A Step In The Right Direction.....

Home alone last weekend I decided to head to Columbia Road Flower Market. One of the only street flower markets in Europe, it is a sight to behold early on a Sunday morning. Crowds throng the narrow road which is lined with stalls selling cut flowers, pot plants and trees. The sellers bring a smile to your face with their market banter as they fill the air with the sound of '3 for a tenner!' and witty throw aways to the ladies looking to fill their houses with flowers for the week.

You are recommended to go early to get the best of the flowers, but as I couldn't drag myself out of the bed and with the never ending upheaval of the London transport system during the weekends these days, it was about 12 before I finally got there. It was almost impossible to navigate through the crowds but I wasn't deterred and still managed to buy more flowers than I could reasonably carry. It's all too easy to get caught up in the atmosphere of this lovely street and I now remember why I always want my other half to go with me - another pair of hands is useful when you are loaded down with sunflowers, peonies, stock, irises and eucalyptus!

I finally managed to get home with all my purchases and set about putting them into some vases and 'arranging' them (if you can even call my efforts that.....). The peonies are just beautiful, even as tight buds before they open up into big blowsy blooms. My irises were also all closed up when I bought them but within a day of sitting on the windowsill in the sun, they looked like a flock of birds when their delicate petals burst open into a mass of blue and yellow.

I think both my flower arranging and my photography skills (or lack there of...) leave a lot to be desired so I decided to take a one day floristry course to see if I could improve on my basics. What a great day! I managed to learn a lot from the tutor in just one session, and was a little bit more proud of my creations that I got to take home.

Using gorgeous avalanche roses, snapdragon, oriental lilies and astrantia 'million star' along with some pencil eucalyptus and aspidistra, I created my first hand tied bouquet, where I had to master the technique of creating a spiral design. That was fine until the bouquet got so heavy I thought my arm was going to start shaking trying to hold it all together!

After some yummy cake and tea, the afternoon was spent creating an arrangement using oasis in a very cute basket. The dahlias had the tiniest hint of a pale salmony pink colour on their outer tips, which complimented the double lisianthus and spray rose perfectly. The tips of the stock and the unopened lisianthus buds look like they dance above the rest of the flowers.

Don't think I'll be leaving the day job just yet... but at least it's a step in the right direction! For now, I planted my sunflowers and can see them every morning from my bedroom window - a great start to any day.

Old New Borrowed Blue

I'm having a fascination with all things blue at the moment. Maybe it's to do with the number of weddings I've been to lately and the fact that the Old New Borrowed Blue adage has been swirling around in my thoughts. Or maybe it's to do with the Ceanothus that is is full bloom at the bottom of our garden just now. But whatever the reason, I'm feeling the need to give our living room a lick of blue paint.

Despite the fact that we are in the middle of spring, the idea of creating a cosy, cocoon in our front room is very appealing. I'm thinking old grand libraries or private members clubs where rich coloured leathers and dark woods create an atmosphere of warmth. Makes you just want to curl up with a good book and shut out the rest of the world. 

The gorgeous Turkish rug which my other half brought back from his travels a couple of years ago has deep jewel colours which I think would be perfect combined with Farrow and Balls Stone Blue or Fired Earths Mariana Blue. 

Throw in our brown leather sofa with a cosy wool blanket and a 100 year trunk from the Scottish estate of Glenbucket (currently used to house the record player) and its suddenly starting to feel a lot more homely.... 

Shame I'm only renting otherwise the paint brushes and rollers would be out!