Magnificent Mary
How the news that Mary Berry would be opening Wisely Flower Show escaped my notice I shall never know! Mary has long been my idol and although a shelf in my kitchen is heaving under the weight of her cookery books it's Mary herself that I so admire. It's the fact she made the most of what she had, which even she admits, was not a huge amount when she left school. Never academic, or with stunning looks or a model's statistics she knew she enjoyed cooking and was willing to work hard to make a living out of it.
Mary also possesses the rare quality of honesty within her industry and generally with life from what I can see. She never tells people how marvelous they are unless they actualy are marvelous. Instead tells the trust but kindly (usually!)
Mary's the mum I try to be, sensible, honest, kind but unilling to put up with silly nonsense. I love cooking and it's a big part of showing my family how much I love them. The children have always been welcome to help in the kitchen but if they start messing about, arguing and generally spoiling the experience they are asked to leave. I'm not willing to spend an hour cleaning up dropped eggs, flour, sugar whilst muttering it's all part of the 'experience' to encourage children to cook - what rubbish, that just teaches them it's fine to waste ingredients.
If admiring Mary's character and cook books wasn't enough I also love her make-up. Again she isn't willing to go down the silly 'pretend you're twenty years younger than you really are' route by having her face frozed or plumped up to look like an over-inflated tyre. Instead she makes the best of what she has, tinted lashes to accentuate those piercing blue, twinkly eyes, a touch of fake tan to even out skin which has obviously seen it's share of sunny days and hair which is tinted a flattering natural honey blond. Here I am in my early forties enlarging photographs of a septagenarian to see how her eye mak-upe has been applied. And that's before i google her latest jacket to see where i can buy it.......!
Mary opening Wisley Flower Show looking fabulous as usual.