The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – 60 years on the throne – a milestone not too many monarchs have reached.  The Queen’s grandmother, Queen Victoria, was the only one and she reigned for 63 years. 

One of my earliest memories of life in a little village in Devon (population 200) was the Queen’s coronation in 1953.  All the school children were presented with a coronation mug with a picture of Her Majesty printed on it. Next to the Village Hall there was a meadow – Pixie Meadow – and it was here that the coronation games were held. I remember participating in the sack race, egg and spoon race and the three-legged race.  I can’t remember if I won anything but we all had a lot of laughs! Then there was afternoon tea in the hall with everyone from the village and surrounding farms attending and, of course, it was a Devonshire cream tea with ‘proper’ cream made from scalding the milk and allowing the cream to rise to the surface.

However, I digress a little. We ‘oldies’ do tend to dwell on past happy events.

We, the committee, decided to have the Diamond Jubilee as an appropriate theme for another reason, as well as the obvious one. This year the venue for the Rose Show will be in the Barossa Chateau (formerly Chateau Barrosa) at Lyndoch Hill.  Ten years ago on 28^th February the Queen opened the rose garden which covers 15 acres and was created by Hermann Thumm. During the drought years it had become quite run down but a renaissance has been taking place over the past year or so under the direction of Mark and Mandy Creed and The Friends of Lyndoch Hill Rose Garden. The Friends donate their time in helping to restore the garden to its former glory.

The Chateau is in such a beautiful setting with the gardens to wander in plus wine-tasting, a gift shop, light lunches & Devonshire Teas and much more. There is also the restaurant on top of the hill overlooking the Barossa Ranges.

There is a photo competition again this year and the theme for this is “Jewels of the Garden”. This can cover a wide range of things from flowers, shrubs and trees to birds, insects or even spiders (especially the pretty ones).  So get snapping folks! Details  available on this website under sections-competitions and in the schedule later on this year.  The colouring-in competition  can be downloaded above for the children and for anyone doing painting therapy (for arthritis etc.) The theme ‘Diamond Jubilee. I hope, as in past years, that we have many entries in all categories and that all of you who come to see the show will appreciate the lovely new venue. 

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