Sunday, June 15, 2014

Mother Nature's Paint Brush...

I look to Mother Nature for inspiration and appreciate her flair for colour.

I have always been attracted to white bouquets.
Arrangements that mix shapes and textures of a variety of white blooms complimented with a flush of greens...
Lady's Mantle makes a wonderful filler, Hosta leaves add interest, fern fronds, the list of greens is endless.
I've had the pleasure of arranging flowers for several weddings for friends and have enjoyed the experience immensely...not being on the payroll or having design constraints made it fun.

Do you love weddings?
I do and I cry at every one that I attend...
not out of sadness
It's the over whelming emotions welling up when I see two people commit to a lifetime together. 

Traditional brides tend to wear white gowns and many carry white floral wedding bouquets.
I find them terribly romantic...

 Pinterest is more than I could ever have imagined and I am drawn to the wedding Pins...
like a moth to a flame.

White blooms evoke purity and serenity...

Mother carried white calla lilies with a white leather bible down the aisle when she got married in the early 1950's.
I love looking at the wedding photos ~ they show a very young couple with "stars in their eyes."
They went on to spend many years together separated by the death of my father in 2007.
Mother has never completely come to terms with his demise...
she talks of him often as if he might be in the next room.



the contrast of the green foliage makes the white glow brighter


BC dogwood flowers


Pure and White


Hosta in the center and at top and right Lady's Mantle.


Mother picked a pink peony in the garden at the back of her condominium.
The flower is stunning in this gorgeous shade of pink.
She floated it in a crystal footed bowl and placed it on the Duncan Phyfe table beside her chair. 

That table has an amusing story...
if only it could talk.
It is the same table that Father had to refinish.
One morning early, before my parents were up, I got into a wee bit of mischief.
(not something I did often or so I am told!)
I was about 3 or 4 years old when I discovered Mother's red nail varnish left on the table...
I wanted to paint my toes like Mother.
 Unfortunately I was not too skilled with the brush and so more red was on the table than I put on my toes!

I don't remember getting into trouble...
maybe because there were late night cocktail party remnants littering the room...

Mom tells me that I had a few sips from the martini glasses that they neglected to put away before they went to bed!


These lovely roses climb up the wall by the front porch of The Humble Bungalow.
Mr. HB has tied them to the pillars so the bloom laden branches don't snap with the weight of the flowers.
Their scent lingers and is carried on the breeze.


Hydrangeas in white vessels
 (images from last summer)


I love this shade of green!


I wore this coin necklace to my appointment with my doctor...
where I recently got some great news.
No more high blood pressure medications needed at this time.
Obviously walking, weight loss and lifestyle changes have had a positive impact...

I've slipped a bit in the walking (reading too much) and need to rev up my regime...
another 3 pounds!
I have ordered some new trainers from Lands' End and plan to hit the pavement big time this week.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads young and old and those who we have lost and are holding close to our hearts.

Hostess

20 comments:

Jane and Lance Hattatt said...

Hello Leslie,

We could not agree more about white flowers. The purity of the colour, combined with green foliage never fails to please we find. In the garden, such a combination provides a cool oasis, so necessary in hot summers when we find bright colours rather restless and difficult.

A great inspiration to us has always been Sissinghurst in Kent. The White Garden there is an iconic symbol of the power of a strong green structure and a myriad of white blooms. Perfect!

Coulda shoulda woulda said...

Great news about the medication and all those beautiful flowers must keeping your blood pressure nice and steady! You must feed those roses steroids or something Hostess!!

Madame Là-bas said...

The white flowers are so beautiful! The dogwoods especially! My mother was saying just yesterday that she misses having Dad to talk to. Your story of Little Miss Hostess brought back memories of early morning treats left out on our Duncan Phyfe table after bridge evenings. Probably they were inducements to allow Mum and Dad to sleep in a bit! Good news on the bp medication. That is my goal!

Jan W. said...

Your garden must be spectacular in person if it looks this lovely in photographs! Do you happen to know the name of the hosta? We will be moving next year and I will have less shade for hostas so I want to choose especially beautiful specimens. This one fits that description.

LPC said...

So glad to hear about the continued improvement in your health! This post and these images are lovely, might I suggest you share them with Jane's "Flowers In The House" today?

http://flwrjane-smallbutcharming.blogspot.com/2014/06/flowers-in-house-of-soccer-june-2014.html

flwrjane said...

Wow you go girl! Always so inspirational to read about the ability to change our own lives, step by step, bite by bite.

Your flowers are lovely, thank you for linking up, I love to visit the bungalow.

xo J

Lorrie said...

Congratulations on the lifestyle changes that are improving your health! Your white flowers are stunning against the greens. Mother Nature's palette is impeccable.

Susan ~ Southern Fascinations said...

What wonderful, healthy news! Having the time in retirement to devote to oneself is a gift! The flowers are simply gorgeous. I love white flowers in the garden... especially at night... they tend to glow in the moonlight! Thanks for sharing the humorous story about your childhood... those memories always bring a smile! Oh.. the roses are magnificent, too! Happy week!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on getting rid of blood pressure pills! What is your planned walking routine? How long or how far and how often? Do you do any other exercise aside from walking? Do you not get too tired for other activities like cooking, cleaning, etc.? Love those beautiful pictures of the flowers!

Lynne said...

Great news, good for you . . . Look what you have done for yourself . . .
Such artistry you bring with flowers, leaves, vibrant greens, white on white, texture . . .
Loved this . . .

Amanda (Small Acorns) said...

The white flowers are stunning but my heart belongs to that amazing pink rose, especially if it also has a beautiful fragrance. Your garden must be beautiful!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

The White garden at Sissinghurst is on my bucket list should we ever visit the UK.
There are so many beautiful gardens to enjoy...how fortunate for you that you have been able to visit Sissinghurst.
Travel is such a luxury and one that you both appear to enjoy often!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Compost, epsom salts, water...no steroids!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I don't remember sleeping in much when our children were small...now I can sleep in anytime I want but I don't!

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I am sorry I have forgotton the name of the Hosta...try google images and there must be one with a name...good luck.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

Thank you Lisa...I hopped over and linked up with Jane's Flower Party.

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

I try to walk 5 k every day and when I walk with my friend or husband we usually do 10k. The only other exercise I get is walking up and down the stairs doing laundry and ironing, house work and gardening.
I find after the 10k walks I am tired but I pick up my book and have a cup of tea and then I get a second wind. I worked up to these walks starting slow and increasing the time and pace.

Anonymous said...

Nice to know! How long does it take you to walk 5 km? I'm assuming you have nice flat grounds to walk on (judging from the nice pictures you post). :-) Emily

hostess of the humble bungalow said...

5k takes about 40-50 minutes and there is only one hill on my regular route and it is a long slow grade uphill...if I feel really energetic I'll take a bit of a detour and do two sets of stairs up from the ocean to the street!

No Sacrifice Bags said...

Congratulations on you blood pressure results!
I love white flowers. I carried a simple white bouquet of Lily Of The Valley, and white roses, on my wedding day. I wore a black Chanel suit. I wanted navy; but Chanel didn't offer anything navy, that season.
I'm still wearing the jacket; but the skirt's a bit too short, for these old legs.