Lunch in the Orchard

Like a woman unaware of her beauty, my friends Robyn and Rob are unaware of the idyll they live in.
For an antipodean girl like me, their place is heaven on a stick.
I can never get enough of the lush green grass & gardens that surround their place. With espaliered pear trees with purple iris underneath and beds of the healthiest strawberries you could ever wish for.
Robyn asked me over for lunch a short time ago and assured me she hadn't really gone to any trouble, but look what awaited me.



Luckily I had taken some hand sewing to do so I could sit & relax and not feel guilty that I should be getting back to work.
It's not snow on the grass nor flowers but petals from the apple trees.

City and country birthday-s

One of my favourite places in the whole world is the V & A museum, and with the opportunity of doing "Something-nice-for-your-birthday" I decided ... hang the expense, I'm going on a London day out and that's that.

My buddy Cath and I decided we would go to see the Ballgown exhibition that's opened there recently.

We had a picnic in the central courtyard.

The exhibition was amazing. This was my favourite dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, completely covered in feathers.

Can you imagine how long this took to put together?
The display was pretty spectacular too. These photos are from this website.
And a brilliant blog here about the exhibition from a nine year old's point of view.

This complete marvel wasn't in the show but is one of my all time favourite works of art by Alexander McQeen, which I've been researching for this post

and this complete folly from his Savage beauty collection.

The show is spectacular but the regular exhibition that's on in the fashion section is just as good if not better. After soaking up satin and sparkle, it was out and about in London, the biggest smoke.

There were Union Jacks' everywhere for the forthcoming Jubilee.

A wonderful dinner at a very authentic mexican restaurant.

with a whole wall of chillie sauce bottles.

Then it was back home. Happily to a countryside that is bursting with spring. It's as if someone has poured cream over all the hedges

........ and sprinkled it over the fields
The weather has been spectacular lately and every lane and field is thrilling with flowers and birdsong.
My wonderful friends Kate & David have been having me over for dinner regularly on a Wednesday night ever since Ricardo died and I so look forward to it. Kate is a great cook and has usually whipped up some amazing feast with a miraculous icecream as well. One night it was pink grapefruit & 25 year old sherry. SENSATIONAL. I absolutely love the drive over to their house at twilight. It goes through the magical village and fields of Quidenham where there is a local tradition that Queen Boudica is buried. Past the round towered Church and on past this beautiful field. One evening in twilight I saw a girl riding a white horse bareback through this field and have wondered ever since if I dreamt it.

Here they are taking me on a guided tour of flowers in their garden. Complete with pink champagne.

Humphrey got in on the act too and was a delight as he showed me the smaller more unobtrusive flowers that some might call weeds.

Finally as a curtain closer here is a photo of the bouquet that came, perfectly timed for my birthday from my big sister. The smell of those peonies is incredible.

Thank you one and all for a most excellent birthday week.