Abbotsbury NOT even rain could stop the visitors to the Open Gardens at The Gatehouse and Church View on Sunday, June 5.

All looked set fair when the stalls were set up in the morning but bang on opening time it began to pour down, as predicted.

However, the large Gatehouse garden looked beautiful and my husband and I savoured our cream tea sheltered in the gazebo overlooking the garden, Chapel Hill and the Chesil.

We then later and laden with plants, dripped our way up to Church View’s lovely cottage garden where Torben Houlberg was on hand to chat to the visitors.

I’m sure he had ordered his vegetables to attention before we all arrived; so immaculate was his veg plot.

Grateful thanks go to Lord and Lady Neuburgher for opening their garden at The Gatehouse, a rare treat indeed and to the Houlbergs for their hospitality at Church View, to the Subtropical gardens for the plants and to all The Friends of St Nicholas who baked cakes, gave goods for sale and who valiantly ignored the weather to make the afternoon such a success.

Over £400 was raised towards St Nicholas Church ‘Roof Repair Fund’.

IMAGINATIVE floral displays decorated St Nicholas Church for the recent Flower Festival with the theme of ‘Roofs’.

It was a great success and visitors from far and wide called in to admire the arrangements, which included such diversity as corrugated iron and canopies, cardboard boxes and bird boxes, tents, tiles and thatch and many more.

A little sales table provided sweets, cakes and bric a brac and someone was on hand to answer questions.

However, shame on the person who stole the few pounds from the glass carboy on the Wednesday when the church was left unattended for less than an hour, late in the day.

Nevertheless, the amazing sum of about £380 was raised for the church roof repairs.

So thanks go to the church flower arrangers who between them did such an amazing job, to the guides and those who visited and contributed.

The church needs to raise about £27,000 to replace the stolen lead so every little helps.

SADLY, we said farewell to Chris Jonzen who died recently in Castle View Nursing Home in Dorchester at a simple service with his family and friends at St Catherine’s Chapel on May 25.

Chris had lived in Abbotsbury for many years until ill health required that he move.

Chris will be remembered for many things: foodie, raconteur, friend, host, father, grandfather and great grandfather and brilliant artist – his patience for some things and quicksilver reactions to others.

Whether it was painting in watercolour, architecture or glass design for B Jonzen and Co. the family business he put his artistic stamp on everything.

With his late wife Daphne he ran the Sea Cow in Weymouth before moving to Abbotsbury in 1980 where they renovated a derelict barn and set up Frome Valley Kitchens in Dorchester.

Chris was a committed member of St Nicholas church, trained as a lay preacher and later joined the Chickerell parish team.

He will be especially remembered for setting up the very popular simple ecumenical services at St Catherine’s Chapel’ many years ago.

And the services were simple in those days with a single candle and no musicians; the bravest pitched the note for the hymns.

He gave his granddaughter Jess a piece of advice, which his family thought summed him up “ life should never be allowed to resemble a bowl of porridge – safe, beige and unexciting”.

It was lovely to meet up with his far-flung children, Jeannie, Becky and Rory and their families in Strangways Hall after the service.

Our condolences go to them all now back home in various parts of the world.

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