My shop

Sorry if you have been looking in and nothing changed for a week or so but last weekend was good weather for a change and Robert was away so had a lazy time in the garden relaxing, then on the Monday my day off my friends came over and we started to decorate the sitting room which ended up lasting all week, its always a bigger job than you think. We are at long last having a new sofa so I wanted to get the room painted before it arrives. My friend Doug made me a new fire surround a few weeks before (you will have seen it on Bob's blog) and this needed several coats of paint. Its all done now for a few more years I hope. I'm having quite a change and going minimalistic but feel sad and guilty about not putting back out all the things iv treasured all these years, and what do you do sell them give them away or put in a box and store them for ever we still have stuff in boxes from when we moved three years ago. Some things were from aunties, gifts and things iv made, it makes me feel guilty when some people have nothing and I'm worried what to do with extra things. I have a box stored away with baby stuff, first shoes, dress etc will Fallon want them when I'm gone! Ell enough of this one to something more interesting I hope.

Below are some photo's of the shop where I work. At this time of the year we sell a lot of bedding plants, hanging baskets, tubs and perennials for the garden. We sell plants in winter also but nothing like the amount for the summer months. We have four large shelved trolleys full of plants (not shown in the photo's) we have to take them in every day and takes me about half an hour to set it all back out again every morning. The sun is at the front of the shop all day so a lot of watering is needed late afternoon. Our shop is opposite a lovely lake surrounded by trees and loads of duck's and birds. They have boats on the water in the summer holidays, and the council have been given a grant to do some alterations to try to make flower beds better boats, Victorian lights and a part time warden to patrol the park. It is a pleasant out look but can be noisy with the traffic as we have the door open all the time.

At the time of taking this photo there isn't a to much out side but I never have the camera when it's looking stunning.

This was our window display in march for Mothers day

Inside the shop one of the displays

Apart from flowers we sell a lot of gifts, I think if we only sold flowers we would not survive. A lot has to do with supermarkets selling flowers and people have busy lives so pick up a bunch in the supermarket so they don't have to go to another shop. So we have to make things the supermarkets can't. I like to experiment making different arrangements, some times they don't sell but people comment and then some come a few weeks later and say they would like something like the one i had made. Florist also sell different flowers to the big shops, iv never seen a bird of Paradise or an anthorum for sale. It is up to us florist to make flowers exciting and we have regular customers who no they can get something different.Silk flowers are very popular in our area and we are well known for making some great arrangements. When i first started working there I loathed making them and really worried over it but if its what people want and we can make a sale then I'm happy to make them. People are making there houses more modern nowadays and my designs can be made to fit the rooms in the colours they want. Browns mixed with blue, green, red and orange seem to be the in colours at the moment, we have up to as many as 15 in the shop at one time. The customer's can bring in there own vases if they have something they really like and i will arrange the colours and design for them. The photos below are of just a few i have made.