The rose is the enduring symbol of love and romance. We give red roses to our loved one on Valentine’s Day, and, despite changing fashions, roses remain one of the most popular flowers in a wedding bouquet. Cultivated in a wide range of shapes and colors, whether you love the traditional rich, velvety red rose, the Old English damask rose or the bright blue of the Waltz Time, there is a rose for everyone. The name ‘Rosa’ comes from the Greek ‘roden’ meaning ‘red’, as the anci

Cherry blossom is the flower of the cherry tree or any tree from the genus prunus. The beauty of this flower is very much appreciated all over the world but perhaps no more so than in Japan. Hanami, the practice of admiring the cherry blossom (known as sakura) has been followed for centuries. Many varieties of cherry blossom have been cultivated exclusively for ornamental purposes. The most popular variety of cherry blossom in Japan is Somei Yoshino distinguished by pure whit

Do you realise there are only 27 more days to Christmas!! It’s a scary thought. Literally, what seems like only 5 minutes ago, we were slathering on the sun cream and cranking up the AC (apologies to those in the warmer states who are still doing that lol) and now I’m thinking about snow and stockings and how the heck am I going to fit that damn turkey into the oven?! As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have found myself happily involved in a couple of craft fairs this year

Fall is possibly my favourite time of year. I love the changing colours and the cooler weather… and the extra hour in bed yesterday didn’t hurt either! Our Indian summer broke finally on Friday, and Saturday brought rain and grey skies and the perfect excuse to wear my snuggly sweater and stay indoors, curled up on the couch with a mug of coffee and Phoebe the cat, watching an old black and white movie. Ahhhhh! But now it is Monday and back to work. I’m busy putting the finis