A few of my Favourite Things...

Those of you familiar with my blog will have probably noticed the 'random list of stuff I love'. It includes 10 of my favourite things and changes every now and again. It currently reads...

Fresh flowers

Big bars of Galaxy

Chickens

Marmite

A bargain, especially a vintage bargain

Woodland walks

Reading

Cath Kidston & Emma Bridgewater

Writing

And I thought it might be fun, every now again to explain what it takes to make my Top 10 and to ask what you would include in yours. 

First up from me are fresh flowers. 

Fresh flowers for the house really are at the top of my favourites list and because I love them so much I thought they could have a post all of their own. The Red Spotty Jug of Facebook and Instagram fame is from Laura Ashley and it lends itself beautifully to big blooms such as lilies (one of my top scents), roses and sweet williams. It is heavy enough to take a really big bunch and looks great all year round.

The pretty arrangement below was hand-picked by my mum from her garden and made a lovely late autumn display incorporating flowers, foliage and berries. It doesn't always have to be about the big and blousy in our house...

Some of my favourite flowers look best in my little crystal vases or even crammed into jam jars when I'm aiming for a truly rustic look. I readily admit to having a real weakness for sweet peas as my Grandad used to grow them. Every week throughout the summer when I was a teenager he used to send me home with a bunch for my bedroom and he even decorated the church with bunches that he had nurtured for the day Paul and I got married. The colours and scent will always hold a special place in my heart.

And I think that's one of the reasons I love fresh flowers so much. They look beautiful of course, but just one fleeting whiff of either a heady or sweet scent can send you off down memory lane recalling a special occasion or a person in a way that nothing else quite can. 

Flowers and foliage have featured in all of my books - roses for Lizzie at the Cherry Tree, summer bedding for Amber at Skylark Farm and winter foliage for Ruby in Mince Pies and Mistletoe. Even Lottie at Cuckoo Cottage has a special affinity with certain species, but you'll have to wait until July to find out which ones. The mention of flowers in my writing hasn't been something I have consciously set out to include but I guess because they mean so much to me they've woven their way in without me really noticing.

Please do use the comments box below to share some of the things that would make your favourites list and why. It will be interesting to see how many of us love the same things. Wishing you all a wonderful week!

H x