Country Life 18 August 2021
Country Life 18 August 2021 looks at how flowers help us with the weather and traces the history of rosettes.


WEATHER: Forget forecasting apps, the best way to tell if there’s rain on the wind is to consult wildflowers, avers John Lewis-Stempel.
BEN GOLDSMITH: Ben explains why he is turning his farm over to Nature, as he begins wilder farming.
ROSETTES: Fluttering from a bridle or on the lapel of a politician’s suit, bright rosettes catch everyone’s eye. Julie Harding finds out why they still mean more than silverware.
GUERNSEY: Exploring by boat, the abundant flora and fauna of the Bailiwick.
ART: Kiki McDonough’s favourite painting.
FARMING LIFE: A new era dawns on Jamie Blackett’s farm as fast fibre broadband finally arrives.
MASTERPIECE: Jack Watkins is haunted by the Gothic power of Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel Rebecca.
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CASTELL COCH: John Goodall explores 13th century Castell Coch in Cardiff.
INTERIORS: Clive Aslet on why the terraced house has endured and Amelia Thorpe matches blue and green.
GARDENS: Why fuchsia snobs should think again.
LUXURY: The good stuff Hetty Lintell is beside the seaside.
IAN MCKELLEN: Age is no barrier to greatness Michael Billington admires Sir Ian McKellen’s Hamlet.
RECIPE: Melanie Johnson on tomatoes.
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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