Mother's Day Flowers - For Next weekend

March is a jolly month. march is Mother's Day month. Every florist has flowers and so do the supermarkets and the newsagents have cards but you can get them in one place, or add cards to your garden flowers, or mix up a cuddly toy with bunch of flowers and a card, home grown flowers with a shop bought card, or shop bought flowers with a home made or home printed card, or cards sent in from others by email to add to your big bouquet. Or get the lot in one place. Yes, it's a commercial event but why not.

Here's a local florist in Hatch End. Bella, always chatty and with a smile.

Mother's Day is Sunday but many restaurants are booked on Saturday. Some close Saturday lunch and other close Sunday lunch. So you could have a restaurant meal, or a meal at home with flowers, or both. Maybe it's time we renamed it Mother's Weekend. The hotels are starting to wise up to the idea that you can offer a restaurant meal with champagne or rose wine, and an overnight stay. They've all had practise on Valentine's Day. So have we, the customers. 

The festivals brighten up the High Street.

A bouquet and a balloon.

Heart shape hangings.

A framed picture and a planter pot of bulbs and a heart shaped balloon. Bella's Blooms and Bella's balloons.

Colours, red, pink, purple.

Lots of pretty colourful flowers. Bella says prices go up in retail shops because the (wholesale) markets put their prices up. She also sells cards.

I like flowers which smell good as well as looking good.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Valentine's Day Suggestions From Hatch End

Bella's Blooms.

Flowers and red heart shape balloons.

O r a m a Greek restaurant. 

3 courses and prosecco £24.95 with live music.

Pizza Express.

Love at first bite. 2 courses and a glass of Prosecco for £17.95.

The Moon and Sixpence pub.

2 steaks and a bottle of wine for £20.

Krosbie and co.

Cakes from Genuine Cakes.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Flower arranging and Valentine's Competition from Bella

Bee of Bella's Blooms in Hatch End, North West London, England, sent me this lovely photo.

Date(s) to be confirmed, depending on demand, will be for a 2-5 hour session, 6-8.30, £30 including flowers (you take home the arrangement). Refreshments included. The class will be run by the owner Bella, and Bee who you see in this picture.

Also go to their website to find out about the Valentine's prize draw.

More information from bellablooms.co.uk

Horse & Carriage rides at night, halloween

Bella's Blooms in Hatch End organised horse and carriage rides. You could ride on the top deck.

Bella's Blooms.

At Bella's Blooms flower shop the cat on the left seems to be bombing the photo.

bellasblooms.co.uk

Witches hats and cats. My contribution.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Horses and Horse and Carriage rides, day and night at Halloween

Bella's Blooms flower shop in Hatch End organised horse and carriage rides and all sorts of activities for Halloween.

You can see it says Fear the Grim reaper. A spiral staircase up the back to the top.

£3.50 per person for a ride. She had lots of people.

Off they go around the corner. 

Somebody walked in front to stop the traffic on the corner.

bellasblooms.co.uk

Angela Lansbury travel writer and photographer. 

Halloween: Hatch End Shop Windows: Bella's, Chucks and more

bellasblooms.co.uk

Halloween in Hatch End: Horse & Carriage; Bella's Blooms; festive faces

Here is the horse drawn wagon waiting for the horses and rider outside Bella's Blooms in Hatch End.

Now come nightfall everybody is out.

www.bellas.blooms.co.uk

Bella's Blooms tips for keeping plants moist whilst you travel

I looked at the plants in the new Bella's Blooms shops and wondered, how do you keep your plants alive if you are away travelling for a long weekend or a two week or longer holiday? Bella has several suggestions.

1 Aqua bouquets, sold by Bella's Blooms, come with a container like a vase underneath with water to keep your flowers fresh.
2 If yo've bought a plant from her or have one already and want to keep it most whilst you're away, you can buy a relatively inexpensive water dispenser from the pound shops.
3 Make your own water dispenser(s) from a plastic bottle such as a Coca-Cola bottle. After finishing your drink, cut off the sealed end of the bottle, place one end in the soil beside your plant and pour water into the bottle.

Visit Bella's Blooms, opened April 2015 in Hatch End, at Pickwick Walk, Uxbridge Road, Middlesex, near Hatch End station.
bellasblooms.co.uk

Angela Lansbury B A Hons is an author, travel writer and photographer. Also an English language and literature tutor, creative writing and speech workshop leader.  See more about Angela Lansbury author in YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook.

Bella's Blooms: new in Hatch End

Colourful Bella's Blooms attracted my eye as I walked past the flowers, blooms and balloons.

Who's Bella? Here she is. Close-up you can see the tattoos on her arms and she'll proudly explain that the little girl on her arm is Alice in Wonderland, representing her daughter, and the boy is the Mad Hatter, for her son.

But don't get side-tracked, look at the flowers and herbs and vegetables. The prices range from £1.95 for a small plant, to £25 and up for lavish bouquets. You can buy indoor and outdoor plants. Potted yellow and green peppers cost £12.50.  

Here's a heart enclosing a flower basket.

More colourful displays including some annuals.

If you are looking for a gift, she sells fancy wrapping paper and is expecting scented candles soon.

bellasblooms.co.uk

More on Bella's tips for keeping plants fresh and watered in my next post.

Angela Lansbury B A Hons, author, photo-journalist, speaker.