On 21/5/05 23:35, in article , "Bob Hobden"
wrote:


"Sacha" wrote
snip
We have decided never to attend Chelsea again. By the time you've been
pushed, shoved, almost knocked over by the hordes of people (on Members'
Day, yes) you're tired, bruised, headachey and cross. Last time we went,
I
belonged to a club, just minutes away, where we had stayed the night
before,
so we turned up before the gates opened and were *still* caught in a
seething tide of humanity - and it was an intermittently rainy day. No,
never again. What a very great shame that the once-considered move to
Osterley Park never happened - loads more space!


With your connections in the trade I would have thought you could get
exhibitors passes from someone. You can then enter the show at 7am giving
you a whole hour without the public, only some celebs/royals about at that
time. We managed it a couple of times when a friend had a trade stand,
indeed one year I helped him set up, and walking around the show on the
Sunday evening was fun.

We've never tried that but an hour at Chelsea isn't that much of a head
start.

Not been for years, too many people (often talking rubbish), not enough
seats, and the whole day is too expensive for what it is.

I'm afraid that's pretty much our feeling. We went to a very small
'roadshow' in Torquay last year and rather enjoyed it. But the number of
exhibitors was tiny. If only Rosemoor would start propagating and selling
their own plants, we'd far rather visit something like that and buy what we
want at the end. Admittedly, we haven't been for about two years but last
time we went I almost ran into the shop at the end, clutching my purse. I
was horrified, disappointed and really rather cross to be confronted with
rows and rows of bog standard plants any 'off the peg' garden centre carries
- not one plant from Rosemoor and not one unusual plant of any description.

** Remember two elderly ladies talking loudly saying how good it was that
this Dutch firm turned up each year, they were looking at the Kirstenbosch
stand! :-)

Oh very good!
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds for email)