WILDFLOWER FRIDAY!

We set off under an overcast sky to West Shepton, as last year we had really admired the cow parsley, on one particular bridleway and wanted to see what it was like.  By the time we got there it was raining, but we weren't disappointed as besides the white billowing clouds of cow parsley, it was a day for spotting wild flowers - buttercups, dandelions, vetch, daises, lady's smock, red campion etc. As a child I used to press and name them, so I tend to be more familiar with them than flowers in the garden!

My skin felt great this morning and I felt quite buff, as yesterday I had a restful afternoon having a facial and pedicure at Skin and Tonic!  Jenny gave my skin quite an MOT, including eyelashes and brows trimmed and darkened.  The microblading on my eyebrows she did earlier in the year is still looking good!  And I now have some lovely red toes to peek out of summer sandals...

I would rather spend money on grooming - I went for hair highlights this afternoon - than expensive clothes.  After all, style and looking good is all about how you wear things - they can come from the charity shop!  If you feel your hair and make-up are the best they can be, it gives you confidence, which shows!  And clothes and make-up look so much better over a healthy and looked after face and body!

  
By the time we had finished our circular walk, the sun was shining and all the dog walkers looked happy!  Jenny made friends with a lonely and sad looking horse, which was quite an achievement as he wasn't that friendly, and she is a bit scared of horses...

COW PARSLEY EVERYWHERE!

Back from her stimulating weekend away, Jenny was on good form, with plenty to talk about!  It was a chilly, but dry start to the day.  We remarked what a beautiful time of year it is for flowers, and noticed that suddenly there was cow parsley everywhere! 

After some investigation, I have discovered that cow parsley is edible, although it is important not to get it confused with hemlock, which is not desirable to consume! They are both members of the carrot/celery family but this family is not for foraging beginners as eating hemlock can mean death!  Identification is, of course, easier when they are flowering, but even so, I don't think we will risk it!

Inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show, which is all over the BBC this week, we took some pics of the flowers seen on our walk.  The female presenters of the programmes have been in very floral attire and I have noticed flower designs are everywhere at the moment - clothing, interiors and even in my own artworks! 

We admired the wisteria on Old Bowlish House (top pics)front and the front of Bowlish House (above right).

The gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show are undeniably fabulous, but nothing like our gardens at home!  I have been reading articles in how much preparation goes into it - it takes years and the plants are sourced from all over the world... 

In the Chelsea gardens you get plants flowering together, which would never happen if left to their own devices.  Some plants are held back by putting them in cold storage, while others are encouraged to flower by artificial means. Time and cost are no object!  They aim for perfection and that is what you see and inspire to, but it can be frustrating when you look at your own patch...