Snowy Hedge Rose

I have decided the best thing to do is to give into the snow and just enjoy it.

And it is SO Christmassy!

I have both my girls home. We have logs in and food in (and the odd bottle of wine) so I am one happy Mum.

As I drive (very slowly) on snow packed roads to Kate's new shop, Rustic Rose, to collect some flowers for a flower workshop I am running for some friends, my daughter Alex is out and about with a camera. These are some of her shots.

Further north in the town of Marlborough, another florist friend, Kate, is getting ready for Christmas.

Kate used to have a small shop in the potting shed of a local nursery, but earlier this year she took the plunge and moved into a shop near the centre of Marlborough.

I love Kate's idea of filling the base of a large vase with cones, cinnamon and oranges.

Kate's shop, Hedge Rose, looks beautiful, and oh so gorgeously festive.

Kate has been sourcing a lot of her foliage from Cornwall, including these plump swags, perfect for mantelpieces. The shop is scented with a delicious combination of pine, fresh flowers and the soaps and toiletries Kate stocks.

It is a snowy, frosty day here too, so we are both wrapped up against the cold. But the icy temperatures and sharp weather cannot put a dent in Kate's Christmas spirit or the obvious pride she takes in her new shop.

In between chatting to customers Kate and I makes some plans for the new year, when I hope to be back to conduct a talk called Paint Pots & Petals - which is all about how to use flowers to help decorate your home.

But that is for another year. For now I just enjoy Kate's shop and make a note of a few festive tips that I know I will be borrowing from her.

That, and pausing to enjoy the coffee and cake.

....some things never change!

www.hedgeroseflorist.co.uk

Snow was Falling, Snow on Snow

To my mind, there are few more welcoming sights than a candlelit flower shop on a cold crisp winter's night.

I am back at Knighton Flowers in Leicester for a book signing. And my journey up here has been past frozen fields and white, shrouded hedges.

The shop is scented with a spicy mix of blooms, fragrant candles and mulled wine.

There are canapes from the local restaurant - and on my 'signing' table a huge plate of chocolates.

I met Natasha, Michelle and their assistant Stuart when they helped me with photographs for my most recent book. Many of the shots we took on that day found their way into the pages, and I was very grateful for their enthusiasm and skill with the styling.

And of course, the cake they had fed me during my visit!

Pretty in Pink

With snow still fairly thick on the ground, a flower shop can be a cold place to be. So Natasha is taking no chances.

Knighton Flowers is a festive mix of deep reds and bronze with juicy, citrusy highlights.

Even the bath bombs look good enough to eat.

We chat about some of the new flower varieties the girls have fallen in love with - one I particularly like the sound of is a rose the colour of old linen, called Quick Sand.

I also fall in love with some vintage bouquets a local friend has made out of old broaches, beads and buttons. Perfect for a sparkling wintry wedding.

Later as we leave to go to Michelle's house for supper, the snow starts to fall. In the distance I can see some customers wandering up the road clutching the flowers, books and lanterns they have bought.

Welcome to Rustic Rose

The next morning it is still bitterly cold, but I eventually make it over to see Kate's new shop. The windows are steamy from the icy air but I can see flashes of colour through the gloom, and Kate's blonde head busily bent over an order. Encouragingly I can also see what looks remarkably like Bucks Fizz on the counter - so it seems I am not too late to celebrate.

I knew this would be a wonderfully cheerful shop. Everywhere you look you are welcomed by great splashes of colour.

What a difference a day makes! Not a broom or a duster in sight.

I am touched to see my books on prominent display and Kate tells me she will shortly be framing the £10 'Hansel' that my partner Billy gave her to hang on the wall.

In Ireland it is traditional to give a new business the gift of money, known as a Hansel. This money can never be spent and it means that your business will have luck because as long as you have your Hansel you will never be short of money.

This of course is delightfully Irish. It reminds me of the Whiskey that Billy once won in a rugby club raffle in Limerick. Later in the evening as he headed for the door with the bottle in his hand, someone reached out and twitched it out of his grasp. He was told 'The winner always gives the Whiskey back."

But I am getting side tracked. Back to the Shop. And back to those aprons. Kate was right, so much better than plain ones.

Oh, I seem to have finished my drink already.

It really is a lovely shop and Kate should be very proud. As should Holly and Jennifer who I know have been by her side for the past days preparing for the opening.

Everywhere you look there are great touches; like teacups planted with pansies, an old trunk filled with baskets and teapots filled with bulbs.

So if you are anywhere near Sturminster Newton I strongly recommend that you call in and say hello. Although you will probably find that when you arrive I have drunk all the Bucks Fizz.

Snow Sad

It's the day of the launch of Rustic Rose. I call in first thing with some of my framed photos that Kate would like to sell and some extra vases and containers as she needs a few more for her flower order. Her best friend Holly is in helping, as is Jennifer who has been staying down in Sturminster since the snow started.

There are arrangements ready to be priced, parcels to unpack, surfaces to polish and floors to sweep. The doors are to open at 4pm with a launch for local people.

Kate's family will all be in attendance - including her Dad who found fame a year or so ago when he decided to train as a jockey having turned 40. He made his debut (and he decided, his final race) at Wincanton Races. None of his friends thought he stood a chance so were busy drinking in the bar. But as he rode past on his way to the winning line you can see him waving wildly to them and a great roar goes up from the bar. His televised victory was soon shown around the world and Kate's Dad found himself being interviewed by CBS News!

I am planning to return to the shop at around 6pm when I have finished my other work. But fate, or rather snow, takes a hand. As I am driving down the Dorset roads to Kate's shop later that day I can feel it is getting icier and icier. In the end I pull over to turn the car around and give Kate a call. In the background I can hear the sound of laughter and the clink of drinks.

A Flower Shop in the Making

Kate is counting down. It is 3 days to go until her flower shop, Rustic Rose, opens in the Dorset market town of Sturminster Newton. Stock is starting to arrive and the carpenter has just finished fitting her shelves and counters.

I don't think I have ever seen anyone so excited.

Even in its bare state I can sense this is going to be a colourful, quirky, country flower shop. You only have to look at the lining of Kate's jacket and her bright pink jumper to know that this is a flower shop that will get noticed.

I first met Kate when she was working at Ted Martin Flowers. And I am not the only friend she made along the way, Jennifer is over helping Kate with much of the planning and preparation. As I am taking photos of the shop, Jennifer is busy making aprons. Kate says she did think about having plain aprons but once she got into Hansons (a fantastic Aladdin's cave of a fabric warehouse in town) she saw so many colourful materials she decided to mix them all together for her aprons. I can't wait to see them.

Where possible Kate is buying products locally (such as these twisted willow baskets, heart and flowers), and as her family have farmed in this area for many years there are not many people she does not know.

Kate tells me that she was a little worried about telling the local greengrocer, who also sells flowers, about her shop. But when they stopped her in the street and asked her, 'Is that going to be your shop?' they appeared delighted and said, 'we are so glad it is you Kate.'

Kate also tracked down another friend, Donald, the funeral director to ask him if she could have a chat about flowers he might need. As Kate was having coffee with him it became obvious that she is not the only friend Donald has gathered in his life. First the district nurse appeared and joined in the coffee and chat, then the local ambulance driver arrived. By the end Kate tells me her 'business chat' turned into several friends and family around the kitchen table!

But for now, behind the shrouded windows, it is back to work.