Absolutely Fabulous!

Well it’s been a very hectic few days, tiring but exciting at the same time. It was the SO Sligo Food Festival, the start of the Lily and Lolly Craftfest and of course the birthday of WB Yeats. Joanna Lumley came to open the ‘Yeats’s Secret Garden in Sligo’ which was first seen at Bloom, where it won a gold medal and is now at The Model, Sligo.

The garden is based around Yeats’s famous poem, ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’, and features a hive for the honeybee, nine bean rows, a small cabin, and much more. It was designed by Lorely Forrester and features feature an Irish Rose for Yeats – the new WB Yeats Rose being launched this year.

Joanna was thrilled when Lorely presented her with her very own WB Yeats rose.

As well as the garden, Joanna was also given a guided tour of the Jack B Yeats exhibition at The Model.

I also got to walk around the town with Joanna, which for me was just bizarre. I was a huge fan of the New Avengers. I had a cat called Purdey, had my hair cut like hers (Joanna’s not the cat!) and I wanted to drive a yellow TR-7. Thankfully I didn’t say any of this!! We had a very civilised chat about Sligo and seaweed.

If you’d have told me this would happen last week I wouldn’t have believed you! Isn’t life funny.

Joe from The Wine Buff, Sligo  was on hand with the champagne and Joanna said Sligo has stolen her heart and she will be back.

Joanna also took part in the poetry reading in Hargadons. She read ‘When You are Old’ by W. B. Yeats.