Wildflowers On The Dinner Table

My favourite part about having friends over for dinner is making the table look pretty. Not in a themed, party planner way, but just taking care with flowers and candles and colours, trying to aim for something seasonal without spending too much money. I'd rather spend that on the food and drink.

Yesterday morning Bella and I walked up to the shops. On our way home we picked cow parsley and buttercups, what you might call hedgerow flowers. Except hedgerows are few round here so we made do with the footpath at the top of our road and the grass verges outside the houses. I added to this with chive flowers from the back garden and put them in some half litre carafes which have small necks, making them ideal for holding the flimsy, wiry stems.

I'm still not tired of cow parsley, even if it does shed tiny little white petals over everything.

These posies set a soft, summery tone for the table, along with a pink table runner I've had for years, some tea lights, and my Grandma's silver cutlery.

I made a big jug of Pimms. We drank it in the garden even though it was really a bit too cold.

We ate salads, breads, smoked meats and dips to begin with, followed by a great big beef chilli that John made, with rice, tacos, guacamole, sour cream. 

Then for dessert John made an orange and almond cake, which he served with an orange syrup and marscapone. He's made it before and it's amazing. 

Good times with good friends. Although we were greeted by fuzzy heads and a frankly unfriendly amount of washing up when we came down this morning. How did we manage to use every glass, plate and chopping board in the house? But at least there is left over orange cake.

Joining in, a little late, with Lou's Nature in the Home series at her blog littlegreenshed.

Green Things and Holiday Souvenirs

Lou's challenge this week was to find something green. A green flower is actually quite tricky to find! I've gone for herbs (rosemary and chives) and some cow parsley; not herby, I know, but I do love it's frothy white flowers and it's everywhere at the moment. Staging these little arrangements is such fun and it gives me an excuse to go rummaging through cupboards for bottles, jugs, tea towels and all manner of things to make a little vignette that is nice to look at. After I'd photographed this one I realised that everything you see was brought back from a holiday. That Greengate tea towel under the bottle and book was bought from a lovely shop in Hereford called Berry Red, on holiday with my in-laws in 2010. And I found the Clover milk bottle in a little shop in Totnes for £2 when we were on holiday in Devon with my parents in 2011.  That book, Culinary and Salad Herbs (which is actually really interesting!), was purchased for about £1.50 from a charity shop in Richmond while staying here with my best friend Abigail and her family also in 2011. Funny how I can remember all that!

Joining in with Lou's Nature in the Home series at her blog littlegreenshed.

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I've had a bit of a tinker with my blog lately, creating buttons for my email, bloglovin', my Pinterest account and Instagram. I felt like l'd invented the internet when I finally got them to work! Huge thanks to my friend Jennifer at thistlebear for helping me with links and tips. I also removed my photo because it was annoying me. I will replace it whenever I find a picture of me that I like.

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Finally, I recently had an email from Emma at Studio Lambert about a forthcoming BBC2 series about amateur interior designers. She asked me to help publicise the series as they are looking for people who might want to get involved. I agreed as this sounds like the kind of television I will enjoy watching. 

Details below:

A NEW INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION SERIES FOR BBC TWO ON THE HUNT FOR BRITAIN’S BEST AMATEUR INTERIOR DESIGNERS 

Are you passionate about interior design?

Do you have a natural flair and creativity and think you have what it takes to improve the interiors of other people’s homes?

In a brand new, warm-hearted television series contestants will compete to be named the UK’s best amateur interior designer.

If you think you have what it takes please call 0207 534 2018 or email designing@studiolambert.com in order to receive an application.

Pink

Pink. Glorious, happy, vivid, joyful pink, one of my favourite colours. 

I sacrificed two of my precious raspberry-pink tulips from the garden for this little display,and padded them out with peachy-pink, spiky-leaved supermarket roses and some almost tropical looking primulas stolen from the window box on the children's play house. It's the perfect display to brighten up my home, and my mood, on this cold, wet and windy day.

Joining in with Lou's Nature in the Home series at her blog littlegreenshed.

A Handpicked Posy For The Bedside Table

What a difference a week makes! Last week my garden foraging was all green and yellow, as that's all there was, but this week there was so much glorious colour to be found.

It's incredible how much has grown and changed in our tiny back garden just in the space of a week. I found the bluest of blue grape hyacinths, deep purple and yellow primulas with stems long enough to actually make them worth picking, more bright yellow forsythia, and some beautiful pink and green blooms from two plants that I don't know the name of. I will find out!

And I always think there is something joyful and slightly decadent - and a tiny bit selfish - about picking flowers for my bedside table. Just for me to enjoy.

After giving the bedrooms a thorough spring clean this week - dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the windows, changing the sheets, washing and packing away quilts and blankets - it gave me so much pleasure to go out into the garden with my scissors and pick a few blooms and put them in a small vase.

I chose a simple clear glass bottle; I wanted the vase to be almost invisible so that all you notice is the rainbow colours against the white wall. I absolutely love this posy.

Joining in with Lou's Nature In The Home series at her blog littlegreenshed.

Foraging For Flowers

The challenge: find or forage for flowers or plants, either from the garden or elsewhere, and bring them into the home. Well, it was slim pickings in my garden, I'm afraid. The only stems worth picking were forsythia, daffodils, and a yellow and green shrub that I'm afraid I don't know the name of. 

But I like a challenge and I love these arrangements. I chose clear glass mason jars as I felt there was as much colour and interest in the mix of stems as in the blooms. And, best of all, we have yellow; bright, sunny, joyful yellow, a colour I adore. Especially right here on the mantle piece against the grey wall. 

Joining in with Lou's inspiring Nature in the Home series over at her blog, littlegreenshed.