COMMITTEE TO BEGIN DELIBERATIONS

Firstly, the committee would like to tender its apologies for some slowness this week in processing show entries. This was due entirely on people, the public, you out there, being far too keen on entering the show. If only you had taken less trouble to publicise the show and to enter your thoughtful and good-hearted entries, our lives would have been so much easier. Please bear that in mind next year! 

Secondly, congratulations to all involved for the high standards of submission. Even Cleve's blight was strangely alluring. (Though Mr Alexander-Sinclair as always lowered the tone, this time by submitting a pumpkin he claims resembles Kerry Katona. I include a Google link for Miss Katona here, not to encourage Mr Alexander-Sinclair further but merely to help our American and Limburgese colleagues who may not be familiar with Miss Katona's body of work.)

Finally, we look forward to judging the entries. If there is anyone who feels they would have liked to enter but hasn't quite got round to it, I'm sure that the committee is now so exhausted from its nine-hour uploading marathon today that probably not much judging is going to get done for a few days. If there's one last thing you're itching to enter, please feel free. Unless your name is VP in which case you've already entered everything and you must be dreaming. 

With many best wishes to all the competitors,

The Committee. 

In particular the Committee are happy to receive any last minute entries for a hastily invented category of flower arrangements for Rachella de Thame's slutty evil sister, as requested. 

LAST MINUTE CATEGORY ADDITION: FLOWER ARRANGEMENT FOR RACHEL DE THAME'S SLUTTY EVIL SISTER

After unbearable pressure was put on the committee (silent phone calls, threatening letters, horse's heads in our beds) we felt that it would only be  fair and proper to immediately institute  a new category, "Flower Arrangement for Rachel de Thame's Slutty Evil Twin Sister." Just for like, our own peace of mind. 

For legal reasons we'd like to make clear that this slutty evil twin sister is of course, imaginary, and that if Rachel de Thame does indeed have a twin sister, or indeed a sister of any kind, we cast no aspersions on her presumably immaculate character. 

The first absolutely gorg flowers here are from Karen "an Artist's Garden," who said, "This arrangement is for the evil sister of Rachella ....I picked the darkest and most sinister things that I could find in the garden. Included in the arrangement are the seed pods from a phormium, canna, a dark hebe, angelica, a small velvet queen sunflower, rudbeckia cherry brandy and dahlia Arabian night. The foliage is physocarpus diablo, and cordaline and I think the resulting bouquet is suitably sinister!"

The second is from Helen at Patient Gardener. I really like this, it has a kind of in-your-faceness that's quite outrageous. 

And finally, Lia Leendertz sent this, wowsas I love it and it makes me sick she can grow vegetables and flowers. I particularly like the opium poppy seed heads, they are groovy, although i do imagine Rachel's evil sister being more of a Ketamine person herself. But that's just me!