Sunday, November 01, 2009
Two competitions
In September I entered a few flower competitions and had some success, its difficult to get good photo's but here are just a few.
I got a second place for this brides bouquet, I covered the polystyrene holder with layers of sineco gray leaves and used lovely roses, hydrangea, pearls and silver decorative wire. It is held in the palm of your hand.
This is an arrangement for a top table, for a winter wedding and won a second place. The wood sticks were on Roberts bonfire cut from the apple tree and were a lovely colour with the lichen and moss. Red roses, protia, hypericum berries and calla lilies.
We were asked to design a funeral posy and name the person who it was for. I made up a name and his trade was a chair weaver and added the rope etc and used lovely green roses, carnation and hydrangeas and got another second place.
We were asked to design an accessory for a young girl going to the prom. I made a hair fasinator with a frosted pale mauve colored wire and orchid and got a first prize. Its hard to make out the design from the photo. I also made a wrist corsarge out of a fine silver wire making petals and used pearls I thought it was the better of the two but it only got me a second prize.
The hair fascinator
The wrist corsarge
This wedding top table arrangement got me a third prize.
The next few photo's are from a different show a much bigger show and I didn't get any placement but to get something is a bonus, I really just enjoy entering and getting the chance to do something different.
In this competition we were asked to design an arrangement for the relaunch of a magazine. I chose a cake magazine and made all these cakes out of coloured foam and little flowers.
The brides bouquet was to be designed for bride on a budget £75.00 or less. I made the wire holder and the construction was made from snake grass, red roses and a few hypericam berries, finished off with a hand made red wire heart.
The title of this section was preserve the season. I wanted to do something different from the dried plant material so chose this arrangements preserving the season by painting the flowers a living picture. I got a 4Th prize.
This was a rather radical design. The title was the meandering river and everybody used water and plenty of foliage. The two frames were made from lots of silver wire on a slate tile, silver wool, shaped white melinola sticks and shaped calla lilies representing the meandering river. It got me a unexpected forth prize. I was very pleased with all my work and enjoyed nit very much although it is heard work setting up and taking down.
Posted by Bob ::
5:14 PM ::
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Harvest Festival 09
It was our church harvest festival the other Sunday and although we don't hand out food parcels to the older people in the community we ask for dry or tin food which we send to an organized charity called M 25 (Mathew chapter 25). They provide meals for the homeless and poor. I sent letters to 5 of the major supermarkets asking for a donation which some have in the past and this year not one person reply ed.
Posted by Bob ::
4:41 PM ::
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
Hi
Chatsworth house one of the places we visited on our holiday
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6:55 PM ::
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Monday, August 17, 2009
Castle Howard
On the very rare Saturday that I get off from work Robert and I made the most of it and visited Castle Howard. It wasn't our original destination, but once again the traffic around York was so bad and slow when we saw the road sign for Castle Howard we decided to go there instead. We only wanted to go round the grounds and half an hour into our visit the heavens opened. As it was nearly lunch time we went back to the car and sat like an old couple eating our picnic. It wasn't long before the rain was over the clouds blown away (it was very windy). To be on the safe side I took my rain mack and ended up carrying the rest of the day as the rain kept away and the sun shone.
There are lots of lovely stone garden ornaments.
This house is in the walled garden so we believe this may have been the gardeners cottage.
Sweet face
There were lots of fish in the pond some very big
The long borders looked as if they were past there best but the agapanthus were still in full bloom
This box hedging was in great condition and the bussie Lizzie was doing well considering all the wet weather.
There are a lot of yew hedges it must take an age to cut.
Back in the day of these large grand houses they wanted to extend the grounds into the surrounding countryside, with the cows and sheep but didn't want them to mess up the formal gardens. The photo of the steps looks out into the fields ( the trees would not have been so overgrown) but there is a hidden ditch so the cows look like they are just at the edge of the grounds but cant get past the wall. These walls became know as ha ha walls.
The water features are all man made enhancing the grandeur of the estate. The bridge doesn't go any where. The 1,000 acres are dotted with lakes, fountains, temples and statues.
This pillar standing in the middle of the reservoir had lovely detail on the base which looks like from the water mark as if its covered up most of the time.
This was a lovely place to sit at the end of the day over looking the lake. It had a cafe but there was only sandwiches and drinks no main meals which seemed a shame as it was so much nicer in my option than the main eating places. But I was a bit shocked at the price of the drinks we had, two small bottles of pop cost £3.50 I guess if your thirsty they know you will pay it. I felt sorry for the families with children as the playground was situated here also the ice cream van very tempting for children.
Not bad for the back door
and the view from the back door
Posted by Bob ::
7:35 PM ::
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Thursday, August 13, 2009
My first public demonstration
My Autumn harvest arrangement
On Tuesday of this week I was asked If I would go to the Knottingly flower club to demonstrate some of my designs. I have not done any arranging in front of an audience before and I was very nervous. I arranged 7 designs which I found ok to do, the trouble was having to use interesting conversation to go with them. There were moments of silence but on the hole kept the conversation going. Every one was very complementary and said I had done very well and loved the variety of my arrangements. Most flower clubs meet once a month and usually august is a poor attendance month but there was a great turn out over 60 people, that was even more scary
A design using a copy of Charles Renie Mckintosh chair
A green arrangement, always popular
A tropical design
I loved this design and was worried it wouldn't go down well but every one loved it. It was country grasses corn with a range of pinks and pastel colours.
This was my final piece it was much larger than the photo portrays. I also made a hand tie bouquet but didn't get a photo thankfully because of all the people taking a closer look at them all.
Posted by Bob ::
7:19 PM ::
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Sunday, August 09, 2009
Revisit to Geoff Hamilton garden at Barnsdale
My Friends an I went to see the gardens at Barnsdale in Rutland started by Geoff Hamilton in the 90s. Robert and I had payed a visit in the spring and really enjoyed it and hoping we had not missed the rose's in bloom we set off on a wet Monday morning. The rain from the past several weeks had dashed a lot of the flowers and the rose's all but for a few were gone. We seemed to get it just right as no sooner had we gone for lunch the heavens opened.
By the afternoon the sun had come out and the light coming through this tree's with its grey leaves was fascinating.
The next four photo's are from the arid garden, when Robert and I were there last nothing was growing there much but now it was quite lovely.
The rose arch in the small cottage garden was delightful I think my favorite garden.
In one of the pools there were tadpoles rather late
Posted by Bob ::
8:22 PM ::
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Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Visionary Gardens at Tatton09
The next set of photo's are "visionary gardens" a new feature to Tatton. They look very different to the gardens we are used to seeing. They have a deep meaning and you need to use your imagination.
"Cubed3"
This garden aims to bring a fresh approach, a modular theme which allows flexibility and development in the space itself?
Time"
This garden is inspired by the effects of the constant, cyclical rhythm of the changing seasons on the rural landscape.
"A deconstructed world"
This is really deep A contorted grid exposed soil trenches reveals the hidden works and history of the site, in time fracture and crumble, deconstructed by nature.
"Time and the bell"
A visual response to the past and present theories about time. The garden title comes from T.S Ellot's burnt norton a poem about time.
"Levitate me"
Earth mounds as transport systems hollow hills are global phenomenon, places to celebrate the coming of age.
"Glyndwr'svision"
The primary use of this garden is to create a sculptural work to be viewed all round and above.
I feel I have not done Justus to the gardens and if you would like a further in depth explanation go to BBC Tatton park.
Posted by Bob ::
2:56 PM ::
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Monday, August 03, 2009
show gardens at Tatton 09
To night I am showing photo's of the large show gardens personally I thought they were not so good as in other years and cant understand the the medals that were awarded.
The three photo's above "edible trends" by BBC north west tonight. the first photo was big planting with veg growing with the flowers. I liked the reclaimed wall but would like to see it in a few years time when the wood and pine cones were rotting.
"So 80s"
This garden had lovely planting but the middle seating section was void of plants an very bright floor colours when you sat on the seating you could not see the flowers. The black canopy was very dominant.
"Strictly come gardening" this garden was representing style and elegance found in the world of ballroom dancing.
"Fibonacci numbers in nature" new ways of looking at low maintenance gardening
"Thyme and money for cancer research uk" bold bedding in the Charity colours in two mixed beds looking to the past present and future.
"Radio-live transmission, I really don't know about this garden. A garden for a semi-permanent public exhibition by the band Joy Division ? Its deep but I believe it got a gold
" The lake district bluebird garden" Donald Campbell's blue bird more than 40 years ago, the last speed record is being restored and returning to its village at Coniston water. Lovely country planting.
"Revolation" outer spaces for a office courtyard, a place to eat, chat, read and to get some fresh air. It got a silver guilt but I thought it was the best garden. It made a change to see yellow flowers and the tiered planting meant that you could get a lot more plants growing.
This last garden BTCV@50 is a celebration of the organisation's 50th birthday of conservation volunteering. volunteers can make a difference in their lives and the environment
Posted by Bob ::
6:43 PM ::
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