Jackie Wilson said

I'm in heaven when you smile.

Saturday,wedding, buttonholes. Then completely distracted by a tweet from Violet Cakes

"roast chickens resting, currants plumping in the drippings"

Pandora's box had been opened, evidently an idea originating at Zuni Cafe.  Please can somebody in the locale open such a place? Less of the foams and things on slates.

Cue 50,000 blog posts on the intricacies of the recipe. I went with guidelines for roasting the small chicken from Smitten Kitchen, drying and seasoning the night before, flipping the bird a couple of times during roasting in a hot oven.

I probably ruined all the effort by adding half a lemon into the bird. Whatever.

It reminded me of the way The Mother Hen cooked the turkey last Christmas. I used figs rather than currants, because that's what i had in, left in a mug filled with the juices whilst the bird rested.

Due to their size, not so much plumped as moistened, but oh so delicious. Pine nuts toasted, bread tossed in the vestiges of the roasting tin and baked for about 10 minutes.

and all assembled on a bed of red gem, because my seedlings are in need of some coaxing...... unlike my tulips, i can't remember the name of this one but they are the colour of a blu curiosa.

I also crumbled a dried up pot of supermarket mint over aubergines, roasted with garlic and olive oil. A dressing of oil, lemon juice and agave nectar was poured on top with handfuls of fresh garden mint and basil.

It's a crowd pleaser, unlike the Grand Prix..........

Also new crush

Components

for a thing.

Are you getting bored of the blackboard background?

can somebody buy me a big old sheet of copper?

Pansies, violets, violas?

Dance the night away

underneath the electric stars

Debarge, guaranteed to cheer even the grumpiest of souls.

It's the rain, the curse of girls with curly hair the world over. Frizzy doesn't even get close.

Also did we watch Elizabeth Taylor last night? I quite forgot how beautiful she was, and sexy.

Today's starlets seem to try to hard. There is too much intensity.

It's a lot like the wedding industry.

and i forgot to ask if we had been watching Rachel Khoo and her Little Paris Kitchen. I like her, i suspect sales of red lipstick and appointments for fringes will soar.

also liatris. WTF?

Ready for summer

There comes a tipping point for those of us who work with flowers everyday.

Last week i couldn't have lived without orange ranunculus and the last of the paper whites and of course everybody who is on Instagrams favourite "Blossom" I don't do Instagram, i have a Blackberry......

I'm over it now. Spring that is, i want summer and peonies and delphinium and sweet peas and love-in-a-mist.

Nor do i want a child, i just liked the pictures of David Beckham with his.

Yesterday i was drawing daffodils with a child, i asked whether she was going to draw them in the axial or sagittal plane.

"We don't do that at nursery, we just join up the dots, I'm only 4"

A weekend

 

Not my finest, a Greta Garbo Sunday.

The problem with wanting to be alone is that there isn't anyone around to slap you, when a combination of painkillers and Piriton leaves you a bit odd. Will a bride go for this design? suddenly becomes, Why does every farmer in the land have to grow OSR? Could i put a baby in the corner of the shop? Is that legal? Am i going to die alone? Could i drink a pint of tea? Am i the only one who thinks it's the emperor's new clothes? Not so intimidating now.

Meltdown. The 'rents slapped me. It's all good now.

I don't actually want a baby, i just like the pictures of David Beckham. You're welcome.

also a man just came in to tell me that there is some nice fish in Morrisons, it's made in Vietnam, no bones, and that his wife complains that he doesn't have any stamina anymore, and that he is looking to find her a toyboy.

Business as usual.

I was dreaming while i drove the long straight road ahead

Could taste your sweet kisses
Your arms open wide
This fever for you is just burning me up inside
I drove all night to get to you
Is that alright
I drove all night
Crept in your room
Woke you from your sleep
To make love to you

When you get a song in your head. That.

Also if i am in your garden and ask if i take photographs, it's because i am logging what you have so that i can steal it.

There is a Grand Prix it is on the BBC, which means i will actually get to see it.

and as one sister heads back to university, another one comes back from the USofA

and i have bridal quotes to do, so that's my weekend sorted, do you have plans?

and yesterday as i passed through a train station, (i wasn't actually here yesterday, sneaky)  this band were playing live. They were amazing. Properly good.

Works in progress

Is that memory lane rose annoying you as much as it is I?

and the ronaldo tulip would be better if it were a pauline violet ranunculus? and it needs much more jasmine? because it smells quite earthy, its the white bridal wotsit i cut from the garden. Pretty but not the best scent ever invented.

Probably better shot with a 50mm. I am weaning myself off it.

Sometimes the best way to look at something is to photograph it.

and then take it apart and start again.

The Hound is lying on his back all four paws going as he chases rabbits in his sleep.

It never gets old.

also the Olympic torch is coming right past the shop, is this something people are going to be interested in? In general, not just when it's outside my shop. Will people be 6 deep trying to catch a glimpse of it? Should we have a party? Does somebody run with it all the time? Or does it go in a car along the motorways?

Who's zoomin' who?

 

Easter, cake, roast potatoes, chocolate, bunny ears, family. Except one member who is in Wisconsin. As you do.

A beautiful gift of flowers from the garden of The Stamford Hen.

A reminder of days gone by

and a card from Cara. As one would suspect, Cara gives good card.

and lily of the valley, because i can

and my new favourite rose Maracuja. All those different colours and all the same rose. Remember years ago when i predicted cherry brandy was the new amnesia, and Pantone went and made orange the colour of now,  this is the new cherry brandy.

Also these roses are 2 weeks old. I have no time for people who say roses don't last.

And today is proving to be one of frustration so Aretha Franklin is being played loudly, in an attempt to stop being so snippy with people.

I have just been snippy with some American tourists

"OMG Sheree look at  all these fake flowers"

Whatever. Sorry America.