Sweet Williams

Its been a bit miserable weather wise this bank holiday weekend, but I’ve had a good one regardless (especially after getting my machine back on Friday. It was well worth the effort to get it!).

Anyway, I bought these flowers last week to make the flat look pretty. They have helped it feel cheery inside this weekend even when it was pouring outside.

Thought I’d share the prettiness. Hope you have had a good bank holiday too!

Lazy Sundays

I had big plans to post about all the stuff I’ve been up to this weekend, but you know what – I am bushed! So a short but pretty post for a lazy Sunday evening…

On Saturday I ended up in China Town buying orchids. I wouldn’t normally buy any (they are not my favourite flower/plant), but I had to make up the balance to be able to use my card and they were the nearest things to hand. But how glad was I that I got them – they are gorgeous!

They have brightened up the whole house - quite literally!

Here they are on the mantle piece…

( I love those old fashioned cola bottles)

…and in the bathroom…

(note the slight sad looking recovering orchid sitting along the shelf from its pretty neighbour. Hopefully it will be inspired - I've been waiting for it to re-bloom for about a year!)

…and in the bedroom…

(I love that small Chinese calligraphy. It was for me by my shu fa (calligraphy) teacher before I left China for home. More on Chinese inspired bits and pieces in the week)

Aaaaaah – So pretty! Perfect for a lazy Sunday. :-)

p.s. Had I have been on the ball I would have joined in with Kirsty's 'Snoop' with something like this a few weeks ago - I always find that kind of thing interesting. In a way this can act as a late entry...

There are quite a few random bits and pieces lying around our house, like the fabric tape on the mantle piece that I made this weekend and my buddha picture from thailand that really needs to be put in a proper frame! I always forget they are there - but see that flash of red up at the top of picture two  - that is my chinese Tai Ji (Tai Chi in the west) fans. I learnt a bit when I lived there. Mostly I associate the fans with what was my favourite time of day - dusk. I'd go out running on the college track, the bats would be flying overhead and the chinese grandmothers would be doing Tai Ji Fan in the centre. As I ran past them I'd periodically here the clack of the fans opening and closing in the dark. I've just had a quick shufty and theres a good utube video of Tai Ji Fan here if you are interested. Its great for calming/ centring yourself. Plus its a martial art that is kick ass and uses fans - whats not to love!

Anyway I digress... bedtime I think!