A wonderful white weekend (and I'm not referring to the ash...)

I was so surprised and delighted when the LAB arrived home with these: they were wrapped absolutely beautifully in tissue and cellophane with a bubble of water and yards of ribbon! Sorry, I had ripped it off before thinking to capture the wonderful image!

He is very well trained - white only thank you! This was so special because every single stem was absolutely at the peak of perfection, fresh and tightly in bud....white lilies, an assortment of other white beauties whose names I have no idea of and a clutch of creamy white stocks.

Receiving the lilies and stocks together in the same bunch brought back so many lovely memories...when we were 'courting' (do people actually do that any more???) I was living in an apartment in Sydney which had a lobby where visitors could ring the bell and be let in by the occupant of the apartment. Beyond the lobby was a glass door, where you would meet your visitors. We had a very good 'quid pro quo' arrangement when it came to dinner - he would book tables in Sydney's best restaurants and I would reciprocate with home cooking! I thought I had the better part of the bargain but if you asked him, I think he'd disagree (as he was living in a bachelor pad at the time devoid of any domestic paraphernalia).

I can't remember a time he came over when I didn't find him at the glass door with a massive bunch of white lilies in one hand and an expensive bottle of bubbly in the other - sheer out and out spoiling (or was it wooing?? Do they still do that as well???) Anyway, I'm still here....and he still brings the lilies - oh joy!

As for the stocks - when I had my gorgeous girl - twenty years ago next week - it was still considered that a new mother should be rewarded with a week of relaxation after the hard work of labour (not like today where they send you home in time to cook dinner). I spent a week in what seemed at the time to be a cross between a five star hotel and a spa....breakfast, lunch & dinner at civilised times, babies removed to the nursery and visitors strictly rationed. The weather was very similar to the weather we have been having in the UK this week; a sudden onset of the most glorious spring, mild, warm and sunny with blue skies and perfect for a holiday! The husband of one of the other 'inmates' had brought her a huge bunch of cream stocks to celebrate their new arrival and the scent of them wafted through the whole place. Spring had sprung, we all had beautiful new babies and the air was scented with the most delicious perfume I think I had ever experienced.

As I walk past the table in the hall the combination of the two fills me with nostalgia......hope you all had a beautiful weekend, volcanic ash permitting.......s