Joanne's Cottage Garden: HAMPTON COURT ONE

Wednesday, 8 July 2009

HAMPTON COURT ONE

I had a lovely time today at Hampton Court RHS show. The weather was ok not too hot and just the occasional shower.
As you can see I started off trying to take a representative selection of photos but it soon becomes clear that the plants and planting are what interests me rather than the architectural design. From many comments I overheard from the public, that seemed to be the consensus. The judges of course live on a different plain!

I played around with camera settings but for these I gave up and put on automatic. I still need more practice and understanding of camera settings.

I will let you whizz through and judge for yourself what you think of the show. Click on the pictures to enlarge hopefully.

9 comments:

Dirt Princess8 July 2009 at 22:37
I am SOOOOOO jealous! Hampton Court is one of my favorite places! Oh how I would love to go back!!! I would have given anything to have gone with you!!!!!!!!!!
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Catherine@AGardenerinProgress9 July 2009 at 05:50
Thanks for showing so many beautiful pictures! I would've been in heaven.
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Hermes9 July 2009 at 06:53
What great pictures - thanks for the tour.I love that cloche and the sub-tropical garden especially.
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Anonymous9 July 2009 at 09:41
What a time you must have had looking at all of those wonderful gardens. My mouth would have been hanging open all day. Someday I'm going to make it to the Chelsea Flower Show. It's on my bucket list - it's also on my Blotanical list LOL!
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Anna9 July 2009 at 12:08
Enjoyed your tour Joanne. Thank you :) Better cool and the odd shower than last week's heatwave for both plants and visitors. I am looking forward to tonight's television coverage of the show.
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Rob (ourfrenchgarden)9 July 2009 at 17:35
Hi Joanne

Thanks for the tour. I wish I was going to the show. I shall settle down to an hour of it in front of the telly, ce soir.
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Frances9 July 2009 at 21:38
Thanks Joanne, almost as good as being there. It would be untruthful to say the architecture and idea gardens have much appeal, show us the flowers, pots and sheds! Love the edible round shallow container, and the wildflower square.
Frances
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Maureen10 July 2009 at 14:41
Joanne I totally agree with you about the planting being more important than garden design. I am posting mine in stages like you, as I took almost 200 photo's, some of mine are sure to be like yours, or similar.
Lovely photo's thanks for sharing, and I am so glad you had decent weather.
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Joanne10 July 2009 at 14:46
Thanks for all your lovely comments Part two will be soon but I seem so behind with blogging and gardening at present.
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LYME LIFE written 2009

I started suffering with arthritis in mainly my large joints especially my knees 6 years ago. The symptoms varied and I remember saying that every joint was affected except my elbows to one doctor. I was told it would be hormonal and to take the usual supplements cod liver oil or glucosamine ( I would certainly recommend buying shares in the companies producing these supplements) They had no noticeable affect.

All my symptoms deteriorated significantly over a few weeks, 4 years ago. Hips shoulders and knees being the worst and I started with muscle weakness in upper arms and upper legs. I had difficulty standing and walking across a room. I was unable to walk upstairs and my husband was making plans to convert to a downstairs bedroom. I had seen 5 doctors and 3 Rheumatologists and put on steroids for Poly Myalgia Rheumatica diagnosis. I had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS.

I have X rays and scans showing signs of osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. I have been retired early from the Civil Service having lost my job not to mention my earning potential.

My illness seemed to progress through my body not affecting the same joints left to right at the same time. I had bursitis in left hip, right hip, left elbow. I had synovial thickening in both wrists. At that time I could not lift and hold a magazine so lifting a kettle I could only do if a third full and with two hands. Each joint in my hands fingers feet and toes were affected. I had swallowing difficulties and many other symptoms. None of this describes the endless and awful pain whenever I moved or the tiredness but inability to get quality sleep.

Two years ago my GP gave me Amoxicilin for a sinus/throat/chest infection. All my arthritis symptoms improved. The course ended the symptoms deteriorated I started a second course the symptoms improved. The improvement was more significant than when I had started taking steroids. This led my GP to suspect Lyme Disease. I laughed because we do not travel abroad but she said they had had other cases in the surgery in the early stages of tick bite and Erythma Migrans rash. She said, but you have not had a bite. I said oh yes I have I had two on my ankles with rashes, March 05 this was confirmed on her computer at the time I had seen a locum doctor. My worst symptoms were waking up feeling rigid and having to painfully flex every joint in my body before struggling to get up. The only other time I had experienced this was in May 2003 during a flu like illness like no other I had ever experienced. At that time I had a bite and similar rash on my right foot which lasted like the other rashes about four weeks. I had also consulted the surgery and it was dismissed as a virus. I walked our dog daily in the woods adjacent to our house where the deer roam, prime tick area.

Thus started my very lengthy search about Lyme Disease leading me through http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ to a doctor who specialises in this illness. He confirmed my GP's suspicions. I never had a positive blood test but then they are antigen tests and there is much research that shows they are unreliable. In my case the year of steroids and many weeks antibiotics could have affected the results. So with a clinical diagnosis and following ILADS International Lyme and Associated Disease Society guidelines I continued on antibiotics for two years. Both my doctors continued to treat me despite the Health Protection Agency advising against long term antibiotics. I am now nearly 100% recovered I have no pain or muscle weakness. I can walk upstairs something I could not do for three and a half years. I can garden do house work and live a normal life. I still need to pace myself and with only a few months to 60 will not be looking to return to work.

Life is such a joy.

Sadly there is much controversy about Lyme Disease and doctors in UK are taught that it is so rare. Well where I live in Guildford I have been in contact with a dozen other people with it so perhaps not so rare as HPA would like us to believe. I am in touch with nearly 2000 other patients through a chat line Eurolyme most had been misdiagnosed with several other illnesses.

Look at UK charity http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ if you want to read more about this illness. There are many MP's taking an interest in the problems surrounding diagnosis and treatment see above charity links into a recent meeting at the House of Commons.

Thank goodness there are some thinking doctors around who have courageously treated me against opposition and I have made such a miraculous recovery albeit rather a lengthy one.

One day there will be many more people who are helped with their chronic illnesses when IDSA starts taking note of what our courageous LLMD’s are doing following ILADS Guidelines.

ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, Poly Myalgia Rheumatica, Arthritis, Bell’s Palsy, MS,MN, ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Heart Block, Stroke, Psychiatric, gastric problems the list is endless. Not all suffering from Lyme Borrelia but how many are even properly assessed for it.

UPDATE

Joanne's Cottage Garden

Wednesday, 8 July 2009

HAMPTON COURT ONE

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