{DAFFODIL OF ROYAL ALBERT FRIENDSHIP SERIES}

Just like to share some nice photos with you, taken with Narcissus from our garden used for the dinner I hosted for 12 people here at our home on Monday, March 29. Didn't have time to take photos from the table setting but I did get the highly fragrant Narcissus Cragford; as I knew it would be my last chance and they were not yet introduced to my readers. So after dinner, unloading my second dishwasher and putting things up, I took this shot at 2:00AM from the perfect Narcissus Tazetta. If you click on the hyperlink you will be surprised with the detailed information about these Tazetta being from ancient Greece and Egypt. So if you plan on buying some of these beauties you might want to subscribe to this blog, just as I did. They do list some sales addresses that might be useful for fall ordering flower bulbs.

Okay, let's talk about the Narcissus Cragford that I will show here in a few photos. Here I teamed them up with a cup and saucer from the Daffodil of Royal Albert Friendship series, which is listed at Replacements Ltd so if you fall for it; try your luck! The spoon is from Avon and the embroidered handkerchief kind of matches the larger plate I do have for serving cookies. I thought they do match the Cragford Narcissus just perfectly.

Here they are, more close-up and just letting you catch a glimpse of the cachet pot in which I had arranged them. That is a Wedgwood embossed Queens ware. Below you can better see the Aries heads with garlands in-between.

Very nice embossing on this Queens ware. The inside even has some decorative embossing around the edge.
Hope you enjoyed this brief update but I certainly did not want to withhold this information from you...

It is about time to let go of our Narcissus for the year 2010 ~ they will be back next year and maybe surprise us once again with an early spring...

{MORE BLOSSOMS IN OUR BOTANICAL GARDEN}

Wish you could stop by to visit our Garden right now... It is at its very best moment... Enjoy!

Our Japanese Magnolia or Magnolia x soulangeana

{FOND MEMORIES}

Easter weekend is over, at least here in the USA it is only till Sunday as they don't celebrate Second Easter Day which is Monday. But being from the Old World, it is still in our minds and always will remain that way.

Today is also the memory of Pieter's Mother's birthday... and a very sad tiding that did reach us on Saturday in the wee hours of the morning by 1:30AM (6:30AM Dutch time) that our dear sister-in-law Dora Vedder had passed on to eternity.

Let me first put a photo here from the champagne tin that I'd mentioned in my Easter Season blog, that I use to put up Easter items for storage till the next Easter. That was from Thé and Dora Vedder, given to Pieter for a special birthday.

 Here it is together with a beautiful pot of mini cyclamen which were given by friend Maria Runggaldier from Ristorante da Maria. We will treasure the tin even more so from now on!

Getting back to Dora... I will show here a beautiful teacup and saucer that I'd received from her one year. It is a Purple Violet from Provincial Flowers by Royal Albert, in  the Purple Violet England. I was lucky to find a second set just alike at Replacements Ltd. and even found two silver demitasse spoons from Wallace Silver in the Violet pattern at Replacements Ltd with a bon-bon scoop as well. It helps to always have two of each so you can enjoy a cup of tea with a friend or with your husband who IS supposed to be your best friend as well.

Here you see the two demitasse spoons with the cup and saucer as well as a tiny silver vase that I filled with freshly picked purple violets from our botanical garden. They are all over the floor of our wood garden where we walk over a trail to enjoy all the beauty. In the front with the one demitasse spoon are candied violets that I made. Lots of work and no wonder why these candied violets are that expensive, if purchased to decorate a special cake! Only nuns in a monastery, or the many hands in a harem; given each a task could accomplish all this, but we as ordinary housewives cannot be that kind of centipede...

It was fun though for trying!

Well here we have two options... and which would get approval for a vintage look?

Pensez à moi ~ yes, Dora we will always remember you when comes violet time and I will treasure your teacup & saucer as long as I live and as long as they live... with the help of Replacements Ltd.

 Dora, you have passed on to eternity but your heart remains forever young and you certainly were the Hostess of Hostesses serving so many generous, delicious meals to the ones you loved so much. 

Thanks for feeding our body and soul.