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So as we sit with the sun well past the yard arm, some chilled white in hand, we reflect back on another Chelsea Flower Show…
On Sunday the 18th we loaded up the (only occasionally) trusty combi and set sail for SW3! Build up as usual is always fascinating, watching the Show gardens slowly take form and the last minute tweeks and leaf polishing (yes really!), and of course, it is always lovely to catch up with our friends from some of the other stands. On a pootle about the Showground we saw the most stunning driftwood sculptures of horses made by James Doran-Webb (www.jamesdoranwebb.com). His cousin was manning the stand whilst he was with the great and the good and as luck would have it happened to be an Idler customer himself!
This year we were opposite the wonderful Distinctive Garden than make the most beautiful hand made jars through to planters and water features (http://www.distinctivegarden.co.uk). David, the proprieter, made our week fly by along with a few tipples after the show closed.
Preview Monday is always fun as we sit idly swinging on our Idlers watching the guests going too and fro. We are always terribly popular on Monday as fellow trade stand holders pop in for a comfy sit-down and to watch the passagiata of famous guests.
This year we had some full star wattage in Benedict Cumberbatch, and comedy royalty Jennifer Saunders and Adrian Edmondson. We also had the honour to speak to the quite incredible Lance Corporal Beharry VC (http://www.johnsonbeharryvc.com). We asked about his story of how he received his VC. A very humbling experience.
Although we get most of our sales via the phone, Chelsea is a perfect opportunity to meet our new customers and in many cases to hear their memories of these wonderful old swing seats from their childhoods. As usual the 'piece de resistance' is meeting our existing customers who so sweetly, without fail, recommend the Idler to the potential customers trying them out. There was one lovely couple who bought their Idler last year, and came to say hello to us at our stand in Pavilion Way. They said the Idler had been the most wonderful thing for them as a couple because it took them away from all the distractions of phones, housework and DIY and meant they just sat together and enjoyed each other's company – and it is so true! It's why we named it the Idler!