We bought a new tent for the Game Fair, one you could stand upright in. There's something slightly demeaning in crawling out of a tent on hands and knees wearing a suit, so, like the ascent of man, I am now able to stride forth on my hind legs. It was just a shame that I pitched in the midst of what turned out to be the centre of the nightly party. Sleep was just a dream.
The Game Fair is a great gathering of the countryside clans; walking 100 yards can take you half an hour as you bump into old friends, share gossip and review the state of the harvest, partridge chicks or the latest fishing-rod design. There's a lot of handshaking, and the crunching grip of my yeoman friends is a matter of high personal pride.
The flavour of this year's show was one of increasing hope. There was a number of the Government's Ministers present, and, more importantly, they understood and were far more sympathetic to the countryside's needs and difficulties than their predecessors. If their words can be turned into action and we will watch this closely-there is a great deal to feel hopeful about.
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Chelsea Flower Show 2025: What else to do in SW3 if you're coming to the world's greatest flower showThere's more to Chelsea than just the Flower Show so we've rounded up some of the best places to eat, stay and shop.
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Uniquely unique? The Yorkshire grain silos transformed into a home that's a symphony in glass, steel and curvesAmid the beautiful countryside of North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Castle Howard Estate, The Silos is a property for which the word 'house' simply doesn't cut it. And that's not the only way in which it's made us throw out the dictionary.
