Tuesday 5 February 2013

A Floral Tuesday

 

 

 
The sun is out today, although there is a cold, biting wind.



I know this as I have had two long walks in it today!



I picked up a tray of pale yellow primroses this morning with a view to potting them up into containers for indoors, and a pot of pink hyacinths that was marked down.

Whilst looking for a suitable container for the hyacinths, I came across this old floral pot in the shed, left behind by the previous owners. I assumed it was an old one (and probably a chamber pot judging by its one handle), but when I looked underneath I was surprised to find it marked Portmeirion.


 
It's such a sweet old fashioned design, with brown leaves and yellow and peachy pink roses, and inside there is a large spray of flowers on the bottom too. It's quite large, so at first I thought it may have been a soup tureen in a former life. But having just had a quick look on Google, I think it was a potty after all!!!
They seem to have produced two sizes of chamber pot in the 60s and 70s, a child's one and a larger one - this size is the larger size.

 
Just right for the pot of hyacinths, topped off with moss.

Glad I decided to use it for that and not serving the soup ;)

 
A few weeks ago I cut a small branch of camellia as an experiment to see if the buds would open in the house.

We now have colour showing on one enlarged bud, but I'm not convinced it will fully open. A few smaller buds have dropped off.

 

 

The hydrangea heads that I cut in the autumn have provided soft, faded colour over the winter, and I was thrilled to see fresh new leaves appearing - they do seem to root in water very easily.


 

 

The thought of Spring and the colour of primroses inspired my latest hexy project - a cushion, no surprises there - some more hand sewing to work on whilst I wait for more materials to arrive so that I can finish the other hexy project I showed you in my last post.

 
Fried eggs or Daisies?

 
Or, at a pinch, pale primroses?
Either way, it was inspired by flowers and meant to have a spring-like, floral feel to it

 
And still on a floral theme, I have put a piece of vintage crochet at the top of one of the kitchen windows, as it has a drab view overlooking a fence and the neighbours house.

Even though it does make the kitchen a little darker when the sun isn't shining, it is worth it for the prettiness - the design really shows up in any light, and I'm happy with it for the moment - although I need to have a search through my crochet, linen and lace stash to see if I have something that fits better, and in white maybe rather than coffee.

 

 

 

I'm amazed that the pink poinsettia I bought before Christmas is still flowering.
I'm pleased I haven't killed it off yet as it's still looking pretty.

But I have never been able to keep one from one year to the next - does anyone know the secret to achieving this?

 
Wishing you all a Happy Week - are you doing anything exciting?


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20 comments:

  1. hello a lovely flowerly post love the camellia bud
    and nice patchwork love the colors greetings leon10

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  2. Pretty primroses (?primulas). Glad you decided to put the hyacinths in the pot and not use it as a soup tureen! Sunny here today too, but bitingly cold - we keep having snow flurries. Lovely, fresh patchwork. x

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  3. Very breezy on the island too, Gill and even a small patch of blue sky! Your primroses look lovely (mine are just popping their heads in the garden) and I like the window arrangement. Curtains print seems familiar...Emma Bridgewater?
    Something exciting? Ah!! Ex-RAF hubby on his daily walkabout (island 1 1/2 mile L x 1/2 W!), Corgi snoring at my feet, and I am about to bake a few loaves of bread...Ah!
    A big hello from the Pacific NW coast,

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  4. Love your little primroses and your patchwork is very springlike! :)
    So glad you avoided the soup! ;)
    After last Christmas I cut my poinsettia right back and put it in the greenhouse and it eventually grew back again it's not as good as it was last year but it's still going!
    V xxx
    P.S. Snow has all gone, thank goodness!

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  5. Like your new hyacinth container! I've never managed to keep a poinsettia going so can't help on that one! Cold here today even though the sun was out.
    June

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  6. Love your hexies - I'm voting Daisies! Thanks for the giggle re chamber pot v soup tureen - tee hee! You are clearly blessed with green fingers, mine are decidedly brown. I cut short our walk today - the wind was just too bitingly cold.
    Exciting? Saw Les Miserables this afternoon... Hugh Jackman.. sigh ;-)
    xx

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  7. It is so lovely to see a bit of colour. Did you just cut the hydrangea in autumn and put them in a vase? Always wondered whether that would work or not?
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

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  8. The hyacinth container was a good find and yes, I'm glad you googled it before you put soup in it!
    I have a poinsettia that has been in the house for about 3 Christmases. It still have some red leaves, though not many. I think the key must be finding the right spot. Mine get's filtered light daily. I did hear that they put them in the dar to get the coloured leaves, so who knows? x

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  9. Hello Gill
    I love your story about the chamber pot..I could not stop laughing at the thought of the soup on the table ...It looks wonderful planted up so very pretty
    I think Poinsettia's are quite tricky to keep going
    enjoy your week
    Thea x

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  10. Love the potty! Trying to remember when last I used one and it was probably early 1970's, when I was a kid. Can't think why, as we had three indoor toilets... maybe it was when we went camping. I think mine was pink plastic, certainly not Portmeirion. :)

    Oh and I do remember catching the Mum of one of my boyfriends using hers...I was staying at his house for a weekend (circa 1981 - I was 15) and barged into her bedroom one morning, looking for her, and there she was, squatting and doing her tinkly business. Soooo embarrassing - for both of us - I think she never forgave me - she was very frosty after that. Haha. (And as they also had plenty of bathrooms I still do not know why she was using one but heyho, each to his - or her- own.)

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  11. What a sweet pot and the whole post gives me hope of spring!
    Heidi

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  12. Beautiful flowers and pretty pot!!! Love your sweet daisy hexes!!! xo Heather

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  13. Gorgeous flowers, and I love the 'potty'! And your crochet window topper is inspired ... so pretty :)

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  14. I went to the flower shop on Saturday for primroses and they didn't have any, I was most disappointed as they are such a happy looking flower for Springtime.
    Bet Logan enjoyed the walks.
    Lisa x

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  15. I love flowers!! Especially hyacints in the spring. They give me such a sunny feeling!

    xx Margriet

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  16. Love all the flowery pics ... makes me feel as though we've broken the back of winter and spring is just around the corner.
    Love the potty tale - my granny always had one under the bed in her spare room for when my great aunt came to stay - could never understand why as the bathroom was next door to the bedroom. She always called the pot a 'Jerry' or a 'Gazunder' - as in 'goes under the bed'!

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  17. Lovely primroses, they look so fresh and pretty and springlike! I love to plant bulbs in different china containers...whatever their previous purpose!! Your hexies look fresh and springlike too...enjoy your weekend...hope the walks are a bit warmer :)
    Helen x

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  18. This is what I'm talking about - so over winter. Your pictures pepped me right up. If only I could feel my toes x

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  19. Jolie fleures !! Le printemps arrive!! MAGNIFIQUE!! :0) J`aime beaucoup!!

    Bonne semaine!!

    xxx Maria xxx

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  20. I have always been hopeless with poinsettias. But then they seem to be Christmas flowers, so I don't mind so much if they don't outlast January!

    Pomona x

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Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to leave a comment - I love to read them!
Gill x