.....more daff-dills

Daffodils and snowdrops - that 'oh so welcome' sign that after an eternity of winter months, Spring really is finally on the way. They are out in force in Wallingford too. This afternoon, while out on our regular meander to feed the ducks  - I was both astonished and delighted. My two (and a quarter) year old very proudly pointed out to me that 'the daff-dills now awake' and also that 'I know those ones are snow-drops' If her botanical knowlege continues to grow at this rate I feel she will soon be at Sarah's elbow - dying to be her assistant!

Daffodils

Oh so bright and gorgeous !
I confess to being a daffodil addict at the moment. They are everywhere in the supermarkets so tightly buddied...... trying to sleep on through the crashing of trolleys and the rustle of  crushed shopping lists ..........where they do not appear!!
At the exits they huddle in their temporary bucket of a home. One bud may not resist a peak so keen to share in the conversations at the checkout  humming above their heads. A golden petal like the wing of a fantastical angel  extends itself . We are tempted , so reasonable they are for such a moment of glory in the grey of the morning . They are bunches of hope .......reliable, consistent...........as long as we administer a little water they ask for nothing  further.
 They will unfold and glow before us bringing with them the memory of  Springs gone by and the hint of the one on its way.
I place jugs of them in every room because as they catch my eye I feel my face smiling. Such wonderful therapy.........go and buy some...................  

Tart Tatin

I have donned my kitchen apron and created a tart tatin this morning for my dear friends birthday and as I made it I remembered the story of how this dish was originally created by two sisters Stephanie and Caroline Tatin  in 1898. Apparently as they were so busy at there restaurant one day Caroline smelling the caramelisation of her apples in a pan threw over the pastry and pushed the tart in the oven in dispair.  On flipping it over after the pastry was cooked was amazed at how good it looked and so sent it out into the restaurant where it was relished by the customers and the dish became a classic.
Probably defined by a Monsieur Louis Vaudable who made it a permenant feature on his menu . His restaurant was in fact Maxim's of Paris! This goes to show how something simple and unexpectedly created can turn out to be  a real star.
 Funnily enough when I had the restaurant in France more than 20 years ago, I often made a stylised  crumble or a bread and butter pudding for the desert menu as a little fun more than anything. Now you often come across the same deserts in many top notch restaurants all over France. I sometimes wonder if they snaffled the idea from me. Ha ha the Champier Crumble has a certain  ring to it!!

Rainy nights in Tetbury........

Rainy nights in Tetbury........or a week ago it could have been the same but in Georgia perhaps.......or are you to old to know that song!

So here we are back on our little Island , and how small it appears compared to the vast expanse of land we have just left.......still reminiscing and throughly missing .

Had a mail from our dear friend Jane Sloan, she came across a bouquet on reception at a local restaurant in Nashville apparently made at my workshop at The Antiques and Garden Show. What an honour that my student was so thrilled with their very own creation they gifted it to a friend! WOW


We are continuing gathering pictures from last weeks extravaganza and will be posting them  within the next few days............

Well..... Carolyn and I are gathering our thoughts and ideas  ready for the next events on our horizon. The ladies at Ashleworth have requested our company so we are about to create a demonstration for them which is very exciting.

I have been enjoying the snowdrops which are everywhere in abundance now........so so beautiful. The bulbs are pushing up fast and furious and soon the landscape will be highlighted by pools of golden pleasure as the daffodils escourt us out of winter.

Tastebud in Nashville, Tennessee!

This time last week we were there - right in the heart of the mecca of country music!
It was the Nashville Antiques and Garden show; a showcase of the finest antiques and antiquarian goods as well as garden displays demonstrating local trends and an eclectic mix of artisan crafts people exhibiting their wares. The highlight was undoubtedly the lecture titled 'Florigium' given by a softly spoken, hugely talented florist from Gloucestershire, England..... Sarah was absolutely fantastic and the audience were totally spellbound for 90 minutes! Both the lecture/demonstration and her workshop got rave reviews.

The lecture was based on flowers through the seasons and during the hour Sarah created 4 very different pieces while regaling the entranced audience with some of the amusing escapades and antics from her time as a royal florist. The finale was pure genius and a wonderful surprise for the audience as a bride and groom processed up the aisle both dressed by Sarah in some of her incredible floral 'designer creations'.... a special yet light-hearted tribute to a very big forth-coming wedding...

We had a very busy time behind the scenes preparing for the lecture and workshop; there were flowers and props to be gathered, prepared, conditioned, assembled, wired, glued, bound, tied........and for a chef there as an assistant to a florist, there was a lot to learn! I loved every minute of it. I never fail to be entranced by Sarah's wonderful touch. My sentiments were echoed approximately 400 times - by all those who attended.

By lunchtime on Saturday our work was done and we hit downtown Nashville - it was boot shopping and later in the evening honky tonking...... the two things that you can't possibly leave Nashville without doing! Both were fantastic fun , we'll be back.....