flowers

2nd March 2020

Daffodils

After long days of darkness and cold rainy weather there cannot be a more welcoming sight than daffodils. Bravely breaking through the surface of the soil and adding a lovely yellow glow to gardens when they bloom, heralding the start of more daylight and warmer weather.

Alternatively, or if you don’t have a garden, supermarkets have them lined up, unopened in bunches on the shelves. Just purchase, pop them in a vase and wait for them to bloom – they brighten up any room. What is nice about Spring flowers is that they are so seasonal and you only see them for a short time, unlike roses and lilies which seem to be available in shops at any time of the year.

My other favourites are hyacinths. Sadly these don’t last long but they certainly pack a punch fragrance wise and can fill your home with their beautiful scent for a couple of weeks or so.

When I was a child my mother spent hours one Autumn planting daffodil bulbs all over the garden and was rewarded each Spring when they popped up, covering the garden in a golden carpet of sunny faces.

Daffodils are really easy to grow in a colder climate. Buy a bag of good large bulbs making sure they are not dried out and plant in a fairly open and sunny spot in the Autumn, before the Winter frost. Come Spring they will pop up and you will be rewarded with your own golden glow each year.

28th July 2019

Flowers of Madeira

The magnificent Protea – Palheiro Gardens

As you travel around the island you see what the benefit of having a sub-tropical climate brings to the local flora and fauna. There are flowers everywhere and, understandably, Madeira has some of the most beautiful gardens displaying a wide range of species from all around the world. Anyone who likes flowers can only be impressed with the range and abundance on offer.

If you have a head for heights you can jump in the cable car near the central market and go up to the Tropical gardens in Monte which are amazing. If like me you don’t like heights, it is accessible by road. Definitely worth a visit. Or take a trip to the Botanical gardens where the flower beds are arranged in geometric patterns and lovingly cared for. Really beautiful with fabulous views.

Palheiro Gardens Madeira — Palheiro Gardens

On my recent visit to Madeira we stopped at Palheiro gardens. This used to be the home of the Blandy family, so you will hear locals refer to it as Blandy gardens. It is very high up so the temperature is slightly cooler but the flowers and plants are still quite spectacular, and there are great views over the bay.

Bird of paradise — Strelitzia – Bird of Paradise

The gardens are very reminiscent of an English country garden, lots of roses and camellias. There are some trees that look as if they were imported from the UK and are struggling with the climate. However, it’s perfect for the Proteas from South Africa and the Jacaranda from Brazil, as well as the crowd pleaser favourite, the Strelitzia or Bird of Paradise.

This is the fourth and last part of my Madeira series. Please scroll down for the other three. This post is not sponsored, all trips were paid for by me.

More information about Palheiro Gardens HERE

3rd March 2019

Italian Soap

Soap isn’t something that instantly strikes you as being particularly attractive. One of the oldest cleansers ever invented, it’s basically a mix of fat and an alkaline – nothing glamorous about that. But on a recent trip to TK Maxx – a favourite haunt of mine – I was struck by these beautifully wrapped soaps. Rows upon rows of colourful blocks wrapped in beautifully illustrated paper, some tied in string or raffia and very enticing.

For years, bars of soap have been the poor relation to liquid soap, much maligned, and a complete no no for use on the face. They have definitely lost favour and only really gifted at Christmas by ageing relatives to the younger generation, who either discard them at the nearest charity shop or stick them at the back of their underwear drawer to impart the flowery scent over their socks and pants.

Although wait, the alternative is liquid soap in plastic bottles. Single use plastic bottles at that, which we are encouraged to avoid. Bars of soap are making a bit of a resurgence with the need to reduce plastic and save the planet.

Bars of soap lost favour originally as they can be quite messy, leaving a gungy mess all over your basin and woe betide you leave a bar in the bath. But there really is nothing like getting a bar of soap and rolling it between your hands to create a lovely rich lather which leaves you with a satisfyingly clean and pleasant smell. They last ages too.

A friend’s mother had the most ingenious soap holder. It was small and arm like, similar to an extra tap, that hung over the basin with a magnet underneath. Another magnet was pushed into the bar of soap, so that the bar could air dry and not leave a congealed mess. Brilliant. When I was young I thought you could buy bars of soap with magnets in like that, but later I realised how it worked.

Who wouldn’t want to give or receive one of these lovely bars of soap. The individual flowers in this photo are also made of soap to be floated in your bath but are almost far too pretty to use.

I have attached a link to TK Maxx HERE but for me it is one of those shops where you have to visit in person and take time to have a good rummage around for those never to be seen again bargains.

All items shown have been bought by me or gifted to me.