The day started with a visit from Oliver Gerrish, @oligerrish if you are a Tweeter, who brought a couple of charming Americans to us - they are on an architectural tour of the UK and were visiting Iford as a part of their visit to Bath.
As the heat of the day began to strike, we were rushing around trying to find all the little essentials (such as car park signs) which had been hidden away safely over the winter, but which definitely needed digging out for the first day open. The oven was hard at work creating cakes and dough was being hooked (? one uses a dough hook, after all!) ready to be made into scones. Two o'clock arrived and a few minutes later the gates opened - just about on time, Peto's theatrical garden prepared for summer visiting once more.
I am very pleased to say that a steady flow of garden visitors came to see us; and the tearoom had a healthy first day, which bodes well for the season. One man telephoned this morning to find out if we were open, explaining that he had been waiting all spring for us to open - very kind flattery, perhaps, but if he did in fact visit this afternoon, he had a good day for it!
But now it seems we are threatened with potentially quite a cold end to the coming week. Heavy frost at this stage, especially if combined with a cold wind, will freeze-dry the wisteria buds, which are at their most delicate right now - that, for the wisteria fans, would be very sad indeed (although often it means that the second flowering in June is all the more splendid).
We live in uncertain times, weather-wise. It doesn't help one jot, but I suspect it has been ever thus!
[Iford is next open on Tuesday April 3rd, 2pm]
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