chelsea flower show

i went to the flower show yesterday, on what must have been the hottest day of the year!  it was actually too hot to walk around, and this was 3.30pm!  we bought half day tickets, which was considerably cheaper, and in fact it turned out to be a better time to view, cos after the first heatwave which we decided to spend indoors in the grand pavilion – much cooler and less crowded – the sun had gone down and it was the perfect temperature to walk around and see the actual garden displays.   its definitely a long day, and cant be rushed and patience has to be high on your list – but it is worth seeing all the beautiful planting- i love this wild flower planting- that looks like its been there for years, rather than the minimal formal designed gardens.   if you love flowers, its a great opportunity to see every variety of flower possible and meet the people who grow them – its definitely inspiring, cos even if you only have pots on a balcony or a window sill, there are numerous creative ideas to fuel the imagination.  so if you dont make the last day tomorrow, dont forget to buy tickets early next year!

dying flowers

its strange, i dont mind seeing flowers when they are past their best – there is always something beautiful about seeing them strewn on the brown paper from the next lot of flowers that you are going to replace them with.

wisteria

i just love spring at the moment – well i am not liking the rain and grey, but at least the blossom and spring flowers adds some glimmer of prettiness.  the beautiful fragrant hanging grey lilac flowers of the climbing wisterias are so beautiful and melancholic -  there is an elegance and dreamy quality to the flowers.

this particular wisteria is in Kew Gardens, one of my favourite day trips out in London.

petersham hotel

its amazing how quick time flies – its eilleen’s birthday, she would have been 86 on monday- we have decided that its much more memorable to celebrate her birthday rather than her day of passing.  we had a lovely  family lunch in the  Petersham Hotel with a table right by the windows with the spectacular view of the river .  there is a special 3 course lunch which is very good value, so i definitely recommend it as a lovely venue for a special family get together.  the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.  i also loved the drive over hammersmith bridge and through barnes – lovely views by the river – its definitely the nearest you get to being in the country whilst being in london.

if you do get all the way to richmond, then i would also recommend that you visit  Petersham nurseries –go for afternoon tea or even try one of their tea tasting days or flower arranging courses.  i just love to browse the lovely shop – its a perfect place to buy gifts or just be inspired by the style and plants.  there are also an amazing choice of herbs to buy.

broadway market

its an awful rainy day, but it didnt put us off going to broadway market today – robert had never been and although it was not a great weather day to take him he really loved it.   unfortunately they are digging up half the road, so some of the stalls have moved to the side road, but there is still an amazing choice of street food to taste.  we had some lovely mexican tacos that we bought and ate inside the pub adjoined to the stall.

still loved the 1930′s tiles of F.Cooke’s original pie and mash cafe – its beautiful interior still intact and kept up to perfection – i loved everything about it, the tiles, the benches, the way the napkins were displayed – but as the owner said, people like myself dont eat pie and mash and eels – we all go for the cupcakes and the other delicacies on offer!    its a shame, because places like this ought to remain in areas like this, but they only survive if we go in and support them – so i guess i need to start eating some jellied eels.

walking along we passed rebel rebel florists – a lovely selection of flowers, lucky bird – a lovely stall selling foil pressed cards and other stationary items, alice gabb with her collection of paper goods all beautifully displayed,   andrea garland with her selection of cosmetics – some decanted in vintage compacts, which would make a great gift for the girl who has everything,  delicious hand smoked salmon by hansen and lydersen and the most beautiful decorated cup cakes by violet.   these interesting stalls were dotted amongst the various food stalls.  aligning the street are the shops, such as our patterned hand – a fabric and haberdashery shop, selling some vintage fabrics, patterns and buttons – i love the way that all these fashionable essential shops are appearing with all the basics of simple crafts, such as sewing, knitting and haberdashery.  in my days, these shops were run by grannies in the back of a post office selling mainly nylon wool – today they are beautifully presented and the choices are more selective and modern.  absolutely love donion books with its interesting array of foreign, art, vintage and design books.   noticed a new fishmonger – fish and flounder – just what every high street needs – with its lovely interior it really draws you in to buy some fish for dinner.

we stopped for coffee break in Climpson and Sons which was nice enough and the croissants were tasty and light.  stella blunt is a cute vintage shop selling furniture and accesories – retro glasses, metal letter stencils, chairs…  so all in all its a good morning out for a saturday and you can bring home lots of good food to cook – a lot of the same stalls from borough market are also at broadway market.

dont forget to pop into the school yard market, a little extension of broadway market, with more choices of great food and vintage, including a great stall selling vintage cycling badges and books.  there is even a pizza man with a portable wood burning stove on wheels – what a great idea for a party!

i dont look at all the you tube links that people send me, but you will love this one about street markets – narrated by sid james its a perfect end to get you into the swing of all the street markets around london.

love the shop window of cooke’s pie and mash

flowers

am in manchester again, unfortunately for a sad event.  had to find a simple but tasteful bouquet of flowers, and its hard to find unfussy.  it seems that everyone wants to add so many leaves or bits that like everything else in life, it all becomes far too complicated and expensive.  anyhow, thank goodness for living flowers in didsbury -  they completely understood and came up with a variety of bouquets at a very reasonable price.  i chose a hand tied bouquet of white roses and gypsophila – a white rose evokes reverence, humility, and youthfulness and gypsophila symbolises pure of heart and innocence.

bleeding heart

Because of its characteristic shape, the bleeding heart flower is at the center of many folkloric tales. One of the best known stories – which has many variations – is generally told directly through the anatomy of the plant itself. This story tells of a prince who tries to win the heart of a beautiful maiden by giving her gifts. With each gift, two of the petals are removed. Despite his attempts, the maiden continues to refuse the prince, and so he pierces himself through the heart – the heart having been formed with the discarded petals, the knife with the green stamen. The essence of the bleeding heart flower is said to open up and strengthen the heart chakra, which in turn causes a person to feel emotionally soothed and open to the possibility of new romance. It is thought to be especially useful after a heartbreak. These blossoms are also frequently used in love spells. One such spell includes braiding the flowers into your hair, lighting a white candle in honor of the goddess of love, and reciting a poem or incantation.

Although they may not be as common as other blooms, the bleeding heart flower can make a great romantic gift. These blossoms are almost exclusively considered a symbol of undying love, and are frequently given at weddings and special milestones like anniversaries or birthdays. These flowers make for a unique, stunning bouquet, but can also be given in gift baskets or as single-bud tokens of affection.

flower shops

i love flowers shops, especially the small high street ones.  my favourites are cave  on bermondsey street with its mix of chocolates, flowers and wine – what more can you ask for ?,   rebel rebel on broadway market,  scarlet and violet in queens park. and of course you cant forget the flower market;  my favourite thing to do on a sunday morning is a stroll down columbia flower market;  it makes me feel that london is part of an extended community – whereby locals, tourists and visitors from all areas of london can participate in a traditional street market – see the locals selling their flowers and wares with their humorous street patter,  listen to the numerous street buskers, taste the wonderful beigels, see the traditional pearly queens – where else can you get this all on a sunday morning, come rain or shine – and you can come away with an inexpensive bunch of gorgeous flowers!

vintage heaven

i found this lovely teacup with a bird on it- no saucer though, but i couldnt resist;  i actually love that mix and match of different designs, it also means that if you break something, it doesnt really matter, just team it with another item.  i found it at vintage heaven on columbia road – lots and lots of tea sets to choose from there, though a bit more pricier than lost pots, where i found lots of items.    the only plus is that you can see the designs, hold the cups and choose – i always find internet buying difficult, unless you know the exact name and model number, and even then you can always be a bit disappointed if its not how you imagine it to be.

you can always put flowers in your teacups – its what i do with those stems that have got broken whilst carrying your flowers home.

a sign of spring…..

i love these scilla flowers ,the delicate flowers with their vibrant blue colour are bewitching….

of course i wouldnt know a thing about flowers if it wasnt for my lovely passionate gardener friend St John – he knows what i will like in my garden and introduces me to the unusual, the beautiful and the classic – he is also a talented poet, so how fitting for a romantic gardener to be writing poetry.   its a dreadful economic time for gardeners, with this drought and impending ban on hosepipes, gardens are the last thing on anyone’s mind, but one still needs to keep those pots and gardens looking good, even if it means a bit more effort with the watering can, so keep on planting.