Country mouse on a May social whirl
As editor of Country Life, May in particular is always busy, but Mark finds this month busier than most


May madness arrived last week. The filming for the BBC series on COUNTRY LIFE has begun in earnest, which has boosted the profits of the local hairdressers as the team fluff themselves up. I wonder what Edward Hudson, who founded the magazine, would think of it all.
We also had the judging for the Gentleman of the Year awards at The Goring, which provided a jolly mix of gossip, gasps and admiration as the candidates were put through their paces. Not all passed with flying colours.
My silk top hat doesn't get too many outings, but it joined me at Buckingham Palace for the garden party, where Mrs H and I sampled the iced coffee and cucumber sandwiches (the secret ingredient is tiny mint leaves), while admiring the 40-acre garden and feeling that all was rather good in the world.
And, of course, it was Chelsea Flower Show, too, where all the talk was of the brilliant young garden designers who have broken through this year. COUNTRY LIFE had a stand and it was a great pleasure to meet so many readers. Then, it was off to Cardiff to entertain some clients at the Heineken Cup final. Oh, and this week's issue was edited, designed, proofed and printed, but, for that, my thanks go to my beautifully coiffured team-a week is a long time in the life of a magazine.
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Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
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