​Our Xmas drinks are always a hit.  Since A and I met we have managed to catch up with all our friends in one big champagne & oysters session in December.  Over the years it has grown from a few family & friends huddled together under a rotunda in a park after work, to an all afternoon affair with over 70 people and 50 dozen oysters!  Yum:)


The move to Badgers Wood has changed our Xmas drinks in a way that I did not expect.  We hold it under our large golden elm which provides a beautiful canopy and an almost magical atmosphere.  There is still the fun of catching up with family & friends, of relaxing while the kids swim, but also a sense of enjoying a very special garden.  Maybe it is the perfect weather or maybe it is the champagne(!), but I sometimes lose track of those around me as I look at the sun filtering through the leaves, the delicate branches and the depth of the tree that seems to go on forever.  I feel very much a sesne of peace and happiness - as though you are part of the garden.  Ok, it probably was the champagne.

It has also been wonderful to have many of our neighbours from Bickleigh Vale join with us.  They are often the life of the party and stay on until it starts to get dark.  When Edna created Bickleigh Vale her vision was to establish a village of like minded individuals with a passion for gardens.  Nearly 100 years on, that is exactly what we have.  A group of people brought together around a common interest, sharing, caring and enjoying life together.  Our little oasis hidden amongst suburbia.  Who would have thought that a garden could achieve that?

I was too busy drinking and eating oysters to take photos.  But then mine would never be as good as these taken by Terence.