ANDY WILLIAMS - AUTUMN LEAVES

Autumn Leaves.

It is the season which marks the passing of summer. Although I love walking through the woods, picking leaves, dropped acorns and fir cones as part of the ritual of 'harvesting', not to mention the rustling and crunching of fallen leaves, I often begin to think of times gone by...

There is a poignancy this time round as one of my friends has just lost her very young son who was her joy and hope. I have only met him once in the shop, arranging for flowers to be sent to his parents on their wedding anniversary two or three years ago. The care he took in deciphering the message was touching as he thought about every single word and of course the flowers were picked according to my friend's preferred colours.

To hear that he was gone through a kind friend of his parents, while sending flowers of condolence, was heartbreaking and simultaneously shocking...

I could feel their pain and loss when I saw my friend's face as I brought the flowers. It was beyond imagination and we were both lost for words. There simply was not a word to be said.

Therefore, I shall dedicate this song to her and hope it will be of some comfort whenever we walk the woods again, gathering thoughts and admiring the changing hues of the beautiful although melancholic autumn...

Jane Eyre - Memories of a Childhood

Love is all around you...

Have you seen the latest remake of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte? The trailer is just so moving and touching that it brought tears to my eyes. The young Jane Eyre and her punishing routines in the orphange and the most captivating friendship of a girl simply send chills down my spine.

I remember my first days at school when there was no one I knew... and suddenly these sympathetic eyes caught my sight and from then I knew she was going to be my friend. The same happened when I went to secondary school, college and university where I was constantly searching for someone to be my friend... It was as if I had to be part of two people and this longing has stayed with me all my life.

I guess we all need friends and we usually find them, naturally and by chance. I am talking about bosom friends who stay with you from the day you meet them, through thick and thin. One does not need many bosom buddies but definitely one who will listen and be there regardless and especially when you are in the wrong!

The Chinese have a saying, 'The true friend brings coal in the coldest of winters'.

Inspired by Jamie Oliver?

I am one of those who cooks dinner every night and trying to think of what to cook is like another job after work.

You see, cooking is not just about gathering ingredients and putting them together these days. The shopping alone is more like a chase before you even start.

Do I want to go to Waitrose for a free range organic chicken or should I just walk down to Tescos near my shop to pick one up? Yes, but Tesco does not have any of the spices I need and a few other things which I would need to go to the Korean supermarket for. Palaver! What is more, I need to cook this as soon as I get home and the meal must not take more than thirty to forty minutes to accomplish!

'What are we eating?' asks the husband. Shall we have rice or salad with it? When will it be ready? Etc...etc...

Anyway here, it is, all prepared and cooked! Looks yummy, never mind the thyme, tastes good too. My first attempt at blogging about those meals I need to cook superfast! What do you think?

More photos of Maison et Objet

An overview of the exhibition stands and objects.

The Maison et Objet Fair in Paris

As usual, my journey to Paris brought me to the great big world of design and wonderful products for the shop.

Maison is the best show on earth as it brings together wholesalers, designers and producers of everything to do with retail. From ethnic chic to home accessories and lifestyle suppliers, the place is heaving! This year they have a total of eight halls, each the size of the whole of Earls Court exhibition hall and it can take you days to cover every single stand.

However I tend to concentrate on certain halls; namely the Home Accessories ones, which occupy three halls selling decorative items and fragrance, candles and bath products, and books and magazines on the latest trends and subjects of interest.

The train leaves from Gare du Nord to Villepinte Parc des Expositions and it often makes the whole exercise all the more romantic as one can experience buskers on the carriages singing songs and playing musical instruments so typically French like Edith Piaf songs accompanied by the accordion. The song which stirred me this time was that of Besame Mucho sung by a gypsy who was most dignified and pretty.

The weekend was such a treat that I did not want to come home to England!

More photos of the vintage wedding...

There are just too many beautiful images that I would like to share. Here are a few more...

Vintage wedding flowers in old medicine bottles.

Last Saturday, we did a wedding using country flowers and vintage medicine bottles for the reception.

The joy of finding those bottles of all shapes and sizes was immense, especially when they were not too expensive. Some of them even have the labels intact. We glued some cotton lace around the bottles and they almost take on a wedding feel immediately.

Various flowers were placed in these bottles, some with mouths so narrow that we could only squeeze in two stems of flowers. I thought it was natural and wild and the whole collection of ten bottles per table remind me of a nature table but with a bit more style and pizazz. The combination of nigella pods, alchemilla mollis and other small florets add texture and interest to the whole collection.

We like to call it our prairie take! Enjoy, and see how many flower types you can pick out.

Autumn Winter Floral Arrangements

I spent the summer styling the look of our our autumn/winter collection 2011 for a photoshoot and the results proved really successful.

The idea was to create images which look like paintings in the genre of Vermeer where light plays a vital role in illuminating the subject - in this case, the flower arrangements in the context of being part of a still life.

The arrangements take on a different feeling when photographed with the relevant props. They almost give a sense of place and time and help us imagine how they would look in an interior environment, be it our homes or places of work.

Flowers play an important part in enhancing our well-being and we should all appreciate the seasonal qualities of these natural creations.