Sunday 16th July 2023

The talks were one thing: Castles and Swimming Pools: thrilling although the Director might have presented his section in swimming costume for effect, especially since he is a champion swimmer. Sanctuary was the theme. And fantasy. Why not live in a dream world? The Castles person finished her talk then began again after the Director had started his.

The Literary Festival lasted for two days.

Alan Titchmarsh: Weather is one thing. Climate another.

Robin Lane-Fox: ‘Bugger plans’. ‘Re-wilding: forget the re.’ ‘In my garden I kill things.’ ‘Don’t make your garden just to be photographed.’ ‘The garden is a sanctuary, especially in trouble as when Martha was so injured in that car crash.’

Tom Stuart-Smith: What’s the story in the garden? one time it was Wagner but nobody knew. Another time there wasn’t one and an elderly peer, visiting, came up to the designer and said, ‘Why?’ The garden must belong somehow in its place. At the Rausings, the solution was to remove the garden altogether.

There was an undertow. Robert Sackville-West spoke of Vita and Knole. The romance. The past. The great house, where he now lives following the settlement a previous Lord Sackville made with the National Trust. By chance a number of heirs turned up for that talk. Afterwards they had confab: ‘Is Mullings really your life?’ one of them asked another. ‘Yes, really,’ was the somewhat sunken reply. He’d tried Malaya but it was no good.

In a remote corner of the car park, as the second day drew to a close, a black limo was parked. Four attendants were helping a man into evening dress. Glyndebourniana being nearby, one can only wonder. This was possibly one of our leading businessmen. He might be safe. Who knows?

But for others… how much longer, the sanctuary of the garden, the acres borne down through centuries? A terrible undertow, the black swirling waters of Socialism, threatens to engulf…

In the café one of the luncheon times, our Lady hostess and her friend were in the queue. ‘Why are we here?’ her friend asked. ‘I thought we were going to look at the poppies.’ Neither of them seemed to know. When they got to the front of the queue, the attendant repelled an intruding woman. ‘I’ll be with you when I’ve finished serving these ladies.’ When it was my turn, I said, ‘It’s funny you said “ladies” because one of them actually is a lady.’ Royston King said, ‘We have a very different sense of humour.’

I thought it was incredibly exciting.

Parham: Where it Happened. Who Knew W. Sussex could be so Impressively Bare and Medieval and Fortified

Parham Without: Graphs Not Allowed Within which was Purring with Money and Care. But Royston Attended the Talks about it: Struggle for Survival and Fears for the Future Despite Guinness money…