Buttonholes - a retrospective

Because it's not just about the girls in ivory dresses.

It's about the boys in suits too.

Have a good weekend, do you have plans?

I do, I have big plans.

Let's rendez-vous on Tuesday and discuss.

Today was a very good day

We talked about PINK with a bride.
Sold bunches of flowers for birthdays and anniversaries
Had a good shorter but blonder hair day
Then Emily Quinton came to our little shop, I wanted to take her picture but was too shy to ask.
She met with my favourite bride and groom, and they booked her on the spot. From that first moment they knew, like the way you know about a good melon. (3.05 if you want to skip right to it, but you'll end up watching the whole thing)

Emily is the melon in this scenario.

Later when she came back into the shop to tell me she had been booked, we squealed like schoolgirls and talked at 300mph, it's not just brides that get excited, we do too.
Then on the way home I had a text with the most exciting news.
The Hound and I are dancing on the ceiling.

The End

Flowers in a bag

These flowers are not in a bag, they are from a wedding last summer, I just didn't like the flowers in a bag being at the top of the blog.

I spoke to one of my flower suppliers, he says maybe it's gas?
in the bag.
Then we talked of Valentine's Day and boats. Excellent.
In summary i would say that these flowers in a bag will appeal to those who just want to pick up some flowers whilst doing other shopping - like Simon.
As I have said before I have no problem with supermarkets selling flowers, I was just curious to see who they appealed to.

It's a bit like salad bags.

You may have got this twice in your RSS, I hit the wrong key, read the second version it has fewer spelling mistakes.

Flower retailing 2010

Sometimes on a rainy Sunday afternoon you might catch an old futuristic film off of the 1950's. Everybody flying about in spaceships and eating pills instead of actual food, you know the thing. Those films never feature flower shops, but if they did they would look like our local Marks and Sparks.
Evidently the retailing giant has decided we should all buy our flowers in sealed packages. If it works for hosiery.....

"Our new fresh flower packaging seals the flowers in their own protective atmosphere until you get them home....bloomin' marvellous!"

Bloomin' marvellous? shoot the copywriter now.

I don't understand, I thought flower buying was supposed to be a sensory experience, whether you choose a florist, supermarket or garage forecourt, or have i been doing it wrong? Will my customers demand their tussie-mussies in hermetically sealed packets? Don't even dare.

I did enjoy whipping out my camera and snapping the stand in situ, i felt like Donal Macintyre (pre Dancing on Ice) or that man who claimed Hot Dogs were vegetarian as they don't actually contain anything that can be called Meat. The food technologist was brilliant, I like a man in a lab coat.
Thoughts please....on the flowers not my fetish for lab coats.

Blogrolls

If I was Matthew, I would have left out the first L in that post title, but I'm not.
I have added some new blogs to the roll, and split them up into categories - always happy to help. Try a few out see how you get on. I hate the way blogger formats this application - any suggestions?
I am currently obsessed with The Pioneer Woman, I want to be her,live on a ranch and be married to Marlboro man, only without the children, and with a Canon rather than a Nikon.

Another blog I like is CJane, I have nothing in common with a Mormon stay at home Mum, but I read it - every day - weird.

That's the wonder of blogland.

Talk here is of Valentine's day, it's on a Sunday....this makes it difficult for those who buy 2 bouquets.
Are you just 1 step away from getting sponsors on this blog? Probably

Birds of a feather

This weekend was all a bit Bumpkin
In other news

Friday night was very interesting.
We are bidding farewell to the hair extensions.
They kept getting caught up in the handcuffs.

A man walks into a shop

Man: "I don't think I have ever seen a florist with painted nails of bright red before, or indeed one that has pheasants hanging up waiting to be plucked, or one that wears leopard print shoes."

Miss P: "You really should get out more"

Also a lady has just dropped her shopping and broken a bottle of wine all over the shop floor. The scent of cheap Pinot is not adding to the ambiance i am trying to create.

The whole carnation thing or how to make that roulade

I can't get too carried away as I only bought a wrap of 20, but i have been using them again. I don't like them on the table in a vase, so if you want some we have them out back.....knock 3 times and say "Tip Top" Rather than use 1 i have decided they are better if you tie 5 together they almost take on the look of a peony, if you stand far away and squint.

Your requests for the recipe for that non-cracking roulade have been answered. Matthew has put the recipe on his blog, it's a slippery slope now.
Another piece of cake came my way yesterday, a beautiful piece of victoria sponge. I had intended to have a good day and eat broth, but that all went wrong with a piece of thick buttery toast at breakfast. It reminded me that i will never be one of those girls...last year i went to a dinner party of those type of women. The conversation was so dull I took to observing their eating habits, one lady when presented with each course immediately pushed half her food to one side and poured salt all over it so she wouldn't be tempted to eat it.
Imagine being that self-controlled? Thankfully i don' think I will bump into her tonight.

Have a great weekend, if you can't be good, don't get caught

xxx

No vintage

No vintage? No problem other colours are available.

Wedding bouquet of cherry brandy and blu curiosa roses, anemones, ranunculus, mimosa, veronica and carnations.
Yes you read it correctly carnation. My resolution for this year is to be more open minded. Tomorrow I am going to a fetish evening.

If I were getting married today

I would use these ribbons. Tie them to my bouquet, wear them in my hair, and make a collar out of them for The Hound.

Obviously I am not getting married today, because it is actually quite late now, and I think in this country you need to be married by 5pm.

Also did I tell you how 2 men in the pub tried to buy The Hound? You could tell they were strange folk...they ordered bottled beer.

Tomorrow flowers for somebody who is getting married.

Some flowers

Because it's not just about The Hound, or Mr Ferrari's cooking.

Snow day

The Hound is more enthusiastic than co-ordinated.
On Sunday we met a Great Dane, that was the biggest dog you ever did see. He made The Hound look like a hamster.
There is so much still to catch up on,like how I got the Cheryl Cole CD for Christmas, and haven't stopped playing it, or how I spent New Year's Eve in A&E with The Other Miss Pickering having her head sewn back together - it must be noted that no alcohol was involved, and she is on the mend.
And of course Mr Ferrari has cooked a gazillion delicious meals, and I have made him a cheese sandwich.

Also The Hound has grown extra fur between his paws, this must be because of the cold, it is a curious thing, is it just him?

Anything but red

Currently loving...1970's pottery

filled with white hyacinth bulbs.

Hey Nonny Nonny

The talk here in England is of snow, the whole country has been engulfed by it. Everybody is staying indoors, we reopen the shop on Saturday, I hope it will be gone by then.
I am taking a break from painting - yes I am at it again, different to last year I assure you. The red dresser is no longer red.

Over the holiday period, I made another passage to The East, this time I was accompanied by Mr Ferrari. We headed for lunch with Mr Naylor, a most entertaining host. Fellow diners were equally as entertaining, conversation was top notch and we were served roulade.

Then we walked to the end of the world, or at least until land met the sea. Later, all blithe and bonnie we put on a Shakespearean themed pantomime, in full costume no less, Mr F loves any excuse to dress up, and has quite a collection of historic regalia. There was also a game of Perudo, which if being perfectly honest i still don't understand, but managed to win.

As we left, we admired Mr Naylor's front garden full of pampas grass glistening in the snow.

We keep threatening to play Come Dine with Me, it is all the rage o the dinner party circuit, have you played it? If this had been a CDWM episode, in the taxi on the way home I would have scored him
12

Also I can't do a PDF, and I just realised I hadn't actually shared with you before that I cried when I saw the photo's - so now you know.

"Wedding "magazine

You will recall that I cried when I saw the professional pictures, and this article in the Feb/March edition of Wedding magazine has had the same effect. It is unbelievable to see our flowers in Wedding magazine.....available in all good newsagents now.

I will try and do a PDF

A huge thank you to Tim and Hayley,and to Emily Quinton wedding photographer extraordinaire.

A snapshot of Christmas

1. The Mother Hen went vintage with the tree this year. This robin made at playschool by me or The Other Miss Pickering, depending on whom you believe...it was me.
2. Christmas was spent in high heels or wellies
3. Books for Christmas, can you see a theme?
4. The best present ever, new signage for the shop.

Twelfth night cookies

The Christmas tree has come down, the trail of pine needles hoovered up, and all that is left is a bit of chocolate and some mixed nuts. Hence the cookies. This recipe is inspired by some in the Hummingbird Cookery Book - a rather marvellous Christmas present. In true Miss P style, I have tweaked it a little.

50g unsalted butter
400g leftover Christmas Chocolate roughly chopped
2 eggs
170g light Muscovado sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla Extract
85g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
50g Christmas nuts

Preheat oven at 170 degrees C

In a double boiler, melt butter and half the chocolate, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Add the slightly cooled chocolate mix.
Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, adding a little at a time to the mix.
Stir in the remaining chocolate and nuts.

Using a teaspoon (I used a tablespoon and they came out the size of dinner plates) spoon little mounds onto a greased baking tray, allowing room between them for expansion.

Cook for between 10 and 15 minutes until glossy and cracked on the surface. Cool on a wire rack and eat with a strong cup of tea.

These cookies are not carb free, decaff, or likely to fit in with your New Years resolutions, but they are delicious.

The Hound - Christmas Day Edition

We had snow on Christmas Day, The Hound embraced it.

He has also taken up pirating.

He and Mr Ferrari often head off for an afternoon, Supertankers go missing, Coincidence?

Happy New Year to you all, there is so much to catch up on, let's begin.....