After two very difficult years it’s wonderful to see return of the annual Horticultural Show on 20th August and the Birnam Highland Games on the 27th of August. I’m looking forward to them both and hope you are too.
Firstly to the Horty Show. Loyal readers of this column will have shared my joys and woes over the years in putting in competition entries to the Horty Show. This event usually starts with Tiffy leaning over the garden wall the night before the show and asking, ‘Anything for the Horty, Sal?’ This finds me looking hopefully at fading borders, mildewed roses and slug eaten lettuces wondering what on earth I can enter. Meanwhile up the track Colin will be putting the finishing touches to his perfectly grown vegetables fit for an RHS show. However it's great fun to enter what you can. Have a look at the schedule here and as long as you’ve grown or made it you can enter it. It might even spur you on to get that raspberry jam made that you’ve been promising yourself that you will get to soon. From the boys making vegetable dinosaurs (about a million years ago now) to my triumph one year in the miniature flower arrangement in a shell resulting in a first class certificate you never know when lady luck might shine upon you. Good luck!
On the other hand I will not be entering anything at the Highland Games. I have no idea how men lift that caber, or race around the track so speedily; or how the girls leap around in the Highland dancing with such finesse. I can only stand and admire – hopefully with a glass of wine in hand. Of course tradition has it that everyone under the age of 18 will be down at the showies the night before for the half price rides – all the fun of the fair.
Looking ahead to the early autumn please make a note in your diary of the week of Dunkeld and Birnam Unplugged 26th September to 2nd September. This provides the annual opportunity to focus on what we can do as a community to reduce our environmental impact and set new objectives for the year ahead. On that note it’s great to see the new food share initiative getting.
However before all of that it’s time for the holidays and some time to relax in the sunshine and browse the pictures for sale at the Dunkeld Art Exhibition.
Then …before you know it, the brambling season will be upon us, the September Bridge will be popping through your door and autumn will be here.
Enjoy!

Sally Robertson