Thursday 2 September 2021

This Week I had a.......

birthday. Why do they keep turning up so quickly? As a child they took forever to arrive.

We went out during the morning and on our return home found that a long cardboard box had been delivered to our porch. It was very shallow, only about 3cms deep. I opened it and found that it was full of flattened, crushed fresh flowers. Inside was a note which read "hush, we are sleeping - please wake us up gently by following the instructions, and by tomorrow we will have awakened" !!!


And thus they did.

I admire the ethos behind this card received from one of my beautiful granddaughters. 

1. I love the Foxglove illustration - it is one of my favourite wildflowers.

2.The paper is made from 100﹪ recycled materials.

3. It is compostable.

4.The card is embedded with lots of seeds which includes eleven different wildflowers.

5.Wildflowers are good for bees, and good for us.

In the Spring I need to moisten it, and cover it over with a layer of compost keeping it inside until the seeds germinate. Once the seeds are established it can go outside in a sunny spot - watch this space to see what happens next year. 

For a special treat we visited a lovely garden lying at the foot of the beautiful Malvern Hills. It was really lush and colourful, we loved it. I will show more of it another time.

Afterwards we had a date at a charming hotel built during 1904 in the fashionable Arts & Crafts style prevelant during that period. 

Here we enjoyed a delicious Champagne and High Tea treat.


When we finally departed from the hotel we were pleased that we had eaten just a light snack for our lunch.

31 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday! Gorgeous flowers, lovely and thoughtful card, special treat! Sounds like a great day!

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  2. Happy birthday to Youuuu! This is a wonderful season of birthdays!

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  3. Dearest Rosemary,
    Happy belated Birthday to you!
    Yes, they seem to come faster and faster as we age but what a joy and blessing to be still around.
    As you did, indulging in a very special treat on your Birthday.
    That card from your Granddaughter was very special and next spring, another surprise will await you when the seeds germinate...
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. Dear Mariette - I shall look forward to propagating the card next Spring although I shall be sorry to loose the image. However, it will still be here, so it will not be lost to me forever.

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  4. Happy Birthday, Rosemary! How appropriate that your birthday remembrances were such unusual gifts of flowers. I've never heard of the flat, revivable ones before.
    --Jim

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    1. Thank you Jim - I think that it is known that I like flowers. The concept of the flattened flowers is totally new to me - we were both shocked when we opened up the box. They were sent to me via a florist from one of my sons, and he too was very surprised.

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  5. That's almost unbelievable, and definitely magical, those beautiful flowers in such a shallow box, they are so beautiful. I feel like singing "I believe in miracles" - remember that song!!!!?
    I've just looked up "Letterbox Flowers" from Bloom & Wild in the UK - perhaps that's where your beautiful bouquet came from. Interesting concept and now I've seen yours I think they must have a good thing going!
    So my dear friend, again a very happy birthday though now a bit late, but you should continue celebrating ALL month. Beautiful place for your high tea - and the offerings looked delicious - Devonshire or Cornish clotted cream for the scones?
    I have seen cards with seeds embedded - another truly super idea - some smart people out there!
    Take care and much love from us both.
    Mary -

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    1. Clever you Mary for discovering the correct people. I do like the way that Bloom & Wild included some pretty grasses and dried poppyseed heads along with the fresh flowers. Today I have my third day of instructions to ieep them looking good. I must admit that we were both shocked when we saw them.
      The cream was Cornish, but you will be pleased to learn that we ate them in the Devonshire manner!
      Thank you both for your good wishes.

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  6. Belated Happy Birthday, Rosemary. It's hard to imagine that those beautiful flowers were flattened and then revived. The card to plant is a good idea. An outing that includes tea is a treat, to be sure.

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    1. Thank you Lorrie - although I witnessed their revival, I still don't understand the concept. Perhaps I should try it out with a flower from the garden - squash one under something for 24 hours, and then see if it wakes up again. I can't imagine that it would.

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  7. Happy Birthday. I have fond memories of walking in the Malvern Hills and exploring that area. Had four days there then on to Cheddar Gorge for a rock climb and several deep all day caving trips under the limestone ridges. Following month I explored The Cotswolds then on towards the Devon and Cornwall Coastal Path to walk that... then weeks after that I got a new job and work took over my life again for several years :o( Funny that in 45 years of working life I don't have many fond memories of that.

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    1. Thank you Bob. It is a shame that so many people do not necessarily enjoy their jobs. Those who do are extremely fortunate.
      We love the Malvern Hills, but also our own hills and valleys - having pretty countryside on our doorstep has been our salvation during the Pandemic.

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  8. Happy Birthday dear Rosemary! Yes, they do seem to come much sooner than when we were kids :) Your bouquet looks completely unfazed by its unusual delivery experience - so many surprising new things being done in the world today, and your card will be a gift that keeps on giving, too. Champagne high tea in a beautiful spot sounds just like the perfect celebration, lucky you! xx

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    1. Thank you Pipistrello - it was a grand day out - the way the flowers came back to life was like a little bit of magic - they are still looking really perky and fresh.

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  9. This kind of environmental ethic gives a glimmer of hope that our young people may be a whole lot more responsible in the management of nature and the environment than we have been.

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    1. I do believe that is true for many of them, but I have a terrible fear that not enough is being done.

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  10. Belated Happy Birthday Rosemary. The flowers are so pretty and the card a wonderful idea although the picture of the foxgloves seems too nice to put in the compost. Still you will get the reward of lovely wild flowers. The High Tea looks delicious.

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    1. Thank you - I shall be sad to cover over the image of the Foxgloves but I console myself with the fact that it will still be here.

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  11. Beautiful flowers. Bet you have loved them. Wishing you very belated birthday wishes. B x

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    1. Thank you Barbara - the flowers are lovely and I really like the way that the company included some pretty ornametal grasses and dried poppyseed heads in the arrangement.

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  12. The flowers are beautiful.
    Happy Belated Birthday Rosemary.
    Petunias always give a brilliant show of colour.

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  13. Wishing you many ( many, many) happy returns of the day , seems to me it was a lovely one . And what a wonderful bouquet from your granddaughter , what could be better for a true plant lover :-))

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    1. Thank you Jane - the bouquet was from my eldest son, but the pretty card embedded with seeds came from my lovely granddaughter. I loved them both.

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  14. What a great birthday you had. Lovely flowers and clever ideas, I particularly like the Foxglove card, they are one of my favourites too, I like to watch the bees going into them.

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    1. Last year we had lots of foxgloves, but this year hardly any.

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