Country Mouse

Always look on the bright side

THE frothy hawthorn is in full bloom, its white blossom ballooning across the countryside. Better still, the forecast suggests a period of clement weather as we count down to our wedding. There’s a hint of a runaway train about the preparations, but the seating plan is done.

Rather than stand in the way of the locomotive, I’ve been going fishing. This seems to suit all concerned and the hawthorn or St Mark’s fly (they appear around the saints day on April 25) has enticed a few trout to my net. This distinctive black fly, with its dangly legs, will soon give way to the mayflies that make every angler look as piscatorially talented as David Profumo.

After the wedding, we will spend a few days in Scotland, possibly with some fishing (I hope Rachel knows what she’s letting herself in for), before returning for the Platinum Jubilee issue, out on May 25, and preparing to show The Duchess of Cornwall the page proofs of the July 13 edition that she’s guest-editing.

Today’s issue is a celebration of a remarkable magazine that has not so much endured, but thrived, since its launch in 1897. The secret is that it sets out to look at the bright side of life—proof that happiness wins.