Rutland social

We’ve erected a badminton court on the lawn and there’s nothing I’d like better than to spend the day lightly tapping a shuttlecock across the net - or sipping bombay sapphire and tonic from the comfort of my deckchair, while someone else runs around – but with English idyll comes English responsibility: Fêtes must be attended, Open Gardens viewed, raffle tickets bought, fund-raisers supported, other-people’s-children applauded, garden-parties attended: hats fixed; forelocks tugged; caps lifted; upper lips stiffened; snouts raised; eyes rolled; brows raised; noses tweaked; gobs-smacked.
In fact, it’s all very Midsomer.