Excuse me, Flower Show.  It’s just that after about two hours of being there, M turned to me and said ‘I think I’ve seen more food than flowers so far at this show – where are the roses?’

The day was 32 degrees hot. As people trundled past us wheeling industrial strength crates on wheels – or the official name –  Wheelie Boxes, laden with plants, we heard:  ‘I mean, it’s really a perfect day to walk around…except of course, it’s absolutely roasting’.  Moments later:  ‘How far is it?’ Wiping of brow. ‘It’s just I really need to sit down.’

Relief was not to be had watching the ‘Floristry meets Fashion’ show.  The marquee was stifling.  However, the sight of yet more Wheelie Boxes arriving, searching for a place whilst running over the toes of their nearest and dearest produced mild relief in terms of a fit of the giggles on our part. Hysteria, no doubt caused by the heat.

Time for tea.  For every garden there were ten food stands.   Tea and cake followed lunch and ice cream followed tea.  These savvy organisers knew their audience alright.

The show gardens were the catalyst for some of the gentlest and yet acute observations, indicative of the nature of the attendees, that I heard. At the Playful garden which had as its centre piece a large tree, a woman turned to her husband and said ‘Everyone should have a tree to climb up. Remember how much fun we had climbing that old apple tree?   Every house should have a tree to climb – even the cheap ones’.

In the Growing greenhouse, as he viewed tomatoes and courgettes trained to climb and then fall like a weeping willow, a man turned to his companion: ‘It’s like everything else; it’s all changed again’.

Not quite satiated in a flower capacity, but weary and hot, we thought about leaving. A sweet boy approached us and handed each of us a beautiful pink scented rose.

‘There’s the rose M’, I said, ‘I think it might be time to head home’.  As we meandered back along the river I thought about the gentleness of the day and how good Nature and being with special people I love makes me feel.