As London was receiving a blast of monsoon weather on Friday, this town mouse was sitting in her office wondering if her house (a basement flat) was going to be flooded with unwelcome visitors from the lower rungs of the rodent kingdom. Concern mounted on the way home when I overheard someone on the Tube excitedly reporting that my decidedly less charming cousins were being pushed up through drains all over the city. Thankfully, all was in order, which is more than can be said for friends who were making the final preparations for their wedding on Saturday.
The setting, an Old Rectory just outside Princes Risborough, was classic material for an English country wedding. It was, however, due for a deluge, according to the weatherman's map. In a flash of brilliance, the bridegroom's mother went online and bought up what must have been the entire stock of umbrellas on JollyBrolly (tag line: 'Let us be on your side when the weather's not'). The rain held off for the crucial moments (it's never fun when it's too wet to leave the church), the bride glowed all day, and the dancefloor was the stage for some typically ambitious moves.
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A well-connected rural playground with 23 acres on the edge of the South Downs National ParkOld House Farm is an impressive family home with a wealth of amenities that would inspire any rural passion.
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The UK gets its first ‘European stork village’ — and it's in West SussexAlthough the mortality rate among white storks can be up to 90%, the future looks rosy for breeding pairs in southern England.
