A garden party...

We had an invitation to a garden party for a friend's 'significant' birthday at the weekend, and enjoyed an afternoon tea of homemade scones with several different fillings, both sweet (my favourites were the Quark with blueberries) and savoury (the best cheese scones, from a Delia recipe which I have to find and try out).  What could be nicer than fresh scones and glasses of Buck's Fizz, on a perfect sunny day - bliss!

The party was held in a wonderful long garden, divided into different sections. A stepped section filled to bursting point with frothy forget-me-not, and all the usual cottage garden favourites popping up in between, gives way to a formal area with raised beds, garden sculptures and trees, and a curved path which sweeps past an immaculate lawn. The owners also run a lovely b&b, so you can always visit for yourself!

My favourite part, however, is the 'working' space at the back of the garden, filled with greenhouses, vegetable plots, fruit bushes in cages, wood piles, several ponds which are home to newts and frogs, a scattering of buckets, pots and tools, as well as sundry ad hoc structures to house some of the bits and bobs that are accumulated throughout the life of a garden.

And how about this for a wall colour? I know I could never be this bold, but it's really effective - especially with that zing of orange in front of it.

Our generous hosts, and an abundance of rhubarb, ensured we left with armfuls of the stuff (rhubarb wine is C's plan), plus a promise of some frog spawn next year. I also seem to have come away with definite greenhouse envy! I think I might need my own garden shed too. You know. To store the tools to build the pond to accommodate the frog spawn next year... Keep up!