Summer

It seems like summer has finally arrived, with most of last week and (supposedly) the rest of the week to come being in the high 20s.
I am really pleased with the Harlow Carr rose that I bought as a twiggy little bare root rose earlier in the year. It has bushed out wonderfully and is now covered with small pink rosebuds that are so pretty they look like little watercolour paintings of roses as they gradually unfurl. The scent is divine as well!

I cut one of the first blooms and brought it back into the house to display in a little ink bottle, guilt-free as there are so many other buds on the plant!
I was going to do another garden post as there seems like there is so much to show you out there but I realised that I had neglected to share my purchases from the Sussex Brocante a few weeks ago.

I'm always on the look out for pretty fabric boxes, and I was not disappointed when I spotted this French box on one of the stalls. I was immediately drawn to the soft pastel colours and muted floral pattern.

The stallholder, seeing my interest, showed me the inside of the box and described how she had found the old photos of a little girl secreted between the box lid and the lining. I love it when you learn little bits of history about an item like this - certainly something that you would never get with an object from Ikea!

I stacked the box below one that I found at the Country Living Fair earlier this year. I also bought the pretty pink lustre plate from Jill at the Brocante. I loved the delicate pattern and the unusual shape.

Both of these items have gone onto the shelves in the sitting room, which are slowly filling up with my finds from various parts of the country! It's so nice to be able to look at an item and recall when I bought it and the little stories behind each piece.

I also bought this pretty lavender sachet from Jill and a rose geranium candle from Parkmister Products (which almost smells as good as my rose!). I probably should put the sachet into a drawer where its fragrance can help protect my clothes from moths and keep everything smelling nice and fresh. But I get so much enjoyment from looking it at it just now that it seems a waste to hide it away!