Exciting Times!!

Everything has gone mad..................
Carolyn is on her way to New York as I type and it two weeks time we are both off to Nashville Tennessee. I am presenting a lecture and work shop at................... www.theantiquesandgardenshow.com If you would like to take a look. I have been planning and preparing as Carolyn has told you. As quite a shy person I need to know that I have everything just so, I want it to be  a really enjoyable show for all who attend. I have a few surprises up my sleeve so I have been fine tuning them .
Of course I have had to order all my materials which is quite exciting . I am so looking forward seeing to all the plants and flowers that I will work with over there. I am also holding a workshop. Creating  with alike minded group will be such a lovely way to meet the people of Nashville............you never know Dolly Parton may just come along. and join us......!!

New York, New York!

Another late night, this time because I have been packing. Tomorrow morning I fly to New York as I will be filming a short segment on the Rachel Ray cooking show on Tuesday and then flying home again straight afterwards! About 20 hours of flying time for a 10 minute segment seems like total madness......... but one thing leads to another!

I am looking forward to accompanying Sarah on her big solo debut in Tenessee in February. She is working day and night on perfecting every detail of her presentation and workshop; I'm so excited that I will be there with her. Be sure to check the blog in mid February for our Tenessee diary!

Right now I'm wondering how to make the best of the few spare hours that I will have in New York - i guess it has to be shopping and a return visit to my favourite New York deli for a gigantic slab of fantastic cheesecake!

At last, I am finally sitting here logged into our blog, I have been trying all week to do this. It's funny just how many things can get in the way of a ten minute job, that is actually very enjoyable.... a wakeful toddler, a lunch to cook for a client that 'has to be done by tomorrow', a pile of bills needing attention, a heap of ironing that needs to be cleared off the dining room table before its possible to physically get to the laptop and finally it does help to remember the password to log in!
A very cold, grey and miserable morning turned into a gloriously sunny afternoon - perfect for a walk by the Thames. We saw the ducks (and we could have fed them too if we hadn't left the bread by the front door) we saw the rowers out in force (it's always tempting to rearrange all those pairs of shoes that get left on the jetty by rowers out in their boats!)  we saw many of the dogs that we know well from our regular outings and we played Pooh sticks (the hungry ducks followed us and were disappointed a second time when they discovered we still didnt have bread, but that it was sticks that we were throwing into the water.)
We then headed home for some warming nourishment. My 2 year old ordered 'a cup a tea' and 'toast and mite' which translates into hot chocolate and marmite toast! (I'm not sure where she has learnt about the tea as no tea is drunk in this house!)

Food for the soul.......

I had the injection I needed today..........a visit to my supplier!
What bliss to walk into the cold store at Duo and see all the colours.... an array of stunning blooms , knowing not what to choose! Tempted by lillies , lilac , tulips, roses......oh gosh..........heaven. In the end a beautiful pink  lilly, a deep red rose and a pink rose with a deeper underside ...........plus of course the sublime wrap of paper-white......... who could resist!
Now to work,  creating, constructing and of course enjoying who could wish for more. Total bliss.

Thumbing through old magazines.

When its as wet and grey as today I suggest the only sensible thing to do is to make yourself the biggest mug of spiced hot chocolate and curl up with a pile of magazines. In my case all floristry or garden orientated of course! I take my mind off into fields of lavender, clouds of sweet-peas and drifts of snowdrops. Looking at constructions , toying with  magnolia twigs or maybe birch.............planning, dreaming and reliving the fragrance of a host of roses. As the chocolate warms my tummy, my soul is ignited by the images I gaze at and I am now ready to go forth and face an enormous heap of ironing.......... maybe

watching the plump green spikes............

Watching the plump green spikes appear outside the kitchen window gives me hope in this cold , mostly grey month of January.
 To lure me right into spring mode a jug of narcissi sits so brightly on my kitchen table. They have traveled from the Scilly Isles where many acres are full of daffodils and narcissi ready  for gathering and then outward bound in all directions to grace our homes. We are in waiting I feel, watching the trees, studying their  shape and slowly but slowly they too begin to fill out as buds get ready to burst open and all that has slept through the winter gradually comes to life. We have so much to look forward to!

Winter warmers...

January seems to be getting bleaker and colder every day in Oxfordshire. Mind you the sun did shine for 10 minutes this afternoon.... just long enough to get 2 pairs of wellies on, 2 scarves, 2 hats, 4 gloves and 3 coats (one for the dog too) then by the time we reached the garden gate it was gone again. So we 'did' a very quick 5 minutes of very fresh air and then rushed back inside to continue with our cooking, playing with our new Christmas train and sleeping on the sofa (the dog again.) Even after such a very brisk walk we deserved something warming, so we treated ourselves to very nice hot chocolate and marshmallows!

Here are a few ideas of very quick and always well received warming drinks...
1. Heat equal quantities of apple and cranberry juice with a few strips of orange zest, a cinnamon stick, a few cloves, a piece of vanilla pod if you have one and sugar to taste. Leave for about 15 mins to infuse. Reheat and strain before drinking.
2. Pep up your hot chocolate with a generous glug of Baileys cream liqueur!
3. For a very indulgent, but non alcoholic, hot chocolate add a cinnamon stick and some squares of dark  chocolate to the milk when you heat it, finish with a trickle of double cream. Using a stick blender give all the ingredients a quick whizz and the result will be thick, unctuous and delicious! (remove the cinnamon stick before blending!)

Keep warm!

Twelfth Night

Just one more day until the tree must be 'undecorated' and all signs of Christmas must be stowed away until next year. In my case that's a quick job as my tree is 6 inches high, pre-decorated and in 6 years has never shed a single pine needle..... so it will be wrapped in tissue paper, put back in its shoe box and go back to the freezing loft. For Sarah this will no doubt be a much bigger job as her home will have been beautifully embellished and filled with a wonderfully festive floral scent for the Christmas season with door wreaths, garlands and a perfect tree. She will shudder when she learns about my plastic tree.

However, what I lack in the decorative department I make up for in my store cupboard and fridge at Christmas time! We both cooked big and fantastic Christmas dinners this year for large family gatherings. My daughter, Lucy, now just two was very happy with her turkey and trimmings, but it was the ice cream in much larger than normal proportions that was the winner. My fridge is now back to normal - no need to prop a chair against the door to make sure it doesn't burst open.

We both love Christmas and are always sad to say goodbye to festive food and flowers for another year, but this year  we are both excited about all our plans and what TasteBud has in store for us and for you... watch this space!

New Year Resolutions................

"Oh no" we hear you say...............more hard to keep resolutions!
We do not actually believe too much in resolutions, just too hard to keep but their are ways to make gloomy January a little brighter. Treat yourself to  a tiny bunch of daffodils, possibly for only £1.00 if you are lucky. No doubt they will be from the Isles of Scilly where soon the landscape will be aglow with fields and fields of them. Put your bunch in a simple jug with some bare twigs snipped from the garden and watch them open in the warmth of your home. They will make you smile we are certain and remind you that Spring is now just around the corner.
As for eating , well tummies rounder than usual vegetables are a great way to make you feel more than righteous! Try making a cosy root vegetable soup or something spicy with lentils, warming and filling without too many calories..................the making is a pleasurable experience, maybe creating more from less might be a good philosophy to start the year. This does not mean deprivation , just keep things simple , like the bunch of daffodils. Try it and enjoy !!