A Weekend Away

My friend Shelagh asked me to take some photos of the small apartment that she lets out to guests, situated in the garden just behind her house in Hindon. It was so cosy, with a beamed bedroom and wood burning stove that it made me think that this would be a wonderful place to stay for the weekend. So for those of you who would like to visit Ted Martin Flowers as well as some of the other places I write about in this beautiful part of the world, here goes!

Hindon is a great place to stay - not because it is so easy to find from the A303 or because it is a beautiful tree lined village - it is simply because is has two such very good pubs, The Lamb and The Angel!

www.lambathindon.co.uk

www.angel-inn-at-hindon.co.uk

And as if 2 good pubs weren't enough, further down the road towards Ted's shop in Tisbury is The Beckford Arms

www.beckfordarms.com

For those of you who would prefer the privacy of your own place - which is spitting distance from the Hindon pubs, I can highly recommend Shelagh's apartment. As you can see from the bedroom and sitting room/kitchen pictures, it is small, but gorgeous.

For booking info email shelagh.boyd@virgin.net

(and send her my love)

As I am writing this I have decided you need to make a long weekend of it. Firstly if you want to visit flower shops, Saturday is always a bad day as they are running down the stock (and Ted's shuts at 1pm). So come down early on the Friday, or why not escape on Thursday night?

Ted Martin's flower shop is easy to find in the centre of Tisbury, only a few miles from Hindon. If you turn left by the old red phone box and post box in Fonthill Gifford (a small hamlet in between the two) you can then get a glimpse of a hidden walled garden and the Fonthill Lake on your way. Then just turn right when you get to the lake and left when you get to the Beckford Arms and you are back on the road.

After Ted's you can cut across country to Shaftesbury to visit Anna and Vicky in Wild Paeony which is situated in the High Street there. (But don't forget to take in Gold Hill which is just off the High Street - once you see it you will understand why) If you take the top road out of Tisbury via New Town to Shaftesbury you will soon see a turning for the road to Hatch Pick Your Own Flower Farm which is well worth a detour.

Once back on the road to Shaftesbury you will pass Pythouse Walled Garden. But I wouldn't drive past this, I would definitely call in for coffee or lunch. And if you do fancy a glass of wine with lunch I should tell you that they don't have a licence, but owner Mitch does not mind you bringing your own and doesn't charge corkage. If you are feeling the slightest bit frazzled there is no calmer place, in my opinion, than to be sitting in the orchard in this garden.

Where was I? ... it's happening, I am slowing down already ...

There is so much to see around this area. One place well worth visiting that is only about 15 minutes from Hindon further down the A303, is National Trust's Stourhead garden.

This picture doesn't really do it justice as it was taken in the winter but it gives you an idea.

And I love the people at Stouhead - Pat in the shop has my books and now the National Trust Flower Shop calendar for sale and Jane in the gallery sells my paintings!

For other ideas of where to visit, get yourself settled in a nice pub and ask to look at their copy of the Blackmore Vale Magazine. This is the strangest local paper I have ever come across. It is free from pubs and newsagents and it has headlines such as 'Champion Pig runs A Muck' - but everyone reads it and everyone advertises in it. So if you want to find a garden to visit this is the place to look.

We are now in the season of Open Gardens and Fetes - so you will have lots to choose from. Like Hatch House which was open this weekend for the British Heart Foundation.

There were a number of plant stalls, as well as ice creams and teas and cakes on sale.

There were gardens to explore and admire.

And a second hand clothes stall, which included hidden treasures such as an Armani suit and a brown velvet coat with purple lining by Biba.

And only in England would you find the dogs and the cats taking pride of place amongst it all!

Les Fleurs

My French may be pretty poor (although I notice it gets better the more vin blanc et vin rouge I drink ... you see it is happening already), but I pride myself that I can spot a good flower shop at 100 metres - whatever the language. So, how happy am I to be in Paris with some good friends on the sunniest weekend of the year, with time aside to explore the street-side cafes and les fleuristes. It does not get much better than this.

As I only have a relatively short amount of time, I decide on this occasion to leave nothing to chance and take some local advice from my friend Cecile who used to live in Paris. When she visited London we flower shopped together in Notting Hill (August blog) so I feel confident she will know just what I like.

First stop is the flower market near to the banks of the Seine at Place Louis-Lepine (Louis was the policeman who introduced truncheons to the police force, and he was known as 'the little man with the big stick'. Who said the day that you learn something is never wasted?!). There has been a flower market here since 1808 and on Sundays the flower sellers are joined by additional stalls selling brightly coloured birds.

As we pass down the shaded alleys between the stalls, the stone underfoot is cool from recent watering. At the edge of the market are the ornate green water fountains that you see on many Parisian streets. I wonder if these are used to water the flowers, but my french is not up to asking this. Or maybe I have just not had enough to drink yet!

For me, one of the greatest pleasures of a weekend away is strolling through unfamiliar streets day-dreaming about what it would be like to live here. I decide that rather than buy an imaginary house in Paris I will choose an imaginary apartment that my daughter Libby can live in when she works for French Vogue. I can see the balcony I will help her fill with flowers when I visit and I even find her a car ...or maybe she would rather have a scooter ...

As we approach one of the flower shops that Cecile has recommended, I get a glimpse of more flowers, another garden, another imaginary life through an open doorway.

Agenes Valverde's shop Ephemere is situated at 133 Avenue Pamentier and today displays a gentle mix of cream, pale pink and lilac flowers - in perfect keeping with a warm late spring day.

Inside there are splashes of cerise pink, added from the stock and peonies that Agnes is using to make up hand-tied bouquets for customers.

Flower prices are chalked on to grey slate tiles, the names appearing so much more romantic in French.

Agnes worked for a number of top Parisian flower shops before starting her own business. Eventually she gained confidence to open her own shop, encouraged by her mother and grandmother, both of whom were great plants women.

It seems from her beautiful shop that she is following confidently in their footsteps.

There are more streets to explore, and one turn taken at random finds us in a small square with a 'Mr Tumnus' lamp post and an almost hidden garden.

This is a secret garden that is simply full of roses.

A wonderful place to just sit and enjoy the sunshine.

But for now I have more flower shops to visit. Including Merci (111 Boulevard Marchais), which has to be one of the loveliest stores I have been into in a long while.

Oh, thank you Cecile!

To start with, as you step into the courtyard in front of the shop you are greeted by a very jolly, very red car which is decorated for the season, after which you emerge into an airy, vaulted world of interiors, clothes and flowers.

Merci was started by Marie-France and Bernard Cohen who c0-founded the clothing company, Bonpoint. Wanting to give something back, they donate the profits from the store to help a young women's cooperative in Madagascar.

The couple has also encouraged other designers to follow their lead and many of the items are sold for a lot less than the normal margins.

So now I am not only day-dreaming about a Paris apartment, but I am mentally decorating it as well.

There is so much to love about this shop; from the second hand book section, that is also a cafe, to their range of exquisite pottery vases.

I tear myself away (before I start to fill my hand-luggage) and we head towards the restaurant where we are meeting our friends for lunch. This is a prelude to the rugby match that we have all come to Paris to watch. At least I think it was the main reason for the trip for the boy ... but I am not so sure about the girls...

After the fun of the Stade de France it is back into Paris for a late supper, window shopping and people watching around the bustling St Germain sector.

From paper to perfume

With an eye out for flowers, naturellement!

Who Wants Diamonds Anyway?

He may never be able to buy me diamonds, or pearls, and certainly not clothes (he calls skirts 'frocks'), but he was thoughtful enough to buy me www.sallypage.com and build me a website which includes my books and all my paintings. The truth is, since I ran The Paint Ball (Feb & March blogs) I haven't been able to put my brushes down.

I am hooked!

So, thank you Billy Kelly.

"I would rather have roses on my table than diamonds round my neck"

Emma Goldman

I'll settle for the roses and Billy Kelly any day.

Spring with The Spriggs

The last time I photographed the Spriggs' family flower shop in Petworth, was for my Flower Shops & Friend's book, as they feature as the December flower shop (such a good name for florists I've always thought ..Mr Spriggs the Florist ...Mrs Spriggs the Florist ...Master Spriggs ...).

I thought those of you who got to know them in this book might like to hear how they are getting on.

I sit in the surprisingly warm spring sunshine in the courtyard opposite the shop, very happily consuming several cups of coffee and catching up. All is well. The shop looks as good as ever. Now a mix of late spring and early summer flowers and plants. I do think there is something missing though and kick myself for not asking Miss Spriggs to stand in the doorway!

It is clear Master Spriggs and Miss Spriggs have been very busy. Matthew has been asked to design the flower displays for several parties and corporate events (but still finds time to give the hanging baskets outside the shop a terracotta twist). Whilst Samantha has taken a leaf from my book (literally!) and has created a book of their wedding flowers so she can give brides a better idea of what the Spriggs' family can do to help them.

When I was here in the winter I could not resist exploring and photographing Matthew's walled garden which stretches out behind the shop.

The garden is now looking very smart for the spring, with new paving, and the borders packed with helibores, tulips and forget me nots.

Matthew dips into the garden when he needs unusual foliage or herbs, and recently, was also very pleased he had planted such smokey coloured helibores. Hydrangeas were in short supply for a wedding due to the flight ban and these made a perfect substitute tucked in amongst some dusky pink roses.