I get asked about boat life a lot, how do you do flowers on it? Do you have mice, can the cats swim, does the boat move? The answers are squeak mainly yes.

What’s it like in the winter (effing cold my dears). How does it run? I can’t believe you have a washing machine! There’s even a kettle…Dah dee dah.

So, here for starters are some snaps of the boys pulling up in their blue barge on a sunny day and bringing our delivery of diesel, coals and gas. That’s how we roll.

A great deal of tea is drunk on these occasions and yup those really are Rosie and Jim style canisters. They are as obligatory for boat dwellers as one of these, mugs of tea, electricity cards, giant magnets and a pair of black and white collies.

And for those visitors – mainly boys popping over for a dance – who were concerned I am not in distress anymore, the flag is now the right way up swaying with white bunting, Cath Kidston style in the wind. Patriotic or just pretty?

xxx

Getty, Life and me x

You may well mock but is it a cat, is it a bear? We clearly need to talk. Today the chicken wire cats continue…much to the bemusement of mine.

Happy days, bloody fingers and music for a Monday.

xxx

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Announcements in the telegraph, chicken wire cats, homemade burgers and music.

xxx

Friday fever on the towpath and I’m ordering 12 foot silver birch trees and butterflies from Covent Garden, yup today is decidedly a non flowery day.

It’s also jolted me into digging out my favourite childhood book of the poem by Roscoe – how amazing are these cool illustrations by Alan Aldridge?

A bed time book this sweet little missy was always the page I longed to turn to …and this tho not as pretty or charming, in latter years was just the icing.

…to listening to the Beatles and butterflies birches and books.

xxx

As much as I want this blog to be about lots of lovely things apart from my own flowers sometimes I’m known to sneak the odd gratuitous Gypsy Rose ‘look what I made earlier’ vase on, this is one of those occasions. There have been others.

I love the fact that hydrangeas are still around now, pink, fluffy and Andy Warholesque in the summer, and now as they uncurl wonderful for drying. I really really hope I didn’t sound like Martha Stewart just then… but it’s true.

And as autumn unrolls we get these, luscious reds and burnt pinks – perfect for a charming film execs soiree or for us cascading out of buckets around the boat.

Check out some more heavenly hydrangeas here, and what would Wednesday be without a warble? xxx

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In my eternal search for wallpaper with an edge…I just discovered this amazing illustrator and her beautiful blog. Flowers that rock and roll. LOVE.

Oh and I haven”t done this in a while so … it’s for olives, oregano, oleanders, oranges, orchids, onion flowers, ochre, oval mirrors, ox-eye daisies, openess. Oscar, oars, oberon (Merle), oysters, Orson Welles, obsessions, optimism, oh yes I wills, etoilles, otters, odorantes, obituaries ( in the telegraph please), objets, oeufs en gelee, oscar meyer, otis, opals, oeuvres, oldies (golden), being out to sea and over heels and, Oliver.

What with one thing and another tea and coffee cups have featured a lot this month from meetings out east over tisanes to window displays and boat bricolage.

To running around in old bangers and cutting hundreds of life size paper ones for a window stuffed with brollies followed by a favourite tea and tights shop.

To sourcing heaps o vintage china for a winter wonderland project….a cup and saucer, oodles of lace, an old beaten chair and a christmas posie anyone?

To going offbeat and finding new bloguers…and collecting antique shoes and french fabric flowers over cups of tea. Earl grey and brown sugar please.

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Loving this song more than tea.

xxx

Tune for a tuesday…. Mon petit poisson is for you. xx

Of a pale predictable song title, polaroids, petals, plans and plumbing.

With the lure of a French barn to do up in Normandy and nuptials occurring in the surrounding orchard there’s been a heck of lot to think about not least Gypsy Rose plans, but surrounded by healthy piles of Interior magz I’m spoilt with inspiration for both. Far off chalky white froufroulala dreams but good ones…

After the onslaught of autumn leaves, a winter palette beckon for both flowers and buildings. This is why I’m getting carried away with the idea of converting half the upstairs barn in to a dreamy bathroom with views of apple trees where I’ll eat sleep, soak and read. This, this is the room to escape to…

Somewhere to make a posey, hang a hat, place my horse and sprinkle my bits and bobs.

Home.

xxx

Sometimes I’m lost for words, even about flowers, but not very often.

Tarting up the boat…hmmm have we had enough of the keep calm crew?

Mixing fake with real – vintage china flowers and silk hydrangeas…do they work?

Jury’s still out xxx