Celebrity spotting at the Chelsea Flower Show

After a night in a rented apartment, had a very early start so that we could get to the Chelsea Flower show and have a quick look round before the show was open to the public. We dashed around getting a brief glimpse at the show gardens unimpeded by the visiting hoards. The gardeners were busy brushing, watering and generally tidying ready for the eager visitors.

Our stand was in the Grand Pavilion. We had been awarded a silver gilt medal for our exhibit - everyone was really pleased with the result (we've had two silver medals in the past). Within minutes of opening, we were busy and I really enjoyed talking to gardeners about the microbiology of the soil and the complex relationships between plants and microbes.

There were lots of camera crews in action inside and outside and it was fun to do some celebrity spotting. This is Nicki Chapman preparing to interview one of the representatives from a flower stand.

We managed a few more outside visits on our breaks. It got very, very hot in the pavilion later in the afternoon and we were beginning to 'glow'. I finally left the show ground at 8.30 after tidying up and then doing the hand-over to the next day's team. Had to wait for a train back home and finally made it back, hot, footsore and exhausted at 10.30 pm. Great day though.