Useful contacts for your book....
Gardening:
I love gardening with grasses. I get all my grasses from Knoll Gardens. www.knollgardens.co.uk
I bought a huge stone trough which I spotted at Chelsea Flower show last year from www.stonetroughs.co.uk. They have some huge pieces, and nice chunky birdbaths too.
Writtle College http://www.writtle.ac.uk/ is the place to go if you want to learn anything about gardening. From full time degree courses to one day workshops and everything else in between. I took a Diploma in garden design here, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
One of my favourite gardens is East Ruston Old Vicarage in Norfolk (www.e-ruston-oldvicaragegardens.co.uk) I visit usually twice a year and never get bored of it. I always try to take someone with me who hasn't been, as I love seeing peoples reactions when they walk around for the first time! The boys created the garden from new approx 15 years ago. It shows that you can create the most amazing garden from scratch, and it doesn't have to take fifty years to see your garden at it's best!
Another fabulous garden I recently visited is the garden at Bourton House, in Bourton on the Hill, Cotswolds. Immaculately kept, great planting and the sweetest dog ever, Archie the Airedale.
If you're looking for a good gardener (in Essex) try Simon at www.craftsmangardener.co.uk. He's worked in the garden here for eight years, but enjoys working in a variety of gardens and can sometimes fit in other jobs.
Other Leisure:
I love to relax at Babington House when we can get in! www.babingtonhouse.co.uk. The food is excellent, menus change daily using fresh organic produce grown in their own kitchen garden. A massage in one of their lakeside cabins is a must too. They use Cowshed products made with natural plant extracts, again, from the garden. The house is a great base from which you can venture out and explore the many beautiful gardens in that part of the country.
Another English hotel favourite is The Cavendish Hotel on the Chatsworth Estate www.cavendish-hotel.net/, Derbyshire. I try to get up here once a year in the summer and spend the day in the beautiful gardens at Chatsworth www.chatsworth.org/. I also pop in to nearby Haddon Hall (www.haddonhall.co.uk/) which also has a lovely historic garden worth a visit.
When visiting the Cotswolds I usually stay at The Lygon Arms in Broadway. The best rooms are the Charles I or the Gordon Russell suites. Broadway has a lovely high street with lots of interesting shops and art galleries. Eat at either Goblets or the Broadway brasserie. Visit Bourton House (above) and Hidcote gardens.
If you like shopping on the internet but are tired of trawling through hundreds of sites to find one quality one, stop first at www.sheerluxe.com who have done the leg work for you and list only the quality websites you may be interested in.