Thank you so much, Jo! I have to admit that our VC is rather a beast in terms of sprawling over our guttering and needing to be tamed every so often. A couple of years ago a pair of collared doves - having exhausted all other attempts to nest in very unsuitable places - nested in OCTOBER in the creeper where it met the guttering just outside our landing window. If I'd noticed them showing an interest there so late in the year I might have made some effort to discourage them - but they managed to raise two very cute babies despite some really awful autumn weather, so all was well!
Gosh, so beautiful, Rebecca. I am captured by the pictures and have to return later to savor your prose. (And thanks for the pronunciation tips and the link!) Trees in Rougemont decided a couple days ago to let loose their leave, with the hickories taking the lead. Browns and yellows scattered all around. The Maple is stillred and full. She'll hang on for a while. The oaks a browning but they're in denial. Another 3 sonnets on a tree inmy 'stack this week, BTW. Wonderful fall to all!
You're so kind, Mark - thank you for this lovely comment. When I was thinking about our Liquidambar I was so pleased to have remembered your beautiful poem about the sweetgum, and your explanation of your process in writing it. I think it made a perfect match for this post of mine, so thank you right back. 😊
Golly, I would LOVE to walk through a garden with you so that you could describe things with big nonnies!
And thank you for the link to the Roy Lancaster teatree which comes from my own state. I went and read about it. I can't remember any Latin names at all and end up with David and Gavan's hydies over there, Willi's white flowered thing here and so forth and yet my friend Willi, who is the compleat plantswoman, rolls them off her tongue like a mouthful of marbles.
I rather fancy the Meadow book too. Jim's cover pic is EXACTLY what I would love to achieve in my small meadow patch behind the windbreak. So far, my experience with meadow plants has been in an ancient wheelbarrow.
I always enjoy your posts so much but the artbook days are my favourites. You are so talented, Rebecca. Thank you for sharing your creativity.
I forgot to say in my earlier post that the best way to remember Latin or Greek names is to get a book on Latin and Greek names lol. It all makes sense then
Those big nonnies, Prue! 🤣🤣🤣 They're part of our family lexicon now!
I was so pleased to find out - when I was quizzing Mum about why certain plants in their garden were named after certain people - that 'Roy Lancaster' had come from seed collected on Tas! It was a real 'I wrote this and thought of you...' moment. 😁
Thank you so much for your very kind words about my monthly 'Art & Treasures' posts in particular. I love having them to write as a punctuation mark in my writing 'schedule', such as it is, and I'm really enjoying exploring my creativity. I was so pleased to read this comment of yours - thank you. 😊
I LOVE the sound of your wheelbarrow! I really like seeing how people have repurposed things in the garden, and an ancient wheelbarrow brimming with meadow plants sounds gorgeous. I know how beautiful your garden is, and I can just imagine it.
Such a treat to walk through your descriptions, Rebecca. Like you, I'm no gardener but I still love nature with a passion. Feeling refreshed and colourful, thank you.
Mesembryanthemum! One of my all-time favourite words to say too! How wonderful that you brought it to all of our attention. Words like that deserve a great big audience. I used to fancy becoming a botanist, but that fell by the wayside as I was too distractible. But still, I love plants and plant people too. I very much enjoyed your homage in words and gorgeous drawings of the beauty of plants, including all their melodic names and meanings.
It's a crazy word, isn't it, Sabrina? I love it! Thank you for your really lovely comment. Plant people are the BEST! 🌱 (I just wish I were one of them!) 🤣
I mean, don’t all British people know the King? We colonial peasants have to settle for a glimpse every ten years (actually, ten-ish years ago, I was waiting for a bus in Halifax to go down to the Seaport Market, and suddenly the street where I was waiting was all blocked off. I was massively confused until Charles and Camilla came driving by. They too were going to the market, and frankly they interrupted my whole day).
I love your appreciation of plants and nature! I too am not blessed with the ability to grow anything, and my parents’ yard growing up was always a bit neglected - we liked to be in it, but anything beyond some light mowing and occasionally planting random seeds in the couple of garden plots we had was too far. Thank you for the lovely morning walk.
Yes, of course. I refer to the King and Queen as Chas and Cam, and Rebecca has pulled me up on my familiarity. Typical. I must invite them over some time.
LOL Alison - yup, we all know all of them! 🤣 And hey, I think it's so cool that you encountered the two of them like that!
Actually, Mum did meet Queen Camilla once by accident (when she was still Duchess of Cornwall). Mum happened to be visiting the Chelsea Flower Show and saw a whole load of people, including police, walking in her direction. She stood aside to get out of the way, not really thinking about it, and suddenly a hand was presented to her to shake... by Camilla! 🤣
I was the only person on my section of street too, it was fascinating! It wasn’t a very nice day out, and I remember reading my book on the bench and thinking about how lonely it was, until I looked up and realized I was sitting by myself in this blocked-off street, nothing in sight.
I suck at gardening and kill most of my houseplants, but for some reason I keep trying... My yard tends to be a bit chaotic, but I enjoy all of the seasonal surprises that spring up, and I've gotten to know all of the trees and their habits over the years, kind of like old friends. Right now most of the red maples are in their full autumn glory. Your wonderful artwork perfectly evokes the season :-)
There's something about plants, isn't there, that makes us want to keep trying? I'm the same!
I'm quite fond of the chaotic look - I'm no real fan of a hyper-manicured garden (although many are of course jolly impressive), preferring a more natural look. I love how you've expressed that your trees are 'kind of like old friends'!
I envy your maples over there at this time of year! When I was 8 we visited my uncle across the pond one October half-term holiday - at that time he lived near a lake in Connecticut, and I had never seen trees like those incredible maples 'he' had over there. Absolutely awesome!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Jacquie - I really appreciate your kind words. 🍁
Everything about this post is wonderful: the link to my review, the writing, the photos, the drawings and the link to my review. By the way, thanks for linking to my review. Seriously though, I loved this article. The writing is fantastic, as are the illustrations. For me it's the horticultural equivalent of "I don't know much about art but I know what I like". Well done. Yes, and your analysis of names is why kids should be taught Latin in school, just like I wasn't. It opens doors to so much understanding, not just of other languages but also, and especially, when it comes to understanding what type of plant you're looking at.
Terry, thank you for this very generous comment! (LOL - did I link to your review?! 🤣)
I too didn't have the opportunity to learn Latin at school, although I had sufficient interest in French and German to be switched on to enjoying identifying relationships between those two languages and English. With Latin plant names - and to a certain extent Latin medical terms - it's so nice to be able to recognise (or perhaps, more often, to try to deduce) what certain parts of the words mean. I've always loved puzzling over words in this way. Your comment has reminded me that I've got a children's book somewhere (bought as an adult!) called 'Latin for Beginners' - I must find where I've put it!
Yes, being able to deduce is brilliant. I think there must be a large number of people who would like to learn Latin, judging by the extremely limited evidence base I have, which is that I've tried several times to book a place on a Latin for beginners course at the City Lit, only to discover each time that the course is already fully booked. A children's book sounds just the job!
I think it's an Usborne one, big and thin and blue and illustrated. I'll just have a quick look (online, not in the loft, where I fear my copy is languishing in a box). Back in a tick...
Beautiful as always Rebecca!! I love the photos and the drawings 💜
I'll admit that I too cannot keep a plant alive. I remember my aunty buying me a lavender plant once. The next time she visited, it had already died. I just don't have that natural thought process to look after them. At least that stops at plants and I haven't had any trouble in taking care of my dog ☺️
Gosh, I'm so sorry to hear about the lavender - did your aunt notice? We've recently inherited a large plant which I think is rather nice - it's actually an indoor plant, but it's enormous, and it had been living outside in the garden from which it had been rescued, so for now it's outside the front door. Jim hates it, but I've 'reassured' him that if my neglect doesn't get to it first, then the frost certainly will.
(Between you and me, I'm intending to sneak it inside and hide it in a corner while he's out.) 🤣
Thanks so much Rebecca for the mention and glad to meet you. I too am not blessed with green fingers but love spotting and drawing the wild flowers! Your drawings are beautiful 😍
There are so many wonderful things about this post, I would not know where to begin commenting. So I will just say that Rebecca Holden is an inspired and inspiring writer. She is a breath of earth, of life and beauty. How about simply turning off your TV and social media for a while, and instead of the constant barrage of hopelessness, hate, fear, horror, futility coming at you, give your self a little break. Here is the perfect place to begin.
You could have fooled me. The fact that you can pronounce the Latin? names of shrubs makes you a token horticulturist. I love your prose. You reminded me of how much I miss apple picking in New England. It’s odd that here is WA state, where Washington Apples are famous all over the US, there are no public apple picking farms. Blackberries grow like weeds here in August. Last year my kids baked a blackberry and bug pie. For some reason the batch they picked was infested. Yuck.
Thank you so much! 😘 'Token horticulturist' - I'll take that title and wear it with pride! 🙌
I have to say that I'm not terribly tempted by your kids' blackberry and bug pie, but I love that exactly that kind of thing is what Granny would come up with!
It's so interesting that you don't get to pick the state speciality apples. 🍏 The next county to ours - Kent, right at the bottom left-hand corner of the country - is called 'The Garden of England', and there are orchards full of apples, pears and cherries. I'm not sure there are many - if any - PYO (pick-your-own) places, though. I'll have to do some research ahead of next year! 🍎
Great read, Rebecca! I’m not much of a green thumb either. I take care of this orchid and it hasn’t bloomed any flowers since the pandemic. It’s still alive as I see the roots grow and an occasional new leaf will spring up to replace the one that’s dying. Still hoping one day it will bloom some flowers in its own time. Sigh!
Thanks, Stella! I love how 'green fingers' over here is 'a green thumb' over there!
I wonder if your orchid might one day surprise you with a shoot and some flower buds? Mine forgave me earlier this year for recklessly putting it on a far-too-sunny windowsill in that dramatic heatwave we had last summer - three of its leaves were burned to a crisp, and I felt really guilty. It's still not quite back up to scratch, but it DID flower, and I think we're friends again at last.
Lovely! That’s miles from me but will check it out next time I’m down south, thanks for the tip. In the garden today I found: gorgeous fall colours on my acer, a thriving ash sapling that I relocated and was worried I had killed (but I haven’t!) and a compost heap in dire need of turning. So I spent a really pleasant hour moving it, interleaving some browns and examining worms up close! It was *really* satisfying. Thank you so much for the inspiration to get out in it!! 🙏🙏💚
Sounds brilliant, Jill! Our compost bin (it's one of those plastic ones like a tapered dustbin with an open base) is seething with worms at the moment - every time I pop the lid off, which is daily - there are handfuls and handfuls of the squirming creatures inside the lip of it - I always feel quite sorry for them as they fall back down into the compost, having made such an effort to get up to the top! 🤣
What an extraordinary garden!! (‘The oldest recorded living tree in the garden is an English oak (Quercus robur), dated to 1485.’!!!) I love that you have to book a parking spot. What a brilliant way to manage the crowds and ensure that no one wastes their time driving out then not being able to park.
It's an extraordinary place! It's renowned for its rhododendrons and azaleas, and for its autumn colours. Capability Brown knew what was what, that's for sure! 1485 - to think that that tree was around when Henry VII acceded to the throne! 👀
Booking to park is only required at the moment because Sheffield Park is THE place to go around here for autumn colours. Once it quietens down a bit it'll just be 'turn up and see'. When we'd booked (a few days in advance) the only arrival slots they had available had been at 9.30am - the rest of the day was already fully booked! As the weather was absolutely dreadful there weren't all that many people there - and staff weren't checking that people had even booked. Still, it was definitely worth doing, in case we'd been turned away.
Thanks, Mitchell! The names are lovely, aren't they?!
Great post! I always thought of virginia creeper as a nuisance, but your leaves and description have given me appreciation for their beauty.
Thank you so much, Jo! I have to admit that our VC is rather a beast in terms of sprawling over our guttering and needing to be tamed every so often. A couple of years ago a pair of collared doves - having exhausted all other attempts to nest in very unsuitable places - nested in OCTOBER in the creeper where it met the guttering just outside our landing window. If I'd noticed them showing an interest there so late in the year I might have made some effort to discourage them - but they managed to raise two very cute babies despite some really awful autumn weather, so all was well!
Gosh, so beautiful, Rebecca. I am captured by the pictures and have to return later to savor your prose. (And thanks for the pronunciation tips and the link!) Trees in Rougemont decided a couple days ago to let loose their leave, with the hickories taking the lead. Browns and yellows scattered all around. The Maple is stillred and full. She'll hang on for a while. The oaks a browning but they're in denial. Another 3 sonnets on a tree inmy 'stack this week, BTW. Wonderful fall to all!
You're so kind, Mark - thank you for this lovely comment. When I was thinking about our Liquidambar I was so pleased to have remembered your beautiful poem about the sweetgum, and your explanation of your process in writing it. I think it made a perfect match for this post of mine, so thank you right back. 😊
Golly, I would LOVE to walk through a garden with you so that you could describe things with big nonnies!
And thank you for the link to the Roy Lancaster teatree which comes from my own state. I went and read about it. I can't remember any Latin names at all and end up with David and Gavan's hydies over there, Willi's white flowered thing here and so forth and yet my friend Willi, who is the compleat plantswoman, rolls them off her tongue like a mouthful of marbles.
I rather fancy the Meadow book too. Jim's cover pic is EXACTLY what I would love to achieve in my small meadow patch behind the windbreak. So far, my experience with meadow plants has been in an ancient wheelbarrow.
I always enjoy your posts so much but the artbook days are my favourites. You are so talented, Rebecca. Thank you for sharing your creativity.
I forgot to say in my earlier post that the best way to remember Latin or Greek names is to get a book on Latin and Greek names lol. It all makes sense then
😁
Those big nonnies, Prue! 🤣🤣🤣 They're part of our family lexicon now!
I was so pleased to find out - when I was quizzing Mum about why certain plants in their garden were named after certain people - that 'Roy Lancaster' had come from seed collected on Tas! It was a real 'I wrote this and thought of you...' moment. 😁
Thank you so much for your very kind words about my monthly 'Art & Treasures' posts in particular. I love having them to write as a punctuation mark in my writing 'schedule', such as it is, and I'm really enjoying exploring my creativity. I was so pleased to read this comment of yours - thank you. 😊
I LOVE the sound of your wheelbarrow! I really like seeing how people have repurposed things in the garden, and an ancient wheelbarrow brimming with meadow plants sounds gorgeous. I know how beautiful your garden is, and I can just imagine it.
Such a treat to walk through your descriptions, Rebecca. Like you, I'm no gardener but I still love nature with a passion. Feeling refreshed and colourful, thank you.
Aww, thank you so much, Mya! 😊
Mesembryanthemum! One of my all-time favourite words to say too! How wonderful that you brought it to all of our attention. Words like that deserve a great big audience. I used to fancy becoming a botanist, but that fell by the wayside as I was too distractible. But still, I love plants and plant people too. I very much enjoyed your homage in words and gorgeous drawings of the beauty of plants, including all their melodic names and meanings.
It's a crazy word, isn't it, Sabrina? I love it! Thank you for your really lovely comment. Plant people are the BEST! 🌱 (I just wish I were one of them!) 🤣
I mean, don’t all British people know the King? We colonial peasants have to settle for a glimpse every ten years (actually, ten-ish years ago, I was waiting for a bus in Halifax to go down to the Seaport Market, and suddenly the street where I was waiting was all blocked off. I was massively confused until Charles and Camilla came driving by. They too were going to the market, and frankly they interrupted my whole day).
I love your appreciation of plants and nature! I too am not blessed with the ability to grow anything, and my parents’ yard growing up was always a bit neglected - we liked to be in it, but anything beyond some light mowing and occasionally planting random seeds in the couple of garden plots we had was too far. Thank you for the lovely morning walk.
Yes, of course. I refer to the King and Queen as Chas and Cam, and Rebecca has pulled me up on my familiarity. Typical. I must invite them over some time.
It's not long since they came to yours, though, right, Terry? Give them a chance to at least catch their breath before they return your hospitality!
Ingrates, that's what I call them 😡
😲
LOL Alison - yup, we all know all of them! 🤣 And hey, I think it's so cool that you encountered the two of them like that!
Actually, Mum did meet Queen Camilla once by accident (when she was still Duchess of Cornwall). Mum happened to be visiting the Chelsea Flower Show and saw a whole load of people, including police, walking in her direction. She stood aside to get out of the way, not really thinking about it, and suddenly a hand was presented to her to shake... by Camilla! 🤣
I was the only person on my section of street too, it was fascinating! It wasn’t a very nice day out, and I remember reading my book on the bench and thinking about how lonely it was, until I looked up and realized I was sitting by myself in this blocked-off street, nothing in sight.
Oh gosh, what a weird experience!
I suck at gardening and kill most of my houseplants, but for some reason I keep trying... My yard tends to be a bit chaotic, but I enjoy all of the seasonal surprises that spring up, and I've gotten to know all of the trees and their habits over the years, kind of like old friends. Right now most of the red maples are in their full autumn glory. Your wonderful artwork perfectly evokes the season :-)
There's something about plants, isn't there, that makes us want to keep trying? I'm the same!
I'm quite fond of the chaotic look - I'm no real fan of a hyper-manicured garden (although many are of course jolly impressive), preferring a more natural look. I love how you've expressed that your trees are 'kind of like old friends'!
I envy your maples over there at this time of year! When I was 8 we visited my uncle across the pond one October half-term holiday - at that time he lived near a lake in Connecticut, and I had never seen trees like those incredible maples 'he' had over there. Absolutely awesome!
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Jacquie - I really appreciate your kind words. 🍁
Everything about this post is wonderful: the link to my review, the writing, the photos, the drawings and the link to my review. By the way, thanks for linking to my review. Seriously though, I loved this article. The writing is fantastic, as are the illustrations. For me it's the horticultural equivalent of "I don't know much about art but I know what I like". Well done. Yes, and your analysis of names is why kids should be taught Latin in school, just like I wasn't. It opens doors to so much understanding, not just of other languages but also, and especially, when it comes to understanding what type of plant you're looking at.
Terry, thank you for this very generous comment! (LOL - did I link to your review?! 🤣)
I too didn't have the opportunity to learn Latin at school, although I had sufficient interest in French and German to be switched on to enjoying identifying relationships between those two languages and English. With Latin plant names - and to a certain extent Latin medical terms - it's so nice to be able to recognise (or perhaps, more often, to try to deduce) what certain parts of the words mean. I've always loved puzzling over words in this way. Your comment has reminded me that I've got a children's book somewhere (bought as an adult!) called 'Latin for Beginners' - I must find where I've put it!
Yes, being able to deduce is brilliant. I think there must be a large number of people who would like to learn Latin, judging by the extremely limited evidence base I have, which is that I've tried several times to book a place on a Latin for beginners course at the City Lit, only to discover each time that the course is already fully booked. A children's book sounds just the job!
I think it's an Usborne one, big and thin and blue and illustrated. I'll just have a quick look (online, not in the loft, where I fear my copy is languishing in a box). Back in a tick...
Here it is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Latin-Beginners-Internet-Usborne-Language/dp/0746016387/ref=sr_1_3?crid=OR7KYNY9Q0CX&keywords=latin+for+beginners&qid=1698602659&sprefix=latin+for+%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-3
I've had mine for ages, so I'm pretty sure it's not 'internet linked' as the edition above claims to be.
that's about my level 👏
😁
Those leaves are just beautiful
Tom, it's so kind of you to say - thank you! 🍂
Beautiful as always Rebecca!! I love the photos and the drawings 💜
I'll admit that I too cannot keep a plant alive. I remember my aunty buying me a lavender plant once. The next time she visited, it had already died. I just don't have that natural thought process to look after them. At least that stops at plants and I haven't had any trouble in taking care of my dog ☺️
Awww, thanks, Lyndsay! 😘
Gosh, I'm so sorry to hear about the lavender - did your aunt notice? We've recently inherited a large plant which I think is rather nice - it's actually an indoor plant, but it's enormous, and it had been living outside in the garden from which it had been rescued, so for now it's outside the front door. Jim hates it, but I've 'reassured' him that if my neglect doesn't get to it first, then the frost certainly will.
(Between you and me, I'm intending to sneak it inside and hide it in a corner while he's out.) 🤣
https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/jade-plant
Thanks so much Rebecca for the mention and glad to meet you. I too am not blessed with green fingers but love spotting and drawing the wild flowers! Your drawings are beautiful 😍
Such a pleasure, Melanie - and likewise! I absolutely love your art and your YT videos. 😊
Thank you for your really kind words! 😊
There are so many wonderful things about this post, I would not know where to begin commenting. So I will just say that Rebecca Holden is an inspired and inspiring writer. She is a breath of earth, of life and beauty. How about simply turning off your TV and social media for a while, and instead of the constant barrage of hopelessness, hate, fear, horror, futility coming at you, give your self a little break. Here is the perfect place to begin.
Oh Sharron, you're so very kind - thank you for these beautiful words! You're such a friend! 😘
You could have fooled me. The fact that you can pronounce the Latin? names of shrubs makes you a token horticulturist. I love your prose. You reminded me of how much I miss apple picking in New England. It’s odd that here is WA state, where Washington Apples are famous all over the US, there are no public apple picking farms. Blackberries grow like weeds here in August. Last year my kids baked a blackberry and bug pie. For some reason the batch they picked was infested. Yuck.
Thank you so much! 😘 'Token horticulturist' - I'll take that title and wear it with pride! 🙌
I have to say that I'm not terribly tempted by your kids' blackberry and bug pie, but I love that exactly that kind of thing is what Granny would come up with!
It's so interesting that you don't get to pick the state speciality apples. 🍏 The next county to ours - Kent, right at the bottom left-hand corner of the country - is called 'The Garden of England', and there are orchards full of apples, pears and cherries. I'm not sure there are many - if any - PYO (pick-your-own) places, though. I'll have to do some research ahead of next year! 🍎
We live in Kent, WA. Hehehe.
Wow, that's such a coincidence! 🤣
Great read, Rebecca! I’m not much of a green thumb either. I take care of this orchid and it hasn’t bloomed any flowers since the pandemic. It’s still alive as I see the roots grow and an occasional new leaf will spring up to replace the one that’s dying. Still hoping one day it will bloom some flowers in its own time. Sigh!
Thanks, Stella! I love how 'green fingers' over here is 'a green thumb' over there!
I wonder if your orchid might one day surprise you with a shoot and some flower buds? Mine forgave me earlier this year for recklessly putting it on a far-too-sunny windowsill in that dramatic heatwave we had last summer - three of its leaves were burned to a crisp, and I felt really guilty. It's still not quite back up to scratch, but it DID flower, and I think we're friends again at last.
Gorgeous Rebecca ❤️ you’ve inspired me to get out in the garden today and see what’s what. Xx
Oh Jill, thank you very much! I hope you found something beautiful in the garden.
I've been away for the weekend, and an absolutely gorgeous highlight was a trip to Sheffield Park garden to admire the autumn colours.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/sheffield-park-and-garden/the-garden-at-sheffield-park-and-garden
I've been going there for over forty years (!) and today it looked pretty much the best I'd ever seen it, despite the rain!
Lovely! That’s miles from me but will check it out next time I’m down south, thanks for the tip. In the garden today I found: gorgeous fall colours on my acer, a thriving ash sapling that I relocated and was worried I had killed (but I haven’t!) and a compost heap in dire need of turning. So I spent a really pleasant hour moving it, interleaving some browns and examining worms up close! It was *really* satisfying. Thank you so much for the inspiration to get out in it!! 🙏🙏💚
Sounds brilliant, Jill! Our compost bin (it's one of those plastic ones like a tapered dustbin with an open base) is seething with worms at the moment - every time I pop the lid off, which is daily - there are handfuls and handfuls of the squirming creatures inside the lip of it - I always feel quite sorry for them as they fall back down into the compost, having made such an effort to get up to the top! 🤣
I’m sure they’re enjoying themselves ☺️
Worm partaaaaaaaaaaay!!!! 🥳🪱🕺🤣
What an extraordinary garden!! (‘The oldest recorded living tree in the garden is an English oak (Quercus robur), dated to 1485.’!!!) I love that you have to book a parking spot. What a brilliant way to manage the crowds and ensure that no one wastes their time driving out then not being able to park.
It's an extraordinary place! It's renowned for its rhododendrons and azaleas, and for its autumn colours. Capability Brown knew what was what, that's for sure! 1485 - to think that that tree was around when Henry VII acceded to the throne! 👀
Booking to park is only required at the moment because Sheffield Park is THE place to go around here for autumn colours. Once it quietens down a bit it'll just be 'turn up and see'. When we'd booked (a few days in advance) the only arrival slots they had available had been at 9.30am - the rest of the day was already fully booked! As the weather was absolutely dreadful there weren't all that many people there - and staff weren't checking that people had even booked. Still, it was definitely worth doing, in case we'd been turned away.