For Alys and Claude

The wistaria was tumbling over itself in its excess of life, its prodigality of flowering; and where the pergola ended the sun blazed on scarlet geraniums, bushes of them, and nasturtiums in great heaps, and marigolds so brilliant that they seemed to be burning, and red and pink snapdragons, all outdoing each other in bright, fierce colour. The ground behind these flaming things dropped away in terraces to the sea, each terrace a little orchard, where among the olives grew vines on trellises, and fig-trees, and peach-trees, and cherry-trees. The cherry-trees and peach-trees were in blossom--lovely showers of white and deep rose-colour among the trembling delicacy ofthe olives; the fig-leaves were just big enough to smell of figs, the vine-buds were only beginning to show. And beneath these trees were groups of blue and purple irises, and bushes of lavender, and grey, sharp cactuses, and the grass was thick with dandelions and daisies, and right down at the bottom was the sea. Colour seemed flung down anyhow, anywhere; every sort of colour, piled up in heaps, pouring along in rivers--the periwinkles looked exactly as if they were being poured down each side of the steps--and flowers that grow only in borders in England, proud flowers keeping themselves to themselves over there, such as the great blue irises and the lavender, were being jostled by small, shining common things like dandelions and daisies and the white bells of the wild onion, and only seemed the better and the more exuberant for it.They stood looking at this crowd of loveliness, this happy jumble, in silence.

taken from "Enchanted April" by Elizabeth Von Arnim

Claude Monet

"young girl in the garden " Claude Monet

she reminded me of lovely Alys - Giverny, Alys and Enchanted April all provided me with my inspiration for summer pots this year.

I wanted singing happy flowers

Joanne Short always paints in the most vibrant of palettes too

and here they are

I fancy a nice cuppa here but my faithful assistant has other things on his mind

walkies anyone?

love Mr. BoOdLe

xXx