Buxton, Bunnies & Barlow

Before I tell tales of our big day out - see the blog below - I want to mention a wonderful weekend I have just spent in Buxton. It was this year's literary and music festival and I was doing a double act with top local florist (and top woman altogether) Claire Foster. I talk books, she demonstrates flowers - and then we pop into the bar and drink rose wine together. A perfect double act.

Part of our talk covered the theme of colour and Claire was working with a wonderful dusky-lilac rose, called amnesia ...so easy to forget the names I find ...

The next day I was back on stage, but this time with Sarah Raven who I was interviewing about her new book. Despite not having met Sarah before this turned out to be easy; she was good company, also has two daughters and is clearly very passionate about what she does.

However, it wasn't long before she realised where the culinary skills lie in our family!

At the end of the session we took questions from the audience, including one gentleman whose garden was being over run by grey squirrels. He was keen to know if Sarah had a recipe for them. Apparently you can cook them like rabbit ...but I have to ask myself, why would you ever want to cook yourself a rabbit?!Buxton, Bunnies ...and Barlow? Well just to say that the Festival very generously treated us to the opera and a wonderful supper where I met Stephen Barlow. Stephen is known not only for his illustrious career as a conductor but for being the husband of Joanna Lumley. I am absolutely certain that he is often being told (quite rightly) that he is very lucky to married to such a gorgeous woman. But having now met him, albeit briefly, I can also say - lucky Joanna!