getting ready to enjoy their picnic at Hampton Court Palace

The Jubilee was celebrated in our road with a Big Lunch .

Here is Roger and some of our neighbours

Grandson Bobby enjoyed the party

 

 

 

Son Charles and his wife Maria were thrilled to be able to attend the picnic and concert at Buckingham Palace

Here is Charles at the Palace entrance

 

 

 

 

Maria collects the picnic hamper

 

 

 

 

 

Guildford Institute celebrated with a 1950s tea party

 

Here are some of the early summer flowers in my garden last year

Here are some of the flowers I saw when I visited the London Squares Open Day last June

 

 

 

 

My New Years resolution is to be a more frequent blogger!

Today I visited the beautiful flower festival at All Souls Church in Sutton Green. The festival was part of the celebrations of  the 90th Anniversary of the church. I was reminded of last years Flower Festival at our parish church St Peters which celebrated 400 years of the King James Bible. You can see some of the arrangements from the earlier festival by following this link -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruthiegledhill/sets/72157627822455350

Here are some pictures of the lovely garden at Westways Farm, Gracious Pond Road, Chobham. The garden was open for charity at the beginning of May.

I have come to the conclusion that I take the self sown plants in my garden too much for granted. They are invaluable for supplying colour and need very little help from me. Purple aquilegias are the most abundant. They really are beautiful flowers.

                                                                      

This white aquilegia wasnt self sown.
I think I bought it at a HPS plant sale

This is a blackcurrant sage which I bought at the end of last autumn and overwintered in the greenhouse. I shall plant it in the border now the weather is warmer

This auricula, which is just coming into flower has also been overwintered in the (cold) greenhouse

The saladini salad leaves in the greenhouse are delicious. I sowed them early in March.

At the bottom left are larger lettuce plants and spinach  that have overwintered and are now going to seed. Young tomato plants are on the floor in the centre

Aubergines are in the big pots here. The smaller pots contain cucumber and courgette plants waiting to be potted up

The supermarket ginger root which I potted up is just beginning to grow, Behind are some dried statice from last years garden

I have been visiting some of the  gardens which open under the National Gardens 'Yellow Book' scheme to raise  money for charity

http://www.ngs.org.uk/about-us/our-history.aspx


We visited Vale End in the beautiful Surrey village of Albury a few weeks ago when tulips, hyacinths, and forget me nots were in flower.
This is a beautiful walled garden built on many levels of a steep slope

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The garden I visited the following weekend was a town garden near Clapham Common in London. A complete contrast to the previous week as there was very little grass. Again the tulips were in full flower and the garden was a mass of colour.

 

 

 

There were beautiful rambling roses

 A  geodetic domegreenhouse

 Euphorbia melliflera

This weekend brought torrential rain and flooding. Keen garden visitors are not put off so easily and today I braved flooded roads to drive into the beautiful Surrey Hills to 'Walton Poor House' near Ranmore. Another beautiful garden of about 4 acres with trees and shrubs planted over the last 40 years.