on faded flowers, poems and dickens

 

The Faded Flower

Ungrateful he, who pluck'd thee from thy stalk,
Poor faded flow'ret! on his careless way;
Inhal'd awhile thy odours on his walk,
Then onward pass'd and left thee to decay.
Ah! melancholy emblem! had I seen
Thy modest beauties dew'd with Evening's gem,
I had not rudely cropp'd thy parent stem,
But left thee, blushing, 'mid the enliven'd green.
And now I bend me o'er thy wither'd bloom,
And drop the tear - as Fancy, at my side,
Deep-sighing, points the fair frail Abra's tomb -
'Like thine, sad Flower, was that poor wanderer's pride!
Oh! lost to Love and Truth, whose selfish joy
Tasted her vernal sweets, but tasted to destroy!' 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

after today in the shop I could only cut and paste!!!

Have a brilliant  bank holiday weekend..

we are open again Tuesday 9am.

xx

Give me your heart......

today was fraught with battles over a faulty phone line.....what a week to choose.....

but......we had a cup of tea and calmed down....

this is our fabulous heart wreath for the door..don't those colours just zing???

what are you doing on Thursday???? do tell.....

you know we can keep a secret!!!

faded beauty

One of our new favourite flowers at the moment......
Musette
a pinky peachy old fashioned rose curled petals 1950s chic in a bloom
these have been a week in a hot hairdressers and still looking pretty!!!

The snow is still here but everyone is buying flowers to cheer themselves and their homes up....
Today we have white lilac, viburnum, tulips, hyacinths,anenomes and of course musette roses...
have a lovely day..

the ending ....and the beginning

...the last throws of Christmas arrangements.....teacup with candle...before the watch came off Martins wrist and the bandage went on....( see our last post for gory dets...)
Amongst all the celebrations, eating and drinking and general merriment in those strange days between Christmas and New Year......

 one families world fell apart.....

and another couples life together started.....

it is true to say a florists day is never the same and we see all of life's comings and goings.....

and as a little beacon to the coming spring winter flowering jasmine picked from the garden.

White & Green

There are days when the flowers do all the talking

last week

 we made a vain attempt at the dreaded window photo...bunting features heavily!!

 ..a couple of shots of a corner of the shop...a bedside table originally  from Harrods..artichokes, peonies and roses in one of our little milk bottle holders....and the last few french inkwells....

I couldn't resist photographing the most amazing bearded iris that are growing outside my village church, with the morning sun shining through the petals they looked radiant... 

and on the common the grass has turned golden with buttercups!!

I hope you are enjoying this fabulous weather and do tell us what is blooming around you at the moment.

Late Saturday Afternoon

Black Baccarat 

&

Akito roses

Flowering jasmine

Informal wedding

Late afternoon

The sun shone.

white, the new red.....

well, we have finally surfaced from the blur that was valentines day....
a haze of spring flowers, hyacinth, tulips,rannunculus,narcissus, anemones....
red roses..both  Red Naomi and Black Baccarat 
 but the winner by far was the white rose......
Avalanche and the glorious blousey and scented  Norma Jean....
thank you to all our lovely customers, you romantic lot!!!

Our Week in Photos

The hedgerow are showing off their beauty...planted cyclamen in wire baskets smell divine, and are proving to be a firm favorite with our customers.

Pale Greens, and clear french glass inkwells, perfect for a single bloom, ivy or even holly lined down the Christmas table.

New festive Aubergine bags styled ready for the beautiful florals

Perfect dreamy scented Paperwhites fill the whole shop with the smell of spring...they are early, like most flowers and plants this year.

Honesty and pale white roses make an inviting wreath.

Our window display doesn't stay around for long, most of this is now sold, everyone is preparing their homes for the season

We have a rather beautiful angel ready for our window...isn't she stunning?

The ripening berries point to it being another hard winter...I hope you all have bird tables full to the brim with food!

Another creature not quite ready for winter...Bob is happy on his chair in a nice warm house, even the lead jangling is not getting his attention!

Are you getting prepared for the season? What are your plans? Are you having a real tree?

A Christmas with a bump...but without sloe gin and pate....hows a girl to survive?

Our Week in Photos

This week started with cool temperatures, the plant man offering us tempting autumn offerings of delicate Violas and stunning English Cyclamen.

Vintage jelly molds, zinc, & Beswick all make the plants come to life. The perfect gift.

Our very own Dutch master, Martin, showed some lovely ladies the beauty of an old dutch master piece ...the hidden symbols, seasons, and fun of recreating one of these divine arrangements.

In the simmering heat we had an Autumn wedding....our Bride was hoping for a cool crisp day, turning leaves,  reds and oranges, & a roast dinner....the one thing that cannot be organisered? The weather!! It was a scorcher!

A cake to die for...

Hollowed out gourds, with tea lights were such a sweet touch.

Ohhh, piano Friedland rose we love you!

Buttonhole bliss

Hungerford Town Hall was all dressed up too!

The newest member of the Martin & the Magpie team is growing nicely....

And finally the floor got a must needed paint....just look at the difference!

We hope your weekend was filled with fun & sunshine

xxx