It's too orangey for crows

27,568 bonus points for knowing that line. (without the aid of google Adam)

It is a busy week, the shop is filling up with beautiful things for Mothering Sunday. 10th of March folks, and there are many weddings coming up, including one by the sea.

In other news, was i only the only wedding industry type who didn't either cry at the that post? or fail to appreciate the irony? This is what makes me cry, he has gone, we are left with Perez.

and is anybody else watching Nashville? I can't stop playing this song.

and the primula is Blue Zebra.

and last night there was a dinner of dairy and carbs and wine, all very non-paleo.
Amazing.

What have we been doing for all this time?

Definitely a head/ brick wall sort of a day. I pressed a button and lost a document I had been working on, and people have tried to help, and sometimes people being helpful can be really annoying.

This is an Ottolenghi mash up, from the Jerusalem book.

I think all Ottolenghi recipes are mash ups, because who in actual real life has Arak in their cupboard?

Clementines, fennel, thyme, fennel seeds, pernod, olive oil, orange juice, chicken thighs/ drumsticks

Leave for a bit

Roast

I think the crisp salty skin from a chicken thigh might be my favourite thing.

Also hair crush.

Your secret love

will never be your true love 

Luther Vandross. 

I could have gone with the BeeGees, but it sounds like chain reaction and i don't like that song.

It's the name of the rose. I suspect that those growers have tweaked Upper Secret, to give it a peachy orangey feel. It is my new crush, unless otherwise requested I am using it in everything.

and there has been debate as to whether the tulips at the top, Carnaval De Nice are in fact nice. Thoughts please.

The grass was greener

the light was brighter
with friends surrounded
the nights of wonder

This weekend Lotte and I announced a flower school, we are hosting together. Did you see it? Did you see the stop motion films we made? Do you have any idea how long it takes to make a 4 second film? Forever. 3 phone calls, 12 twitter dm's and some texts too.

It turns out stop motion is a lot harder than it looks, Lotte was the technical whizz, whilst i spent a lot of time trying to block out the sunlight in my kitchen with various picture frames and plants, whilst pot roasting a piece of brisket, and trying to take the pictures without The Hound's head in the frame.

I cut honeysuckle foliage, rose hips, rosemary and sage from the garden, and added roses, frilled tulips, rankels, narcissus, hellebore, hyacinth, tuberose, and anemones. I didn't actually use much pink, but I think it looks pink, or maybe I'm kidding myself.

the piece of brisket was reduced to £1.80, rolled in ras-el-hanout, seared and placed in a pot with fennel and garlic and bay and some chicken stock, in the oven at 160 for 2 and a half hours.

I am addicted to ras-el-hanout at the moment, it works very well with meat with a bit of fat on it, chicken thighs, or combine it with ground almonds, some fresh herbs, dried figs and an egg, and stuff a lamb breast.

also Pink Floyd

and in other news it is 23 days until the next Grand Prix. I am having remorse over wishing Lewis gone. I want him back, I dont like Perez's hair.

and documentary of the week is this one, its brilliant and free on itunes or You tube. bonus.

that's alright because i like the way it hurts

I think it was around 1am , lying awake panicking about whether i had enough flower, too much flower? Is this snow going to stop? when i saw a re tweet. It was the link to an account of Valentines day in a flower shop. It was fluffy, it was not the truth, or if it was i want to work in their shop, there were cupcakes.

Valentines is a testing time, it involves men and their last minute purchases, you have to have nerves of steel, as you play chicken with the auction, who will blink first?

I enjoyed this one, maybe its years of either myself or their wives beating them into submission, but most pre-ordered, and most had a good idea of what they wanted, and the message they wanted to write.

but then there is the other 10%

The wide boy who wanted the "biggest bouquet of red roses you've ever made" but only wants to pay £2.99
The one who made me blush with his message, i thought I'd heard it all, i hadn't.
The one that came and said "probably one of the busiest days of the year for you, you must be really busy, but i thought I'd pop in and see if you would be interested in some new light bulbs"
The one that wanted a really late delivery so that she'd think he'd forgotten. Why is this a thing? Don't do it.
The one that wanted to send dead flowers to his ex-wife (get some therapy)

I didn't get a puppy, but i did get a coffee machine.

and now thoughts turn to Mothering Sunday, and a new window.

I have a plan.

drunk on love

Preparations for Valentines Day have started.

This involved poaching a chicken with Asian flavours. Staggering home after long days on the flowers to something hot and tasty and healthy is definitely a good thing. Although the reality is that the last thing you really want is a bowl of chicken broth, and The Hound eats it, whilst i have a bag of chips.

Men are coming in and telephoning to place orders, some hapless, but most very romantic.

Some are coming out of the shadows to reveal a secret crush, this might be my favourite bit of Valentine's Day, if ever there was a day to throw caution to the wind and let the girl/ boy in the office know you fancy her/ him, Thursday is it.

also if you popped in to the shop to place an order over the last few days and needed time to think about what you wanted to say on the card, or were too shy to say it, and said you would email me with it.

Don't forget.

There is a general air of romanticism and happiness, drunk on love? or wired on caffeine?

You decide

I would like a puppy, or a penguin. Whichever.

and Happy Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday, whichever your religious denomination observes. I'm making these again.

You trembled like you'd seen a ghost

The alarm was set for 4am
and by 8am,
a London wedding done
a brace purchased
several valentines orders placed
and I had acquired some more hounds.
perhaps they might be more helpful around the shop than old "squirrel nutkin" who has slept all day.

What plans have you for this weekend? Is it going to snow again? I had hoped to dip a toe in the garden, or make a new blog header.

If the weather is ghastly, my documentary of the week is Confessions of a Superhero

and if you didn't see Dreams of a Life last night, watch it on 4od. It's hard to believe that in today's society a young woman can not be noticed missing for 3 years.

also Ellie Goulding.

Driving Miss Daisy

There has been too much death today.

Too many people trying to find the right words to write on a card.

"What do I say?" "What do people normally say in these circumstances?"

all the standard things sound like greetings cards from a £1 shop.

I always say to share a memory, I think it's better than "in deepest sympathy"

invariably they cry remembering a funny incident or a holiday or a drunken Christmas

and then i feel bad.

It's a terribly British thing to hide ones feelings behind stock phrases.

Not a very jolly blog post this one is it?

Life isn't all rainbows and butterflies in a flower shop.

The flower is feverfew, invented for florists so that when brides ask for daises you don't have to use those wretched xanths.