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May is probably my favourite month – certainly from a natural surroundings and gardening perspective. I love to be out and about in the county on that day when the new tree foliage seems neon bright green and the May blossom is at its best. I hope you catch that day and pause to admire nature’s rebirth and beauty.

I have been tucking my seedlings up in fleece each night while the frosts have persisted but this month I shall gamble and be planting more of them out, hoping for an early harvest of salad leaves and blooms. I hope I won’t be disappointed.

We have plenty to keep you entertained in this issue beginning with a feature to mark the 80th anniversary of the first jet flight. Read more on page 52.

I visited Paul and Debby Bradbury at their home in Toft by Newton. Paul has fulfilled a long held ambition to build a natural swimming pond in their garden. If the idea has always appealed to you too, their story will give you some idea of the hard work and technicalities involved, which are not for the faint-hearted. Turn to page 30 to read on.

Our town tours are of Louth and Boston as well as Tattershall and Coningsby. Boston will soon be benefitting from exciting projects supported by the Government’s Towns Fund scheme. Mel Burton details some of these, while Jane Keightley takes us on a tour of some of the town’s most historical pubs, telling their stories as hospitality venues welcome customers back once more.

Kate Chapman spoke to Oliver and Dorota Sneath, who since 2017 have been renovating the Sessions House in Spalding as their home and events venue. Read Kate’s feature on page 62.

Matt Limb OBE has been looking at the effects of a quiet shooting season on gundogs, with weight gain being a growing problem. You will find his advice on keeping man’s best friend healthy on page 108.

Finally, we feature county photographer Nigel Ord-Smith and a competition to win a portrait of your canine. Pets have been a great consolation and company during successive lockdowns and we are sure that capturing the character of your pet on film will be a lasting keepsake. Find more details on page 36.

Wishing you a happy May.