The Ghostly Garden

I am on my way to Pythouse walled garden and decide to call in at Sprout & Flower to see my friend Sarah and to buy some pumpkins.

Sarah - who I have always secretly thought was a white witch - has her broom parked outside the shop in between the pumpkins and the crate of heather.

She tells me business is good. And whilst I am there the shop is buzzing with customers looking for fruit and veg and fresh bread.

At Pythouse garden they are busy getting ready for a Halloween party.

Most of the pumpkins have now been decorated or Matt the chef has got his hands on them for a big batch of pumpkin soup.

There may not be many pumpkins left to buy but there are splashes of autumnal orange all around the garden.

And in the potting shed there are loops of Halloween streamers,

and ghoulish ghostly faces.

Perhaps my favourite though are the Halloween cup-cakes.

Not to be outdone we head home with our pumpkins,

although I have to admit I think 8 year old Elena, who is staying with us, makes a better job of it than I could have done!

Looking for Flowers in Prague

My best friend Pip has taken me to Prague for the weekend. What a friend! She is in search of art galleries, I am naturally in search of flowers.

Early indications are good; a purple and blue skirt of salvia and yarrow around one of the many monuments that populate the city.

But flower shops? Not that I could find. So I make do with admiring the beautiful buildings,

... and spotting a rose carrying bride.

(What a dress!)

But far and away the best discovery of all is Tom the barman.

I do love a man who puts orchids in my cocktails!

So if you are ever in Prague, remember to call into Tretters Cocktail Bar and ask for Tom. (I can thoroughly recommend a 'Romance' which is a mixture of crushed blackberries and raspberries, with a splash of cassis, raspberry syrup and lemon juice, topped up with Champagne. Heaven.)

But do not make the mistake of asking a rather drunk Russian to take a photograph of you and your friend afterwards!

Mothers & Daughters

I am running a workshop at Pythouse Walled Garden for mother and daughter - Ursula and Esther.

We are in the cool of the Potting Shed with a breeze coming in the open door, as the sun beats down on the garden outside.

It is time for autumnal colours. But with the weather this warm and wonderful, I have chosen bright seasonal shades - like this Cherry Brandy rose.

Esther is a natural!

On a day like today, everywhere you look the colours seem to sing out.

In the garden the parasols are bright buttons of colour.

With the piles of pumpkins adding an extra glow of glorious orange.When Ursula and Esther finish their workshop they sit in the sunshine with their family sampling Pythouse Garden cakes.

All around I can see mothers and daughters playing in the sunshine. And I do miss my daughters so.

Alex is currently in Australia, so is a long long way away. However I did get to lie in the sun with Libby in Hyde Park earlier in the week.

So I have to add some photos of her to make this mum feel better!

An Autumnal Palette

Some people find the autumn depressing as they see it as a time of decay, with winter lurking just around the corner. I, on the other hand, love the autumn. I love the colours, the sense of change in the air and the memories it brings of conkers, new school shoes and the pale lined pages of fresh exercise books.

As I drive over to the National Trust garden at Stourhead the air is warm and fragrant, but with an enticing tang of autumnal bite in the breeze. The hydrangeas by the roadside look like they have been brushed with a smoky palette of new paints.

They are not the only flowers to have been painted. In the memorial hall near to the garden there is an exhibition of floral paintings.

How can I resist a look?!

Artists call by to demonstrate their craft for visitors to the exhibition.

Next door in the First-View Gallery there are more flowers spilling from the walls.

My favourite, this fabulous display of sunlit anemones.

In the Steps of Eliza Dolittle

There is no doubt it is in London where you will find some of the finest flower stalls. So when I am in South Kensington on my way to a meeting I find I am very easily distracted by the wayside flowers.

One of the most beautiful stalls is in the entrance to the old Michelin Building on Fulham Road, home to the Conran shop and the light and airy, and very elegant Bibendum restaurant.

I am in for such a treat - I am being taken out for lunch here today. And what is more, I am being treated by one of the supporters of the children's charity I fundraise for. Anyone who has ever fundraised will know this is not the norm. The norm is you are the last one anyone ever wants to speak to and your emails will be bottom of the list to reply to! So today makes such a change and I am going to enjoy myself.

Wandering back to the tube station after lunch (happily full of saffron and haddock risotto and a glass of Sauvignon) I spend some time admiring the flowers at the flower stall on the concourse outside the station entrance.

The girls at Gilding the Lily are busy making up posies of roses, delphiniums and veronica.

It seems idyllic on a sunny day like today, but I can imagine in the rain and the cold it is another days work altogether.

I love the mix of varieties the girls have chosen - in this case amaryllis, celosia and anthuriums.

Plus the colour combinations would make anyone smile.

Especially a woman who loves flowers who has just been treated to a very nice lunch.

Thank you very much Mr & Mrs P.

Birthday Blooms

It's my party and I'll flower arrange if I want to!

I call in to decorate the room we are having supper in at Hotel Grosvenor in the centre of Shaftesbury.

I was once told, a birthday without flowers is like a ship without a sail. And who am I to argue?

We are being joined by ten friends for a birthday supper. The Hotel Grosvenor is well known for its gorgeous food, but I also happen to know that many of the rooms have been decorated using Cecil Beaton inspired fabrics. These include the Beaton Bouquet design based on his hand drawn flowers.

Cecil Beaton used to live near to Shaftesbury in Ashcombe House - perhaps now better known as the country house of Guy Ritchie, and at one time, Madonna.

I never met Madonna but Guy once sat in the back of our very old Land Cruiser, in the pub carpark with my husband Billy Kelly listening to and arguing over Irish Music..... a very long story ...

There is also a wonderful tale of Guy taking Brad Pitt into one of our local pubs and asking the landlord if anyone famous ever came in. To which the publican replied firmly. "No. Never."

But back to the Grosvenor. I do like a hotel that takes its flowers seriously.

I am sure I am not the only one who feels better seeing these large displays of sunflowers and lilies.