Flutterby Patch

A day well spent

Last Saturday afternoon was surprisingly warm and mellow and the garden beckoned.

Relaxing outside in the sunshine seemed very appealing. Perhaps even a little gentle weeding might be considered.

But there were bigger jobs to be done.

This path was crying out to be finished

The paving was laid last summer and the spaces in between needed filling.

So...out came the cement mixer and after several minutes of grinding and churning a sloppy concrete mix was plopped into ....

.... the wheelbarrow which was trundled to the place of work and emptied.

Pebbles of different shapes and colours were arranged in the concrete....

....and after three hours the job was complete.

There was just a little time to relax in the garden as the sun went down

and watch the vibrant blooms glow in the fading light. 

And so ended a perfect day well spent.

Until next time
Eli

Flower language

I've had this sweet little book for several years. It was compiled in Victorian times for the many people who regularly gave each other flowers. Each flower had a special meaning and this book lists each one in alphabetical order. In those days it was considered very important to give the flowers that conveyed just the right sentiment and so a copy of 'The Language of Flowers' was to be found in many households.

These little blue forget-me-nots represent 'true love' and also 'do not forget me'. It was a very popular little bloom to give at times of parting. 

By the end of the Victorian era greetings cards were widely available and depicted many popular flowers. I have a small collection of Victorian and Edwardian greetings cards in an old scrap book so I'd like to share some with you.

The Victorians loved pansies and the meaning associated with them was 'thoughts' which was the perfect sentiment for numerous occasions.

An idyllic little scene like this one, framed by pansies, could be found on many cards

 Violets were loved also, particularly the scented variety.

Here is a little card depicting violets which represented 'faithfulness'

I don't have a card illustrating blue periwinkles ('early friendship') but have several with ivy designs.

Ivy was popular for wedding cards as it was associated with 'fidelity'.

Apple blossom represented 'preference'

I'm not sure if this is apple or almond blossom but I wanted to show you the card as its one of the prettiest in the collection. It's so delicate and I love the way it opens.

A great many Victorian and Edwardian cards depicted blue birds. I wonder why? The image makes me think of the sentimental wartime song 'There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover' and so I guess blue birds represent love and freedom. Does anyone have any other ideas?

'The Language of the Flowers' has been reprinted in hundreds of formats over the years. I have an illustrated version by Kate Greenaway which I'm very fond of (see above).
 
Pretty cards like the ones I've shown you are no longer widely available but happily many clever and creative people are producing wonderful greetings cards for us to buy for our friends and family. My blogging chum Maggie at Sweet Scarlett is producing the most gorgeous little 'Lucky Penny Books' to carry sentiments and good wishes for special occasions. They are absolutely gorgeous and available in her Etsy shop so do take a look.

Until next time
Eli

More dolls and gardening

Its been a busy week and when the sun shone I was temped into the garden (more of that in a minute). During a day of dismal drizzle I managed to finish my two little pincushion ladies. Like dolly sixpence each started life as a humble wooden peg. I sculpted little heads and arms and then dressed each lady in a softly padded, fibre-filled skirt to act as a pincushion and they've turned out really well. You will be able to find them both in my Flutterby shop.

Pincushion lady wearing pink and white

Pincushion lady in darker shades

Well, I promised you a little look at what has been going on in the garden this week so here goes...

This photo was taken this morning whilst we were sitting under a blanket of low cloud. Annoyingly it seems the rest of England was bathed in sunshine but that is the penalty we pay for living in a mountainous region.

This is one area where I've been busy working. It's the entrance to a little rocky place we call the 'fairy dell'. Because we had such a wet summer last year (and the year before) it has been left to its own devices and has consequently become very overgrown with brambles and ivy. I hacked my way through the undergrowth, on though the arch of trees and there before me I found an old friend.

Peering out from behind a rock and below an azalea bush was my friendly old gnome. I don't think he's seen a human face for a couple of years so tomorrow (weather permitting) I will take him out and spruce him up before rearranging his hiding place and making him more comfortable.

This is the view he gets from beneath the bushes.

And this is his view in the other direction. The large pink rhododendron is 'Rhododendron Loderi '. I can't begin to describe what a wonderful perfume it has. If you are considering buying just one rhododendron do please consider this one. There are several named Loderi cultivars and they are all strongly scented.

Here is a close-up view. It's pink in bud and slowly fades to white when open. We have three of these bushes and for the the next few weeks they will scent the entire garden. Wonderful!

For one reason or another we often have lengths of hose pipe snaking their way round the terrace. Sometimes they are a sign of plant irrigation during dry weather but not so today. We'll follow the hose.

One end leads to the tap and the other into a watering can.

And here is the reason...yet another path is being dug up and relayed. As you may know my husband enjoys 'fixing' paths and walls so this little project has kept him busy all week. The stone slabs had become very uneven so his hard work is much appreciated and he's doing a very good job.

My garden tour ends beside our old oak tree where a scarlet rhododendron is flowering its heart out. I'm pleased to see the oak is covered in fresh young leaves whilst the ash tree nearby has no leaves at all. Why am I pleased? Because in Britain we have old 'weather lore' sayings like this one.

Oak before ash, in for a splash.
Ash before oak, in for a soak.

I hope it proves true as we don't need another soaking summer like the last one. A 'splash' would be much more welcome.

Time to take a mug of tea to the workman laying the path!

Until next time

Eli