Royal Wedding Fever

This is the bunting I made for a friend’s wedding a couple of years ago.

The local Young Farmers’ Club has borrowed it and is in the throes of turning the rather stark barn above into a party venue fit for a right royal occasion.

I won’t be at that particular shindig, but I will be sharing the day with friends and watching as much of the coverage as possible.  Love stuff like this!

I’m particularly keen to see the flowers in the Abbey (trees lining the path to the altar?!); and am very happy that the bridal party will exit to one of my favourite pieces of music: William Walton’s Crown Imperial (just ‘cause it means I get to hear it).

Great music, gorgeous flowers.  Oh yes….there’s a little bit of royal wedding fever here at Dixon Hill….

Helen’s Hellenic Holiday

Loved Athens!  It’s such a relaxed, laid-back city.  So sunny.  And the green hill of the Acropolis is bang smack in the middle of it all, visible from pretty much everywhere in the modern-day city built around its base.

I’ll always remember:

• Shared food - a Greek tradition.
• Watching the sunset from the top of Lycabettus Hill , whilst the priests inside the church intoned the Easter liturgy.
• Three small sisters dressed in identical beige trench coats - oh so stylish.  We kept bumping into them all over the place.
• Paddling in the clear waters of the Aegean.
• The palpable tranquillity of the wildflower-strewn gardens surrounding the Agora.
• Walking on marble….as commonplace as concrete paving slabs.
• Graffiti - ancient and modern.
• The strange, bird-like, tai chi-esque movements of the changing guard outside the Parliament building.
• The sights and sounds of the lamb market on Good Friday.
• Freshly-squeezed orange juice, as plentiful as water.
• Deep red hard-boiled eggs decorating Easter bread; and sweet Easter biscuits.
• The ubiquitous stray dogs - it was like being back in Delhi.
• Whiling away the hours in street cafes to the sound of Greek music.

Easter in Athens

It's known as Holy Saturday in Greece.

As midnight approaches, streams of people make their way through the streets of Athens and into the city's churches. Families, friends, individuals - all are dressed in their best. Each person carries a long, thin candle or unlit lantern. And for those without, there are the street sellers hovering nearby, doing a brisk trade.

The priests are already chanting the Easter liturgy, which is relaid via tannoy to the streets around.

Then, as Saturday becomes Sunday, the various congregations spill out onto the steps of their respective buildings, now holding candles aflame. The crowds turn to face the church doors from where the priests conclude the special service.

Then there's hugging and kissing as Easter greetings are exchanged. And now the streams are of flickering lights as the Easter flame is carried back to homes across the capital. Even passing cars glow from the carefully tended flames within.

Wishing you a very happy Easter from Greece!

The Nature Table: April

If I could bottle blue sky and give it pride of place on my nature table, I would.  The weather’s been idyllic so far this month.  It feels like the sun will shine forever.

Even without the bottled sky, my table is full to bursting.  Spring has sprung in riotous fashion and there’s not room for all the things I want to display.

This, then, is a selection of all that’s jostling for space right now….

1.  Hellebores - pure Lenten roses
2.  Zingy new green leaves in abundance
3.  No idea what these are but I loved them!
4.  Beautiful, beautiful blossom - everywhere you turn
5.  Flowering currants - they smell fabulous and the bees love them
6.  Daffodils - they’ve been spectacular
7.  Daisies - I adore daisies
8.  Berries in the hedgerow
9.  Dandelions - sunshine on earth
10. Unknown flower at the field edge (I really should look these things up…)
11. Pine cones in the making
12. Tulips - lush, lush colour
13. Primroses - native wildflowers
14. Forget-me-nots (I never will)
15. The gardens are brimming with flowers
16. There’s going to be a bumper crop of bilberries this year
17. I have ten of these woolly bundles in my field right now

Do What You Love

I’ve been handing out a few tips for living a creative life….and sharing something of my own story, too….over at Do What You Love.  Click here and scroll down to read my accumulated wisdom!  (My friend, Kate, calls this my manifesto….)

I’m also a featured sponsor on Kelly Rae Roberts’ blog right now….tempting folk to grab one of the remaining places on The Magic of the Moors retreat in August.  If you haven’t signed up yet, now's your chance!