Not a bad Bank Holiday after all

Despite a very dull grey start to the day, and I did have a very early start as moggie number one woke me at 5 am to go out of the bedroom window and moggie number two was tapping to come in an hour later, the skies soon cleared and it has been a lovely day. As I was up so early I took advantage and got everything ready for a family dinner this evening, had washing on the go, fed the menagerie and myself and then sat quietly reading the Sunday papers.

We were aiming to go out just before eleven to go to Stockwood Park which is only a ten minute drive from us. They have a brand new Discovery Centre there situated in the gardens of what was once a fine country house. Stockwood House was built by John Crawley in 1740 was demolished in 1964. The gardens are beautiful and the old stable block and walled gardens are all that is left. Every August Bank Holiday they have a Flower & Produce event where all the local allotment holders bring their excess produce to raise funds for the local hospice. As you enter you are given a brown paper carrier bag and can fill it with as much as you like and all they ask is for a donation in a bucket. This years array of vegetables, flowers and fruit was fantastic and we arrived early to beat the stampede. It is a wonderful idea and you would think that raising money for such a good cause would bring out the best in people but as per usual there were the minority that just took and didn't give ..... it makes me so sad to think that some people can be so selfish and mean.
This colourful array was what we came away with ..... I might add that this was between us and my two daughters and we gladly contributed to the good cause because my husband's sister spent her last days in the hospice when she died aged 54 of leukaemia in 2005.