Currently loving........Cowboys

I want to go to a Rodeo

and kiss a cowboy

who is wearing spurs.

Chez Miss P

cookery books and shoes are given equal gravitas.

Denman or Kauto Star?

Fruit and veg

A friend of mine has opened a fruit and veg shop in Uppingham. It's on the High Street, I can't remember the number, but as it only takes 45 seconds to walk from end to the other you are sure to spot it.

She sells fruit and veg, not in a twee way, there are no Farrow and Balled vintaged dressers, and the name of the grower isn't written on each potato in organic ink.

It is just honest. Fruit and veg and some free range eggs. This is the way a fruit and veg shop should be.

I bought some butternut squash, roasted it, then smooshed it up a bit and roasted it some more.
That way you get more of the caramelised bits. Remove from the oven and chuck on bits of gorgonzola. The heat of the squash will melt it. Add some fresh sage and a hunk of bread.

I made this recipe after deciding to go wheat/dairy free.

I gave up after 5 hours, a girl cannot survive on Earl Grey and Gin alone.

Spell checker doesn't like my use of the word "smooshed"

This post killed the last laptop

I'm not sure it was entirely responsible, but it was what i was doing when it gave up the will to live. This morning I have woken up with the most awful chest, and a barking cough. Most unpleasant and inconvenient. Why do we always get sick when we take a few days off?

Whilst I feel sorry for myself, I will hit publish on a few posts that never saw the light of day.

I love foliage, arrangements without it have their place, who doesn't love a dome of tulips or roses? But imagine if you never had a bouquet scented with rosemary, oregano or mint. If you hadn't had a vase of olive branches and mock orange, that instantly transported you back to a holiday in Kephalonia. Or just had some eucalytpus with a few stems of oriental lily, or fallen head over heels for the blousy viburnum opulus?

To never experience these things would be quite terrible.

Foliage.......there's more to it than "a bit of greenery"

If there was a foliage association i would be it's marketing manager.

I would however refuse to market leatherleaf. That stuff is just wrong.

I have just had a Pretty Woman moment

Sadly it wasn't this one

Or this one

It was the one where she goes in the shop and they were mean to her for not looking the part. in my case they were mean because i rummaged through the remnant bin, and deigned to make a purchase and ask for a bag, because i didn't want to put it in the same bag as my Cromer Crab.

I want to name and shame, but i won't. In the words of Destinys Child.

"You know i'm not gonna diss you on the Internet, 'cos my mama taught me better than that."

I will just wait for my Big mistake, big, huge moment.

A day at the museum

Did you guess the Cambridge museum of technology? Probably not, it wouldn't be top of my list either, but it turned to be really rather good.

It is basically a big chimney, large engines made out of cast iron and steam, I still have absolutely no idea what it all does, but don't tell anyone.

It is run by a fabulous group of volunteers, who all look like Fred Dibnah, even the one that only looked to be about 14.

Mr F started chatting to them, and soon they realised there was more to this man than meets the eye. He talked to them about things i didn't understand, a secret language if you will, we'll call it engineer. They seemed to be rather in awe of our dear Mr F, and tried to recruit him as a volunteer. I wouldn't mind seeing him with large sideburns. I do hope he signs up.

The Hound enjoyed it too, he loves museums. Later in the gift shop, he pinched a mans Mars Bar, right out of his hand. Then we walked along the river in the sunshine.

Those Victorians knew a thing or two about tiling, the most decorative engine room you ever did see. It would make a rather cool space for a cocktail party, you would just need to move a few things about.

Only the best presents

have your name on them.

A new laptop bag from The Other Miss Pickering, it might stop me from dropping the laptop into a big pan of arrabiata sauce.

I love monogrammed things, I am also into engraving. Personalising things is my new thing.

Get your bag here

I fully intend to take the tulips out before putting the laptop in.

It doesn't have to be Xanths

Funeral flowers for a lady that lived near the shop. She was well known in Stamford. A big part of the dog community, a lady that wore bright clothing and crocs.

It was the crocs that summed her up, a mature lady with a young outlook. She would come in to buy flowers for friends, and bring me dead orchids asking for my tips on resuscitation.I gave it to her straight.....

"bin it, buy a new one"

and then we would laugh, a lot.

It was only after her death that i found out she was President of the flower arranging society.

I hope the tied bouquet of roses, ranunculus, tulips and snowdrops and herbs would have met with her approval.

If not, she would have given it to me straight, and then laughed.

We are back........sort of

A huge thank you to Mr Naylor for keeping this blog going whilst we suffered technical problems and did Mother's day and stuff.

If you want more of his writing, follow his blog, he also tweets, he writes a column for the Farmers weekly, and now he is a "media" farmer, I feel quite sure he will be wheeled out and be starring on a tv or radio show somewhere near you very soon.

We are in possession of a new laptop. It isn't a Mac, they are just too expensive, maybe next time. This new one has a full size keyboard, which is good for typing, but it does look like it came off the Thunderbirds set. It is in full working order, and with everything from the old one on it. This was done by the chaps at ACR, this is the third time they have saved me, thank you.

Of course now the blackberry has gone berserk, i have to send it back to be fixed.

I am hoping that they don't work out the reason it might be playing up is because i dropped it in a roasting tin complete with joint and roasting juices.

And all because the lady loves the last bit of crackling, the really crispy bit which could have a tooth out, but you can see it is encrusted with fennel seeds and burnt garlic. The Aristocrat grabbed for it too, there was a scuffle, the blackberry got in the way.

Sort of? We are back blogging, but the shop is closed for a few days. The Fair is in town, chaos reigns supreme. A few days to catch up, recharge, re inspire. If it's good enough for Ferrán Adriá, it's good enough for Miss P.

Mothering Sunday

would not have been possible without the help of The Mother Hen, The Other Miss P, or The Stamford Hen.

It was also helped in part by the provision of gin......Merci beaucoup gentlemen.

This photo is Ma Hen and TOMP on holiday in Majorca or Menorca. We were very lucky and went abroad a lot when we were children.

Always in term time.

I think that sort of thing is illegal now.

These 2 ladies rock my world.

If you are reading this from foreign climes and thinking that Mothering Sunday is in May, you are correct. In old blighty it is mid-lent, always has been, always will be.

This photograph perfectly illustrates the two very different hair types in our family.

Poker straight or very curly.

There is no inbetween.

We have reached the end of my tenancy on Miss Pickering’s blog. It will be sad to leave, I have felt very comfortable here; curiously I have felt even more comfortable here than I feel on my own blog.

I can understand how Elvis must have felt when he finished a residency in Las Vegas and returned to Graceland. Like Elvis, I am substantially heavier and more perspiration-covered than when I came here. Unlike Elvis I am not in the habit of eating hamburgers while I sit on the toilet. Like Elvis I do where rather more white clothing than is practical for a farmer. Unlike Elvis.. actually I think we have exhausted that one.

While I have been here, do not think that Mrs Picklin’ has been resting on her laurels, eucalyptus and pittosporum. She has satisfied millions of Mothers’ Day customers, procured herself a swanky doodle doo laptop and has eaten seven helpings of tuna carpaccio.

Thank you for making me feel so welcome during my stay. I can hear Miss P fumblin’ with her keys at the door. I hate long goodbyes and I have started the engine on the John Deere already and I am hoping to disappear into the Spring sunshine without too much fuss.

Men I would eat to tuna carpaccio with - guest blogger edition

Bret McKenzie

Romain Duris

I had to interrupt this broadcast to say......I would do more with this man than eat tuna carpaccio.

Miss P

xxxx

Guest blogger....Mr Naylor

I spoke to Miss Pickering last night. I don't want to shatter any illusions here, but we, her friends, don't call her Miss Pickering. We use her forename which is Thecreativeforcebehind... It's a bit of a mouthful for a start but you soon get the hang of it.

Thecreativeforcebehind...said to me that you required more illustration and a little more fantasy. "Share your world with my readers" she said.

It's Friday - I will.

When I am not growing flowers, I spend my time scouring the globe looking for the finest place to drink a cool glass of Sauv Blanc.

So far my conclusion is that it is at this vineyard on an island in the South Pacific called Waiheke

Guest blogger..Mr Naylor......An ambition fulfilled

Aaah, life is different when you are in love.

There's a new presence in my life and suddenly every day has more vibrancy to it. It's a long while since I felt this way.

He's not the type that I usually go for; he's older and taller than me but he's completely dependable and always rings when you expect him to. This time I feel as though I really understand what makes him tick and I feel calmer when we're in the same room as one another. I could sit and look at his face for hours on end.

Isn't he gorgeous though? We've only been together for a week so far but we are planning to spend the rest of our lives together. Ha ha ha. I was talking about a long case clock. I made it sound as though I was talking about a person, ha ha, I fooled you.

How would you like to hear Rufus Wainwright singing April Fools? I would

Guest blogger.......Mr Naylor as heard on Radio 2

I can remember staying with my grandparents when I was a child.

We had honey on toast on blue stripey plates and Radio 2 would be playing. This was back when the Radio 2 jingle went "Bar Baba Bar, Radio Twoooooo" (Mmmmm nice harmonies there).

Yesterday, I finally appeared on Radio 2. Yes, Je. My grandma will be so proud of me.

I appeared on the Business section of Simon Mayo's programme. After yesterday's media whoredom, I mean stardom, you may think that I was talking about the Business that we call "Show." This was not the case. I was still bangin' on about daffodils and the late Spring. I used the phrase “cheap as chips” at one point. My grandma will be so ashamed of me.



The cold weather might mean that I am idly twiddlin’ all my thumbs and drinking coffee but elsewhere the flower industry is operating at a feverish pace in preparation for Sunday, the mother of all days.



I received a concerned email from Rachel, one of our customers, today. She is worried that the pressure is getting to her colleague, Michele, who buys flowers for Marks and Spencer. She has started behaving strangely. First she placed a photo of me on the office wall; this morning she requested my autograph. We have yet to establish if Mother Day madness has got her in its grip or whether it is simply sarcasm.

Guest blogger.....Mr Naylor - As seen on TV

Have you met Mother Nature? She's a rum old bird. I couldn't find a photo of her so here's one of Mama Cass .

Mother Nature, or "MoNat" as we affectionately call her, is a partner in our flower growing business. A sleeping partner, as it happens. She's out like a light. Comatose. And snoring like a pig. I think that she had a heavy Autumn or something.

Until she decides it is time to activate Spring, we will be unable to to fill the nation's vases with daffodils.

I was on BBC Breakfast this morning talking about the problems that are being presented to all flower growers by this abnormally long winter. I decided I should amplify this point by wearing an abnormally large fleece and having an abnormally bald head. I looked like a right old Fen goblin.

There is nothing like a TV camera for mangling one's self-esteem. My mannerisms were suprisingly fey. Do I ordinarily wave my arms around in such a flamboyant manner? I'm supposed to be a stout-hearted son of the soil.

My telephone has been red hot with "compliments" about my performance.

Guest Blogger..........Mr Naylor

Hello. You will have noticed immediately just from the unflamboyance of my shoes that I am not Miss P. I am your guest blogger.

It is quite a privilege. I feel like I have been offered her last Rolo. In fact it's better than that; it's like Kenneth Williams has allowed me to use his toilet - he was famously unsharing in that respect.

Actually that's a bad analogy. I promised not to corrupt the Miss P brand and yet here we are, in paragraph two, already engaged in toilet humour of the most base kind (still, it might help to improve the readership in Germany and the Netherlands).

Another comparison that I considered is that driving this blog is an honour equal to being trusted to carry a priceless Ming vase. Many gentlemen before me have attempted to get their hands on Miss Pickering's ming but the honour has been bestowed on very few of them.

Let's not get bogged down in metaphors, it's time to wave Miss P on her way and wish her an enjoyable break. I'll unpack my belongings and once she is out of earshot, I'll tell you a bit more.

I'm not even going to introduce myself to you until the next entry. If you can't stand the suspenders until then, tune into the BBC One in the morning where I will be talking about English cut flowers on BBC Breakfast not once, not twice but three times a lady.

Blogging from The Other Miss P's computer

1. We are still undergoing some technical problems.....

2. 5 men tarmacing a driveway have just tried to buy The Hound - such a cliche.

3. The Flowers in a bag have gone, M and S realised you can't sell flowers like hosiery.

4. I can't wait to tell you about the weekend, Mr F took The Boy Wonder and I to a museum. 6 gold stars to the first person that guesses which one.

5. Mothering Sunday is this weekend, order your flowers here. Local and Nationwide delivery for Mother Hen's everywhere.

6. Today i wore florals and tweed in one outfit.

56. Whilst the cat's away........a guest blogger is in residence, stay tuned.

What have you all been up to?

xoxo

Girl interrupted

This should be a post about foliage, with pictures of what i am using to make up bouquets today. Things like Camellia, viburnum opulus, olive, rosemary, tinus berries and what have you, and how I think foliage is the cats pyjamas.

but something happened

my laptop died

the man at the repair shop said it was beyond redemption and besides it was running Vista

and Vista ain't good apparently

I am trying to remain chipper, but it is difficult when you don't have anything to download your photographs onto.

Please Mr Computer man, save all my photos, especially the ones of The Hound, and my family and friends, and the weddings, and the food, and the shoes........

Dispelling the myths

1. Butter does melt in his mouth

2. The Hound isn't devoted to me, he is devoted to Mr Ferrari.He quite often shoots me a look, that says

"we are doing boy things, you are a girl you wouldn't understand, why don't you go and make us a cup of tea, and a couple of chocolate digestives wouldn't go amiss"

3. Boys do like Lavender biscuits.

Have a great weekend
xxx

The insecurities of a 30 something florist...

Skirt and top by Boden. Heart headband by Bando. Ballet pumps by Joules.

My life would be a whole lot better if I:

Had straight hair.
Could effortlessly mix vintage, high street and designer like the girl in the magazine.
Knew what shade lipstick really suited me.
Wore more wrap dresses

stopped wearing wrap dresses

Could wear heels in the shop.
Had a signature perfume.

wore more stripes?

I definitely need to wear more stripes.

Giving the people what they want

It's not really about the flowers at all.

A few weeks ago I had lunch with some friends and the subject of blogging came up.

Miss P. " I think I might start a food blog"
Everybody else: "Why? just put everything on the blog you have"

Miss P. "I could but sometimes I look at the blog, and there really aren't that many pictures of flowers, and people come for the flowers"
Everybody else "Nobody comes for the flowers"

They persuaded me not to start a food blog, so here is some food on a flower? blog. More on the food later, but if you have never cooked sweet potato fries, you haven't lived. Cut them up, coat in oil, season with whatever you have and cook in a hot oven for 30 minutes.

You must serve them in mini pails lined with greaseproof paper, it's the law..

My ponderings on blogging are at the front of mind as I have been intently following Marta Writes and her blogging workshop. Which was brought to my attention by somebody who came into the shop to ask my advice on blogging. My advice wasn't very helpful, but this is.

How to make a floral necklace

1. Take 3 stems of Chincherinchee, buy them for the name alone.

2. Snip off individual flowers, and get some florist wire. A mid-gauge wire is just peachy.

3. Thread on flowers.

4. Make a loop at each end and tie on some pretty ribbon.

You can do this with delphiniums in the summer. This method works with carnations too, but you could end up looking like you just came back from starring in a Bollywood film.

Next week, flowers for the hair, my personal favourite way of wearing them.

Other interesting things.....Phase Eight have started doing off the peg bridal dresses. It ain't exactly J.Crew, but this one is pretty.

and I am using this lady as the inspiration for my garden. The Hound just wants space for a sun lounger.

It is spring

the sun is shining really brightly, and I have snowdrops in the house. The garden is full of green shoots, which has left The Hound with a spring in his step. So springy that he decided he might like to spring out of the garden and investigate a cat. Thankfully he is still carrying a little holiday weight, so just failed to make the 7ft jump.

I have had friends over, so flowers were in order, and I baked a lemon drizzle cake and lavender biscuits. If you are making a lemon drizzle cake, use a very small skewer to make the holes in the top. Mine resembled a sieve, so was sliced quickly before anybody noticed. Also make twice as much syrup as the recipe states, as most of it will end up on the worktop, and it is quite sticky, and if you happen to put your newspaper down it will get very sticky too. Just a little tip.

The lavender biscuits can be knocked up, and on a plate in 20 minutes.

Cream together 4oz of butter and 4oz lavender sugar,

add an egg and 5oz of self raising flour.

Bake at 170 for 15 minutes.

They go splendidly with a cup of tea, and a girly chat.

Boys probably won't like them, in the way that they don't really like Earl Grey Tea or Rose and Violet creams.