still hitting the dahlias hard

it feels wrong not to, to be honest. they're not here for long. drop it while it's hot as a good man almost once said.

p.s. the new maxlife oasis is not good. 

i don't understand tumblr

i started one for five minutes to try and get into it but it just wasn't working. it's too un-linear or something. i just found this though and it's quite a treat.

the blog awards i've been banging on about are still trundling along. i'd like to win, if only because the inimitable miss pickering won it last year and said i would win lots of cereal. would you vote for me if you haven't yet?

weddings are done. pictures to follow soon. also if you are in glasgow i am doing a free flower giveaway, it ends tomorrow though so get your skates on.

some roses, this morning

these roses were sitting patiently waiting to be used for tomorrow's wedding when i realised how beautiful the morning light on them was. they almost looked like they had been lit from the inside. 

i love the little moments of beauty like this which just creep up on me unawares. 

marquee marauding

weddings have been midweek this week which makes a nice change, consequently i've had the cheek to enjoy my weekend like a normal civilian. imagine.

in lieu of a wedding this weekend here is a little number from a few weekends ago. the light in a marquee is always so good for photo-taking. it must be something about the diffusion of the light or something like that. i bet a photographer would probably know the science part, don't ask me.

p.s. fresh garden foliage and herbs for buttonholes, there really is little more pleasing than that in my book...

dahlia, darling

a little request

i've been nominated for an award. well, this blog has anyway. i'd really like to win it and i'd love it if you'll put a vote in for me. all you have to do is click on the link below, put in your email et voila. 

apparently we could both win some posh cereal which would be reason enough, right? 

misty mountain hop

this weekend amongst other things i drove out west. the purpose of the trip was to scope out a venue i'm working at later in the year. i honestly couldn't believe my peepers when i got there. this place is almost perfect. the bride is a set designer and stylist. an amazing photographer is shooting it. i don't mind admitting gentle reader that i'm a little bit excited about this one.

inspiring chaos

*all images vogue spain october 2010 (photographer: mark seliger, stylist: belen antolin)

a year

ideally i only want roses like this from now on.

i have been keeping this blog for nearly a year. the reason i know this is because all the fruit trees in my garden are galloping along and almost ready. last year when i started this blog i had more fruit than i knew what to do with. i was deep in the throes of a chutney obsession, as in, i literally couldn't stop making the stuff.*

when i was younger i would have recurring notions of journal-keeping but never see it through. my bedroom was full of started and discarded notebooks. this is actually the first time i've stuck at it which is surprising for all of us really.

one of my favourite things with one of the (many) blogs i regularly check into is to look at the very first blog post someone ever did. have you ever done that? it's always kind of tentative and self-conscious post, before they found their groove with it. i love that.

here's a little friday treat for you, it's got buddy holly and skeletons in it.

* i still have so many jars of it hoarded from last year i don't know what i'll plan to do when the harvest comes. i guess i sorely overestimated even how much i like chutney, and i am a fan.

new beau

my latest favourite.

this puppy has the faintest blush of pink in its heart and is a total delight. i will probably use it as often as possible for a while, gorge myself silly on it and then one day soon it'll all be over. what can i say, i can be fickle.

wensleydale day tripping

i had a site visit and meeting first thing this morning up in the wilds of the north yorkshire dales. i'm originally from this part of the world but i hadn't been up the dale in ages so rob and i took the chance to shoehorn in a little day trip.

it's so beautiful up there i had completely forgotten. quite another world really. we went for a good walk around hawes, took in some antique shop trawling and a pub lunch.

on the way back down we visited my favourite garden and house, the perennially inspiring millgate house in richmond. if you are ever in the area and you like gardens you absolutely must go it is such a treat.