In the summer of 1894 Nod was walking along a country lane when  an egg was  hurled at him from the window of a passing hansom cab. Nod stumbled and fell, losing his spectacles in the process. As he groped the pavement trying to  regain his glasses, Nod put his hand in the splattered remnants of the egg. Holding it up in front of him  sans specs he  ‘...beheld such a miasmic universe of scintilating texture and colour before my eyes that I was made to marvel at natures glorious opulence. I hope it will shift in the wash.’ (- extract from Nod’s memoirs).

This incident is believed by many who have studied Odham MacGuinness’ life to be the pivotal moment when he decided to give up rolling Naval Fluff and take up a career in gardening. Indeed, we know that the very next year Nod was fully immersed in creating the formal chukkeries at Pilbeck, Anglia for Lawrence ‘Larry’ Soames the famed Scrabbler.

At the same time Butler Smith was also in Anglia looking to find some gypsum to add the finishing touches to a dressing gown he was creating. It was just a matter of time before they were to meet.