A Legacy of Posies

When I was growing up, we always had little posies of flowers round the house.  My Dad took great pleasure in picking his first Fuchsia or sweet pea of the year for my mum.   My mum loved to find tiny flowers to fill a little jug for the table or windowsill.

When I returned from University on one of my weekend visits, there would always be a pretty little vessel of flowers on my bedside table to welcome me home.  Always.  Depending on the time of year, it would either be a colourful display of roses, petals scattered on the surrounding surface and scent filling the air, or in the leaner months of winter, a little bunch of seed heads and greenery. It was a message - "Welcome home.  We've missed you and we think you're wonderful." 

I think my parents were of the opinion that even a splash of green was better than no living thing present in a room to remind you of the vast world outside.
Flowers have always played such an important and special part of my life, from these every day memories, to the bouquet of homegrown flowers from Dad's garden I carried on my wedding day - picked by myself and my bridesmaids that morning.

I wasn't as scared as I look, honest!

The flower filled marquee we got married in - and I mean filled to the brim!  I think the whole town emptied their gardens!

The dress I decorated with hand painted vows and flowers.

And from the field of flowers that filled our house when our eldest son was born, to the simple bunch of first of Spring daffs that kept us company in some of the most difficult hours, reminding us that life goes on.

I so wanted our garden here to offer opportunities for year round picking - nothing fancy - I can be creative, even with the scantest of blooms.  So, I crept outside this morning in the absolute chill - the ground crunching under my feet, and found just a few little things to fill my new jug - bought on our last trip to Bath.
It's a tiny thing, but in so many ways, I feel like it's part of my heritage.  I feel like I am carrying on an important family tradition.  And very time I do it, it reminds me that life goes on and we are surrounded by such beauty, if we just stoop to notice it.

One day, I hope my boys will likewise gather tiny posies to bring into their homes to admire and bring cheer.

Super Hero Saturday!

We LOVE dress up in this house (or at least I love to indulge the dressing up urges of my boys!). No, I don't get to do sugar plum fairies, princesses, or Snow White, but I do get to do Medieval Knights, Dinosaurs and today - a very cute little Superhero, off to his first party "on his own"!


There seems to be a ceaseless torrent of requests from school to do dress up - and now that I have 3 at school, it can be quite a time consuming event. However, if you could see the mountain of photos clogging up this hard drive of various boys transformed into pirates, wizards and Jedis, I think you'd be able to tell, I don't really mind!
The investment of time last year to make spotty capes for Children In Need day paid off today when it came to the Superhero party "Supa Noah" was attending. He is at a particularly edible age, when the whole world is new and exciting and small things mean a lot. It was lovely watching him work out how he was meant to act with the outfit on - racing round the garden making all the right noises for someone with superpowers!


Today has felt like one of those days when things go right.
Superhero safely delivered to the party.
Quick jaunt to the farmer's market in town which produced a bounty of Olives and ciabatta for lunch....
around the fire.


We are taking every opportunity for outside time at the moment, not knowing when the weather will change. The boys had a lesson in fire lighting.....


and we toasted brie sandwiches and ate our olives.



My lovely boys also brought me back some cyclamen, which Reuben and I planted up in my new flower border (we have reluctantly given up on the vegetables for now). I love cyclamen - as I explained to my bemused husband, for the tenuous, but significant reason that they featured on the tea set we used in our honeymoon B&B. I know! They just stuck in my memory! And now I have a little splash of colour in the garden to take me back too.




I have had the day in the studio - finishing of a growing "sisterhood" of dolls, which I am uploading to my Facebook page for purchase over the next week if you would like one. It's been crocheted flowers and smiles today! Now they are finished I am looking forward to creating a collection of jewelery.


I hope you have been enjoying this low Autumn sun today as much as I have - there is something quite special about this crisp, clear, but mellow light.

xxxxxxxxx

Oh, and by the way, the real Superhero of the day was definitely my lovely hubby - determined to give the boys a brilliant half term holiday, and succeeding with panache on the first day. Well done. Time for a lovely dinner to finish the day off. xxx

so many projects, not enough time!

I wonder how often I think this! At the moment it seems that I have about 5 major projects on the go and they seem to all fill my mind at the same time! I have been trying to be organised and methodical, using my hubby's brilliant hints, but even so I feel a bit befuddled and never quite up to the task. I wonder if many other mums feel like this? I'm sure most of us do! I guess it's because we are so constantly interrupted, if not by the little person in person, by their presence in our thoughts.....when to exchange the birthday present, buy C some new sandals, nurturing N's gentle side with his younger brother, looking up drawing and writing competitions that they might like to enter.......Maybe it's no wonder my mind finds it difficult to order the things I am "meant to be thinking about"! As I speak R is rifling through the folder for the garden project he has just knocked off the table! Ah, well, he's happy and I can sort it later!

I must remember to enjoy the small moments of achievement I have.

And also the little, beautiful things of life - like these flowers my mum brought me from her garden. The peonies are one of my favourite flowers. They are so wonderfully frilly and girly and most of all, they remind me of my dad, who used to grow huge bushes of them round the garden and delight in picking me one. Aren't the colours just gorgeous?



This is a sneaky peek at one of the projects - banners for an open air wedding coming up at the end of May. What do you think? They are going to have lots of tiny bells sewn in so that they "jingle" in the breeze.