Jo Fairley

GREEN & BLACK’S CO-FOUNDER, SPEAKER AND LEADING ENTREPRENEUR

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Jo Fairley writes regularly for Telegraph Online, among her media portfolio. Here are some of the articles she's written about women and business and/or entrepreneurialism, appearing under the ‘Wonder Women’ experts section. Simply click on the article title below to read. Others can be sourced at the Telegraph.   

Why you should think about women's achievements today (your own included)

Construction needs to ditch its macho image and nail the gender imbalance fast

Women do need to man-up and stop using the word 'just'

High-achieving women have these 6 personality traits. Do you?

Mark Zuckerberg is right - personal goals are great. So what should you be striving for?

My Bizhub: Inspiring Entrepreneurs: an interview with Green & Black’s co-founder Jo Fairley

Digital detox baths: are we finally ready to be cleansed of our tech addiction?

How to have a sense of humour in the office (even when everything's gone wrong)
 

DESERT ISLAND DISCS

Jo Fairley shares the soundtrack of her life with Lauren Laverne on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. Listen below…

Jo Fairley shares the soundtrack of her life with Lauren Laverne on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. Listen below…

PODCAST

For the Guardian's Meet the Mentors podcast series Jo gave her tips to milliner Sahar Freemantle on how to make it big. Listen below...

For the Guardian's Meet the Mentors podcast series Jo gave her tips to milliner Sahar Freemantle on how to make it big. Listen below...

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THE STORY
The Story of Green & Black's: How two entrepreneurs turned an ethical idea into a business success
By Craig Sams, Josephine Fairley

TWITTER

  • Josephine Fairley
    Some thought for fledgling female entrepreneurs... https://t.co/rdhj6vt76P
    Aug 22, 2019, 12:37 PM
  • Josephine Fairley
    I often think @yokoono is actually the wisest sage on the planet. https://t.co/H5zTekYMqR
    Aug 21, 2019, 7:15 AM

INSTAGRAM

SWIPE FOR FLOWERS (& the BEST day out) Yesterday I finally got to redeem my Christmas present from @craigsams (yes, it was 22nd August). I follow lots of flower accounts on @instagram and am particularly keen on @honeysuckle_and_hilda so I asked if he’d give me a half-day flower arranging course in the loose, just-gathered-from-the-hedgerow style that I find so enchanting. Craig generously gave me a WHOLE DAY and yesterday I got to redeem the voucher. It could not have been more heavenly fun, although I was worried about wrangling my creations back to Hastings on the train from Oxfordshire... In the morning Claire taught me how to make a bowl display (I thought I’d walked into a florist’s shop, there were so many flowers and so much foliage to choose from). Then we broke for a DELICIOUS organic lunch (oh, and a glass of @leoube rosé which definitely loosened my style perfectly) and returned to make a hand-tied bouquet. It looks effortless but it really isn’t and I learned so much, in the beautiful new high-ceilinged studio where she will be doing her classes (when not @daylesfordfarm for her quarterly workshops). I was thrilled with my creations, which I did indeed transport safely on two trains and two taxis back home, no damage done. I wish every Friday could be like this! Thank you so much @honeysuckle_and_hilda for the loveliest time - and may your business bloom like your roses and dahlias... (And thank you Craig for a wonderful present.) #flowers #flowerarrangement #dahlias #roses #vasecollection
SWIPE FOR FLOWERS (& the BEST day out) Yesterday I finally got to redeem my Christmas present from @craigsams (yes, it was 22nd August). I follow lots of flower accounts on @instagram and am particularly keen on @honeysuckle_and_hilda so I asked if he’d give me a half-day flower arranging course in the loose, just-gathered-from-the-hedgerow style that I find so enchanting. Craig generously gave me a WHOLE DAY and yesterday I got to redeem the voucher. It could not have been more heavenly fun, although I was worried about wrangling my creations back to Hastings on the train from Oxfordshire... In the morning Claire taught me how to make a bowl display (I thought I’d walked into a florist’s shop, there were so many flowers and so much foliage to choose from). Then we broke for a DELICIOUS organic lunch (oh, and a glass of @leoube rosé which definitely loosened my style perfectly) and returned to make a hand-tied bouquet. It looks effortless but it really isn’t and I learned so much, in the beautiful new high-ceilinged studio where she will be doing her classes (when not @daylesfordfarm for her quarterly workshops). I was thrilled with my creations, which I did indeed transport safely on two trains and two taxis back home, no damage done. I wish every Friday could be like this! Thank you so much @honeysuckle_and_hilda for the loveliest time - and may your business bloom like your roses and dahlias... (And thank you Craig for a wonderful present.) #flowers #flowerarrangement #dahlias #roses #vasecollection
SWIPE FOR FUN! Thank you @fortnums and @jonewton18k for last night - @raretealady and I had a blast talking about her book Infused to the loveliest audience of tea-lovers who’ve all gone home & thrown out their teabags... in order to explore the myriad wonders of different teas. (And hey, it’s not every day you find identical triplet chaps in your audience!) Lovely to see some familiar faces from @theperfumesociety in the audience too. Great tea can be one of life’s best small pleasures... And more than that, it keeps us upright! #drugofchoice
SWIPE FOR FUN! Thank you @fortnums and @jonewton18k for last night - @raretealady and I had a blast talking about her book Infused to the loveliest audience of tea-lovers who’ve all gone home & thrown out their teabags... in order to explore the myriad wonders of different teas. (And hey, it’s not every day you find identical triplet chaps in your audience!) Lovely to see some familiar faces from @theperfumesociety in the audience too. Great tea can be one of life’s best small pleasures... And more than that, it keeps us upright! #drugofchoice
A perfect late summer’s evening down a wiggly country road to delicious dinner with a friend (& his fun guests). A chill in the air balanced by the warmth of the welcome, all the more special because his late, much-loved wife took care of the entertaining. The evening went with a swing, all of us cherishing the memory of our hostess-with-the-mostest friend but marvelling at human resilience. A reminder, though, to cherish the people around us while we can... Bit of a Thought for the Day today, but feeling thoughtful...
A perfect late summer’s evening down a wiggly country road to delicious dinner with a friend (& his fun guests). A chill in the air balanced by the warmth of the welcome, all the more special because his late, much-loved wife took care of the entertaining. The evening went with a swing, all of us cherishing the memory of our hostess-with-the-mostest friend but marvelling at human resilience. A reminder, though, to cherish the people around us while we can... Bit of a Thought for the Day today, but feeling thoughtful...
The very excellent patching and mending by @mammawalton on our friend Debra’s jeans, which as you can tell she LOVES A LOT. I also adore things that have been mended. Preferably several times. One of the most treasured people in my life is my own sewing/mending/alterations person, Claire, who has been known to complain that my patches have patches. But in a throwaway society, isn’t it just the best feeling to get something fixed...? PS If you follow @mammawalton she offers occasional workshops on this mending technique!
The very excellent patching and mending by @mammawalton on our friend Debra’s jeans, which as you can tell she LOVES A LOT. I also adore things that have been mended. Preferably several times. One of the most treasured people in my life is my own sewing/mending/alterations person, Claire, who has been known to complain that my patches have patches. But in a throwaway society, isn’t it just the best feeling to get something fixed...? PS If you follow @mammawalton she offers occasional workshops on this mending technique!
The sweetest soul that ever played with an @sylvanianfamilies_official person... Priscilla Peach, can’t wait to see the girl you grow into
The sweetest soul that ever played with an @sylvanianfamilies_official person... Priscilla Peach, can’t wait to see the girl you grow into
Utterly beautiful flowers via @shimizuflowers from a darling friend, to congratulate me on being on Desert Island Discs. It’s all been quite, quite surreal. Long-lost friends have been in touch - including the hairdresser at Vidal Sassoon who I went to for ages in my late teens/early 20s, who turns out to be quite the photographer in Carolina ( @the_israel if you’re curious). I’ve had the loveliest massages - thank you, thank you, thank you. (Even most of the tweets were pleasant! Blimey!) But most movingly, no less than six women who suffered at the hands of the same Scripture/Careers teacher, Mrs. Wootton, contacted me (via my website) to tell me about their similar (in some cases even worse) put-down experiences. One was told she would ‘burn in hell’ (because a) her parents were divorced and b) she’s been spotted dancing in the audience of Ready, Steady, Go! on TV!) Others has their self-esteem dented for many years. I feel outraged on their behalf - but also amazed and somewhat comforted because I thought it was just me... All in all looking forward to life getting back to ‘normal’ this week (um, whatever that is...) But also still pinching myself. Hard.
Utterly beautiful flowers via @shimizuflowers from a darling friend, to congratulate me on being on Desert Island Discs. It’s all been quite, quite surreal. Long-lost friends have been in touch - including the hairdresser at Vidal Sassoon who I went to for ages in my late teens/early 20s, who turns out to be quite the photographer in Carolina ( @the_israel if you’re curious). I’ve had the loveliest massages - thank you, thank you, thank you. (Even most of the tweets were pleasant! Blimey!) But most movingly, no less than six women who suffered at the hands of the same Scripture/Careers teacher, Mrs. Wootton, contacted me (via my website) to tell me about their similar (in some cases even worse) put-down experiences. One was told she would ‘burn in hell’ (because a) her parents were divorced and b) she’s been spotted dancing in the audience of Ready, Steady, Go! on TV!) Others has their self-esteem dented for many years. I feel outraged on their behalf - but also amazed and somewhat comforted because I thought it was just me... All in all looking forward to life getting back to ‘normal’ this week (um, whatever that is...) But also still pinching myself. Hard.
SWIPE FOR GOOD TIMES WITH GOOD FRIENDS! Last lunch of summer (& the clouds parted especially...) Too much @leoube #chateauleoube , a lot of laughter, our entire crop of pink for apple spuds and #nasturtiums all over the salad. The cheeseboard, meanwhile, is my favourite bit of prepping lunch; I can’t quite believe I actually used to get on a train to London to put it together but am so happy that thanks to local purveyors @queensdelihastings and @penbuckles - who have an epic selection - I can shop locally now. Plus there was an airing for @craigsams batik silk shirt that you made him @inkylinda ! Thanks @mammawalton @stewart_walton @pattiedbarron @jane.scruton et al for being there ☀️
SWIPE FOR GOOD TIMES WITH GOOD FRIENDS! Last lunch of summer (& the clouds parted especially...) Too much @leoube #chateauleoube , a lot of laughter, our entire crop of pink for apple spuds and #nasturtiums all over the salad. The cheeseboard, meanwhile, is my favourite bit of prepping lunch; I can’t quite believe I actually used to get on a train to London to put it together but am so happy that thanks to local purveyors @queensdelihastings and @penbuckles - who have an epic selection - I can shop locally now. Plus there was an airing for @craigsams batik silk shirt that you made him @inkylinda ! Thanks @mammawalton @stewart_walton @pattiedbarron @jane.scruton et al for being there ☀️
No idea what the name of this hydrangea is because it was lurking beneath waist-high brambles 18 years ago when we moved to this house, but it’s my favourite. And has done us proud at three hydrangea-bedecked weddings where the flower budget was precisely zero, when friends who also have hydrangeas massively added to the floral bounty. Thank heavens nobody in this family gets married in January...
No idea what the name of this hydrangea is because it was lurking beneath waist-high brambles 18 years ago when we moved to this house, but it’s my favourite. And has done us proud at three hydrangea-bedecked weddings where the flower budget was precisely zero, when friends who also have hydrangeas massively added to the floral bounty. Thank heavens nobody in this family gets married in January...
Just to make life in Hastings complete we now have our own #literaryfestival (patron is local lad Sir David Hare) - last weekend in August (not the Bank Hol which is weirdly early this year, though sadly conflicts with @primadonnafestival which @mayeroflondon has co-founded, so I have #festivalclash ) Visit hastingslitfest.org for info on this one...
Just to make life in Hastings complete we now have our own #literaryfestival (patron is local lad Sir David Hare) - last weekend in August (not the Bank Hol which is weirdly early this year, though sadly conflicts with @primadonnafestival which @mayeroflondon has co-founded, so I have #festivalclash ) Visit hastingslitfest.org for info on this one...
Next Thursday evening 22nd August I am interviewing the wondrous @raretealady @fortnums about her book Infused, all about her amazing adventures in hot water. And then again @muchadobooks in Alfriston on Sunday afternoon 25th. (I am officially a tea groupie.) Tickets for the former from Eventbrite (just search for ‘Lovell’) and the latter via the Much Ado website. Hope to see some of you there... We can promise MUCH FUN 😀
Next Thursday evening 22nd August I am interviewing the wondrous @raretealady @fortnums about her book Infused, all about her amazing adventures in hot water. And then again @muchadobooks in Alfriston on Sunday afternoon 25th. (I am officially a tea groupie.) Tickets for the former from Eventbrite (just search for ‘Lovell’) and the latter via the Much Ado website. Hope to see some of you there... We can promise MUCH FUN 😀
SWIPE FOR PURE NOSTALGIA! I grew up on Ladybird books (my nose was rarely out of a book for most of my childhood). Now a new @gardenmuseum exhibition ‘What to Look For in the Garden’ has gathered together many of the astonishingly beautiful original paintings that are specifically garden-related in a wonderful little show. A sweet highlight is @alantitchmarshh own trio of Ladybird books (he ALMOST spells his name wrong in the front!). There was a private view for members last night with a guided tour by the curator (I would’ve loved THAT job) but if you want to be transported back to the innocence of a 60s or early 70s childhood, do go before it closes on 7th October. Also: EXCELLENT cakes in the café (always a bonus) #childhood #thejoyofbooks
SWIPE FOR PURE NOSTALGIA! I grew up on Ladybird books (my nose was rarely out of a book for most of my childhood). Now a new @gardenmuseum exhibition ‘What to Look For in the Garden’ has gathered together many of the astonishingly beautiful original paintings that are specifically garden-related in a wonderful little show. A sweet highlight is @alantitchmarshh own trio of Ladybird books (he ALMOST spells his name wrong in the front!). There was a private view for members last night with a guided tour by the curator (I would’ve loved THAT job) but if you want to be transported back to the innocence of a 60s or early 70s childhood, do go before it closes on 7th October. Also: EXCELLENT cakes in the café (always a bonus) #childhood #thejoyofbooks
SWIPE FOR CREAM TEA! Thanks to all the incredible helpers (especially David Edmunds ‘cos I forgot to mention him on the day, plus @wewearperfume @suerpeart and @35northgallery who travelled a long way specially to help), who all put on their pinnies to make our charity organic cream tea such a success during Hastings Old Town Week last week. (During my quote-unquote ‘staycation’. Um...) I have to admit that at one point with 270 people in the garden it felt a teeny bit overwhelming but a great time was had by all and a record £1876.75 was raised for @st_michaels_hospice and OHPS (even more with Gift Aid). Hooray for the Mayor, Nigel, who personally flogged a good few raffle tickets and definitely got into the swing! And hooray for the raffle donors especially @aspectsbeauty @rebecca_balanceme @uppublicrelations @nealsyardremedies @pureprlondon @imaginationpr and Lordy, I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone... PS I did, I forgot to thank @judgesbakery for the delicious scones and @greenandblacks for the going-home chocolate 😀
SWIPE FOR CREAM TEA! Thanks to all the incredible helpers (especially David Edmunds ‘cos I forgot to mention him on the day, plus @wewearperfume @suerpeart and @35northgallery who travelled a long way specially to help), who all put on their pinnies to make our charity organic cream tea such a success during Hastings Old Town Week last week. (During my quote-unquote ‘staycation’. Um...) I have to admit that at one point with 270 people in the garden it felt a teeny bit overwhelming but a great time was had by all and a record £1876.75 was raised for @st_michaels_hospice and OHPS (even more with Gift Aid). Hooray for the Mayor, Nigel, who personally flogged a good few raffle tickets and definitely got into the swing! And hooray for the raffle donors especially @aspectsbeauty @rebecca_balanceme @uppublicrelations @nealsyardremedies @pureprlondon @imaginationpr and Lordy, I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone... PS I did, I forgot to thank @judgesbakery for the delicious scones and @greenandblacks for the going-home chocolate 😀
#summer2019 - still going for a swim, though
#summer2019 - still going for a swim, though
So this is it. Today’s the day. I will be listening to myself (while simultaneously pinching myself) on @bbcradio4 #desertislanddiscs at 11.15. Thanks to lovely @laurenlaverne it was an absolute joy and a hoot to do, drinking tea and nibbling @greenandblacks while the back room crew got completely and joyously wired on their bars!! I will probably break the Guinness World Record for breath-holding while listening (from behind the sofa) and dearly wish I’d given my mother more credit for being a great cook/hostess/artist/potter and general all-round great Mum, but hey... It was with her that I first started listening to this show as a kid and of course have mentally composed my playlist 1000 times (haven’t we all?) but let me tell you, when it comes down to it, selecting just eight tracks is REALLY HARD. (My brother @alastair.fairley has placed an envelope in my hall to be opened after the show with his guesses at my choices!) Now I have to dream up (and creatively visualise) a new life ambition... (And yes, Lauren is REALLY TALL. Which you just don’t get from listening to someone on the radio.) #highlightofmylife
So this is it. Today’s the day. I will be listening to myself (while simultaneously pinching myself) on @bbcradio4 #desertislanddiscs at 11.15. Thanks to lovely @laurenlaverne it was an absolute joy and a hoot to do, drinking tea and nibbling @greenandblacks while the back room crew got completely and joyously wired on their bars!! I will probably break the Guinness World Record for breath-holding while listening (from behind the sofa) and dearly wish I’d given my mother more credit for being a great cook/hostess/artist/potter and general all-round great Mum, but hey... It was with her that I first started listening to this show as a kid and of course have mentally composed my playlist 1000 times (haven’t we all?) but let me tell you, when it comes down to it, selecting just eight tracks is REALLY HARD. (My brother @alastair.fairley has placed an envelope in my hall to be opened after the show with his guesses at my choices!) Now I have to dream up (and creatively visualise) a new life ambition... (And yes, Lauren is REALLY TALL. Which you just don’t get from listening to someone on the radio.) #highlightofmylife
Interrupting my #OOO with some breaking news... I am lovely @laurenlaverne ‘s guest on #desertislanddiscs next Sunday! Honestly the best fun ever... I’ve listened to this since I was a child, first with my mum (she LOVED it, as do I) and then through the decades. Keeping this secret has been VERY hard! And now back to the shed...
Interrupting my #OOO with some breaking news... I am lovely @laurenlaverne ‘s guest on #desertislanddiscs next Sunday! Honestly the best fun ever... I’ve listened to this since I was a child, first with my mum (she LOVED it, as do I) and then through the decades. Keeping this secret has been VERY hard! And now back to the shed...
Out of office... This is the position I intend to assume for the next 10 days. Digitally detoxing (with the exception of one brief announcement on Sunday which I have been BURSTING to share...) Feet up, hitting the sun lounger, indulging in the excitements of Hastings Old Town Week and catching up on both weeding and reading - and if you need to get hold of me, mermaid-toes crossed I’ll be here on the beach... #staycation
Out of office... This is the position I intend to assume for the next 10 days. Digitally detoxing (with the exception of one brief announcement on Sunday which I have been BURSTING to share...) Feet up, hitting the sun lounger, indulging in the excitements of Hastings Old Town Week and catching up on both weeding and reading - and if you need to get hold of me, mermaid-toes crossed I’ll be here on the beach... #staycation
For Hastings Old Town Week this year I am proud to say we’ve gone Pride with the bunting... All the pubs have sponsored the hundreds of yards of rainbow bunting and the tallest publican in town gave his time to put it up (although even @dragonbarhastings Paddy remarkably still needed a ladder). Well done @jamesthomas75 and crew for making this happen... So happy to live in this place
For Hastings Old Town Week this year I am proud to say we’ve gone Pride with the bunting... All the pubs have sponsored the hundreds of yards of rainbow bunting and the tallest publican in town gave his time to put it up (although even @dragonbarhastings Paddy remarkably still needed a ladder). Well done @jamesthomas75 and crew for making this happen... So happy to live in this place
Mostly for @shimizuflowers - the MOST utterly ravishing display by @grandirosa at a press event on Tuesday @kettnerssoho (new fave hotel BTW)
Mostly for @shimizuflowers - the MOST utterly ravishing display by @grandirosa at a press event on Tuesday @kettnerssoho (new fave hotel BTW)
Noooooooooo! So not ready for this. They were all over Leicester Square yesterday... #comebacksummer
Noooooooooo! So not ready for this. They were all over Leicester Square yesterday... #comebacksummer
Always loved these old zinc planters - some kind of industrial salvage. Think I got them for about a tenner each in the Portobello Road about 20 years ago. Always had an issue with how to keep the soil from spilling out but finally solved problem this summer by lining them with hanging basket liner, bought on a roll (from Amazon, but only because I couldn’t find it anywhere else...) Job done - but trailing #begonias so happy that soon the planters will disappear anyway... #inmygarden (BTW now have nine metres left if anyone needs any!)
Always loved these old zinc planters - some kind of industrial salvage. Think I got them for about a tenner each in the Portobello Road about 20 years ago. Always had an issue with how to keep the soil from spilling out but finally solved problem this summer by lining them with hanging basket liner, bought on a roll (from Amazon, but only because I couldn’t find it anywhere else...) Job done - but trailing #begonias so happy that soon the planters will disappear anyway... #inmygarden (BTW now have nine metres left if anyone needs any!)
SWIPE FOR FLOWERS (& the BEST day out) Yesterday I finally got to redeem my Christmas present from @craigsams (yes, it was 22nd August). I follow lots of flower accounts on @instagram and am particularly keen on @honeysuckle_and_hilda so I asked if he’d give me a half-day flower arranging course in the loose, just-gathered-from-the-hedgerow style that I find so enchanting. Craig generously gave me a WHOLE DAY and yesterday I got to redeem the voucher. It could not have been more heavenly fun, although I was worried about wrangling my creations back to Hastings on the train from Oxfordshire... In the morning Claire taught me how to make a bowl display (I thought I’d walked into a florist’s shop, there were so many flowers and so much foliage to choose from). Then we broke for a DELICIOUS organic lunch (oh, and a glass of @leoube rosé which definitely loosened my style perfectly) and returned to make a hand-tied bouquet. It looks effortless but it really isn’t and I learned so much, in the beautiful new high-ceilinged studio where she will be doing her classes (when not @daylesfordfarm for her quarterly workshops). I was thrilled with my creations, which I did indeed transport safely on two trains and two taxis back home, no damage done. I wish every Friday could be like this! Thank you so much @honeysuckle_and_hilda for the loveliest time - and may your business bloom like your roses and dahlias... (And thank you Craig for a wonderful present.) #flowers #flowerarrangement #dahlias #roses #vasecollection SWIPE FOR FUN! Thank you @fortnums and @jonewton18k for last night - @raretealady and I had a blast talking about her book Infused to the loveliest audience of tea-lovers who’ve all gone home & thrown out their teabags... in order to explore the myriad wonders of different teas. (And hey, it’s not every day you find identical triplet chaps in your audience!) Lovely to see some familiar faces from @theperfumesociety in the audience too. Great tea can be one of life’s best small pleasures... And more than that, it keeps us upright! #drugofchoice A perfect late summer’s evening down a wiggly country road to delicious dinner with a friend (& his fun guests). A chill in the air balanced by the warmth of the welcome, all the more special because his late, much-loved wife took care of the entertaining. The evening went with a swing, all of us cherishing the memory of our hostess-with-the-mostest friend but marvelling at human resilience. A reminder, though, to cherish the people around us while we can... Bit of a Thought for the Day today, but feeling thoughtful... The very excellent patching and mending by @mammawalton on our friend Debra’s jeans, which as you can tell she LOVES A LOT. I also adore things that have been mended. Preferably several times. One of the most treasured people in my life is my own sewing/mending/alterations person, Claire, who has been known to complain that my patches have patches. But in a throwaway society, isn’t it just the best feeling to get something fixed...? PS If you follow @mammawalton she offers occasional workshops on this mending technique! The sweetest soul that ever played with an @sylvanianfamilies_official person... Priscilla Peach, can’t wait to see the girl you grow into Utterly beautiful flowers via @shimizuflowers from a darling friend, to congratulate me on being on Desert Island Discs. It’s all been quite, quite surreal. Long-lost friends have been in touch - including the hairdresser at Vidal Sassoon who I went to for ages in my late teens/early 20s, who turns out to be quite the photographer in Carolina ( @the_israel if you’re curious). I’ve had the loveliest massages - thank you, thank you, thank you. (Even most of the tweets were pleasant! Blimey!) But most movingly, no less than six women who suffered at the hands of the same Scripture/Careers teacher, Mrs. Wootton, contacted me (via my website) to tell me about their similar (in some cases even worse) put-down experiences. One was told she would ‘burn in hell’ (because a) her parents were divorced and b) she’s been spotted dancing in the audience of Ready, Steady, Go! on TV!) Others has their self-esteem dented for many years. I feel outraged on their behalf - but also amazed and somewhat comforted because I thought it was just me... All in all looking forward to life getting back to ‘normal’ this week (um, whatever that is...) But also still pinching myself. Hard. SWIPE FOR GOOD TIMES WITH GOOD FRIENDS! Last lunch of summer (& the clouds parted especially...) Too much @leoube #chateauleoube , a lot of laughter, our entire crop of pink for apple spuds and #nasturtiums all over the salad. The cheeseboard, meanwhile, is my favourite bit of prepping lunch; I can’t quite believe I actually used to get on a train to London to put it together but am so happy that thanks to local purveyors @queensdelihastings and @penbuckles - who have an epic selection - I can shop locally now. Plus there was an airing for @craigsams batik silk shirt that you made him @inkylinda ! Thanks @mammawalton @stewart_walton @pattiedbarron @jane.scruton et al for being there ☀️ No idea what the name of this hydrangea is because it was lurking beneath waist-high brambles 18 years ago when we moved to this house, but it’s my favourite. And has done us proud at three hydrangea-bedecked weddings where the flower budget was precisely zero, when friends who also have hydrangeas massively added to the floral bounty. Thank heavens nobody in this family gets married in January... Just to make life in Hastings complete we now have our own #literaryfestival (patron is local lad Sir David Hare) - last weekend in August (not the Bank Hol which is weirdly early this year, though sadly conflicts with @primadonnafestival which @mayeroflondon has co-founded, so I have #festivalclash ) Visit hastingslitfest.org for info on this one... Next Thursday evening 22nd August I am interviewing the wondrous @raretealady @fortnums about her book Infused, all about her amazing adventures in hot water. And then again @muchadobooks in Alfriston on Sunday afternoon 25th. (I am officially a tea groupie.) Tickets for the former from Eventbrite (just search for ‘Lovell’) and the latter via the Much Ado website. Hope to see some of you there... We can promise MUCH FUN 😀 SWIPE FOR PURE NOSTALGIA! I grew up on Ladybird books (my nose was rarely out of a book for most of my childhood). Now a new @gardenmuseum exhibition ‘What to Look For in the Garden’ has gathered together many of the astonishingly beautiful original paintings that are specifically garden-related in a wonderful little show. A sweet highlight is @alantitchmarshh own trio of Ladybird books (he ALMOST spells his name wrong in the front!). There was a private view for members last night with a guided tour by the curator (I would’ve loved THAT job) but if you want to be transported back to the innocence of a 60s or early 70s childhood, do go before it closes on 7th October. Also: EXCELLENT cakes in the café (always a bonus) #childhood #thejoyofbooks SWIPE FOR CREAM TEA! Thanks to all the incredible helpers (especially David Edmunds ‘cos I forgot to mention him on the day, plus @wewearperfume @suerpeart and @35northgallery who travelled a long way specially to help), who all put on their pinnies to make our charity organic cream tea such a success during Hastings Old Town Week last week. (During my quote-unquote ‘staycation’. Um...) I have to admit that at one point with 270 people in the garden it felt a teeny bit overwhelming but a great time was had by all and a record £1876.75 was raised for @st_michaels_hospice and OHPS (even more with Gift Aid). Hooray for the Mayor, Nigel, who personally flogged a good few raffle tickets and definitely got into the swing! And hooray for the raffle donors especially @aspectsbeauty @rebecca_balanceme @uppublicrelations @nealsyardremedies @pureprlondon @imaginationpr and Lordy, I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone... PS I did, I forgot to thank @judgesbakery for the delicious scones and @greenandblacks for the going-home chocolate 😀 #summer2019 - still going for a swim, though So this is it. Today’s the day. I will be listening to myself (while simultaneously pinching myself) on @bbcradio4 #desertislanddiscs at 11.15. Thanks to lovely @laurenlaverne it was an absolute joy and a hoot to do, drinking tea and nibbling @greenandblacks while the back room crew got completely and joyously wired on their bars!! I will probably break the Guinness World Record for breath-holding while listening (from behind the sofa) and dearly wish I’d given my mother more credit for being a great cook/hostess/artist/potter and general all-round great Mum, but hey... It was with her that I first started listening to this show as a kid and of course have mentally composed my playlist 1000 times (haven’t we all?) but let me tell you, when it comes down to it, selecting just eight tracks is REALLY HARD. (My brother @alastair.fairley has placed an envelope in my hall to be opened after the show with his guesses at my choices!) Now I have to dream up (and creatively visualise) a new life ambition... (And yes, Lauren is REALLY TALL. Which you just don’t get from listening to someone on the radio.) #highlightofmylife Interrupting my #OOO with some breaking news... I am lovely @laurenlaverne ‘s guest on #desertislanddiscs next Sunday! Honestly the best fun ever... I’ve listened to this since I was a child, first with my mum (she LOVED it, as do I) and then through the decades. Keeping this secret has been VERY hard! And now back to the shed... Out of office... This is the position I intend to assume for the next 10 days. Digitally detoxing (with the exception of one brief announcement on Sunday which I have been BURSTING to share...) Feet up, hitting the sun lounger, indulging in the excitements of Hastings Old Town Week and catching up on both weeding and reading - and if you need to get hold of me, mermaid-toes crossed I’ll be here on the beach... #staycation For Hastings Old Town Week this year I am proud to say we’ve gone Pride with the bunting... All the pubs have sponsored the hundreds of yards of rainbow bunting and the tallest publican in town gave his time to put it up (although even @dragonbarhastings Paddy remarkably still needed a ladder). Well done @jamesthomas75 and crew for making this happen... So happy to live in this place Mostly for @shimizuflowers - the MOST utterly ravishing display by @grandirosa at a press event on Tuesday @kettnerssoho (new fave hotel BTW) Noooooooooo! So not ready for this. They were all over Leicester Square yesterday... #comebacksummer Always loved these old zinc planters - some kind of industrial salvage. Think I got them for about a tenner each in the Portobello Road about 20 years ago. Always had an issue with how to keep the soil from spilling out but finally solved problem this summer by lining them with hanging basket liner, bought on a roll (from Amazon, but only because I couldn’t find it anywhere else...) Job done - but trailing #begonias so happy that soon the planters will disappear anyway... #inmygarden (BTW now have nine metres left if anyone needs any!)
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