Blossom!

As the sun warms the earth everything is slowly waking.

 How beautiful the blossom as it appears in our landscape. Pink frothy frou frous of pure delight. Bold and blousy and so  glamourous , I just want to wear it.
 Its fragility reminding us of its short term...............

Do you remember The Wooden Tops?............A children's program from a certain age........ahem!......... Where the landscape was enhanced by trees aglow in their floral canopies. As were the pages of Janet and John reading books........"On the farm" particularly I remember the nostalgic scene of our  incredible english landscape dotted with dainty images of blossomy branches.

 Let us think of Japan....amongst its devastation. A landscape that hosts a multitude of cherry trees May the blossom rise from the destruction and shout and glow amongst the sadness and bring a glimpse of hope........... comforting their hearts.

Did you ever make blossom trees at school?  Teacher would assist in the large mural we would create each spring. Painting branches with dark brown sticky paint and then the best bit would follow...............scrunching up pieces of bright pink tissue into clumsy balls of "blossom" which were then stuck on the tree with complete abandon. This brought our childlike winter trees to life in such a magical way.

Nature as we know it is never ordinary.............most of the time it gives us extraordinary beauty. How lucky we are.

Friends and Aprons........

Having friends to stay is always a pleasure , they inspire and cajole you into believing! Believe believe they say as Carolyn and I continue on our TastBud journey.
  Carolyn and I are  embarking on a mission to secure a design and colour for our first work-wear apron and its important to have other ideas and opinions. Deciding on all the elements required is so important and thats why another persons point of view is always a joy.........if  you choose to listen to them or not!!
We are working with many different elements and we do .....well ok.... I do  always manage to get quite grubby.
Carolyn manages to stay wonderfully clean.........she does, truly. So the design needs to work for us both, combining food and flowers ,  to be stylish and elegant of course  whilst disguising the toughness that lays beneath.............well we will have to wash them at high temperatures no doubt. Also we want the finished apron to be so irresistible that our clients , friends and followers will make a purchase.
Meanwhile..........................
Having friends to stay also makes you go out, have fun, window shop, clothes shop , charity shop shop................ try on gorgeous impossible bras, floral, lacy, balcony? and risky!! ....... that  of course we could never afford. Then the dresses and blouses, coats, jackets and trousers, too big, too tight, too short, too bright.............................hours just vanish completely. Its all Dianes fault of course.
We walk together swiftly past cafes and restaurants as the delicious smells try and entice us away from our strict dietary regime of the week. We continue to talk about aprons.
We examine  other offerings, discussing, analysing and criticiseing....... (but only a little)........ as we explore the back streets of Nailsworth.
I linger the longest amongst plants and flowers at the local flower shop........inhaling fragrances that  cry out to me ..........and my purse.
Thats Monday over and done!
Having friends to stay is a bit like taking a holiday, but perhaps one that you have not personally chosen.................................
Diane I love you dearly XX
P.S. I will clean and dust the house tomorrow ok!

California here we come!

Tastebud will be at the 'Ojai Valley Inn and Spa' on July 16th and 17th! We are both very excited about this trip and our brains are working over-time as we piece together menus and floral creations that will bring a little bit of England to Ojai. The Inn is a corner of paradise - stunning scenery, lovely sunshine, wonderful food and beautiful gardens - we have our work cut out for us. Watch this space for more details of this and other exciting trips that are in the balance....

Thomas and the fromage frais!

The day started as most Monday mornings do - rushing around, never quite finishing anything before being called away to the next task! With quite a bit of cooking to do for clients this week a trip to Waitrose was near the top of the list. I know it like the back of my hand, in fact I'm probably almost as informed Waitrose's own employees as to where to find almost any ingredient I or anyone else could possibly want. It is a different challenge that I now face - as there are certain items that my little Lucy very determinedly thinks that we need to buy on every single visit... a large block of Parmesan cheese, a new toothbrush, a small tub of Green and Black's very delicious vanilla ice cream and a large block of peppermint Aero....  Its best to try to avoid these aisles altogether but as the Aero is opposite the oats that I needed and the ice cream is opposite the butter, the tooth brushes are at floor level and there's no way of her not spotting the long cheese counter today's shopping wasn't without its challenges. As a compromise we ended up coming home with some 'Thomas Tank' strawberry fromage frais... the irony of that being that usually she won't touch the strawberry ones she only likes the apricot ones. When we got home she devoured 2 pots of strawberry - and all because 'Thomas tank' and 'Percy' (a green engine) were on the lids of the pots!  

Coco and Cartier

Coco and Cartier are my darling Kitties.
 When we are all together at home they are such a great source of company. They have the ability to lift my spirits as a jugfull of spring flowers would. They also enjoy assisting me with whatever my daily tasks maybe. Favourites are laying across the key pad on my computers...........trying to get my attention or relishing in the warmth they generate.
They also are quite accomplished at the art of conditioning flowers and foliage with me. They drag stems across the table , biteing at the tips. They paw at my displays as if making the final adjustments their black velvet paws having mastered the skill of such presion. They wash often , generally lounging across my prepared blooms with a nonchalant glance whilst extending their claws chewing and gnawing between their toes at the debris they have gathered. Licking  and licking over and over, the repetition  so labour intensive,  I continue with my  display.
  My greatest critics watching the final flourish, Co co  staring , stretching and then with such stealth  moves forward  burying  her nose into my fragrant expression. A flick of the tail and she is gone............... off to investigate something elsewhere no doubt.
I am left to clear away my snippings  whilst Cartier assists in the game as the stems jostle to the dance of the broom. Smiling I stroke her soft silky fur........like a therapeutic massage she soothes me................ purring her pleasure and administering mine . Meow!

What a day

What a day !
Confronted by too many little mishaps that followed me around whatever I set myself to. Washing powder can spread itself like a blizzard..........into so many crevices it falls when you knock it over by accident .....................
And pressing the wrong key on your computer can alter the whole spectrum of your morning................... when hoping to have groceries delivered only to discover with horror I had pressed collect instead of deliver!
A journey to Stroud prevailed...........and then to find out when an offer says "buy one bunch get one free"  you do automatically believe you will receive  both . No,  unless you  type in  two bunches you only end up with the one!!!
 Acutely frustrated and its only 11.30 am..............
I am suddenly soothed (as I return my trolly to the store and re-enter to purchase the batteries I had forgotten) by the gathering of flowers in the entrance  jostling for my now undivided attention. I had of course lingerd with them longer than is necessary when I first arrived..................
 Well I deserved a treat didnt I?  Anyway how could anyone  resist the buckets FULL of fragrant white narcissi alongside those darling double double even treble daffodils........
An armful soon gathered up along with some pussy willow and my karma was restored...........
They just make me so very HAPPY.

Pecan pie

It's yet another gloomy, cold morning but we are quite happy to be inside today; the kitchen is warm and cosy, the oven purrs away and the air is filled with the sweet scent of pastries a-baking! A client has just left with the raspberry cheesecake that she ordered for her sons 25th birthday, but theres still a lot more birthday baking underway for a very special celebration this Saturday. My wonderful mother will be 90! She is having a lunch party that started as quite a modest gathering but the numbers have gradually crept up as more and more peopelehave eased their way onto the guest list. The latest addition is a very important one - my big brother called last night  from South Africa to say that he'll be here in time for Lunch on Saturday. He wanted it to be a total surprise and arrive un-announced but decided perhaps that might be too much of a shock!

Now I must get back to my pecan pies, brown sugar meringues, lemon tartlets and chocolate mousse then there's the birthday cake to do. Lucy thinks Grandma should have a 'purple cat cake' - but I think we'll make something a little more demure .......