Flower Class

It wasn't really a floristry class, more an opportunity for eight women to get to know each other better over coffee, cake, and a sun-flooded flower garden.  As the merry hens laughed and chattered at their tea table in the sun, I hovered about in the background, not wanting to interrupt their enjoyment, but aware that they had all come to have a go at making hand tied posies, and to see the garden where Jenny's flowers are going to be grown for her wedding next year.  After a walk round the garden - more chatting and more merriment - I led them into the big bell tent where we host our private courses and parties.

By now it was very clear that nobody was especially interested in learning floral techniques (thank goodness!), so when they'd finished cooing at the array of flowers I rather speedily flung together a large hand tied bunch, demonstrating how to angle the flowers so that you can fit more into your hand, and trying to explain why I chose to put certain stems next to one another.  Then it was time for the merry throng to have a go themselves, and they dived about from one bucket to another in a sort of floral free-for-all, putting together some very pretty posies, and mostly resisting any attempts I made to teach them things.  After a prolonged and joyous photoshoot it was time for more tea and coffee and cakes (I noticed afterwards that only one healthy oaty biscuit had been eaten, whereas there was very little of the chocolate brownie left - note to self when baking to focus more heavily on the chocolate), and then the whirlwind of chatter and laughter finally blew away out of the garden gate and all was still again.