Clare Florist Blog

Celebrating Summer

The sun is shining, the skies are blue, and the tennis is in full swing... it sure does feel like summer! I don't know about you, but Wimbledon's had it's usual effect on me - the talent and dedication is simply inspirational and each year I find myself in awe of the great players out on the court. There's such a buzz about it that it's hard not to get swept up in all the excitement. And with crowds in high spirits and the sun beating down, what a great way to spend summer days... Here are a couple of arrangements we think tie in with the spirit of Wimbledon:

The last couple of days have been the hottest so far in 2011, so here are some top tips to make your flowers last longer in the heat:

• First and foremost, bleach vases before use to get rid of any bacteria, as these can multiple in the heat and be harmful to your flowers;
• Before arranging your flowers, soak them in deep water for a few hours, or overnight, to allow them to absorb lots of water;
• Re-cut the stems before placing in the vase so they can continue taking in plenty water;
• Clear any excess leaves or stalks, particularly any below the water line;
• Keep your bouquet in a cool spot, away from direct heat and sunlight.

 

Adelaide Flower Market

For one of our team, this week has seen a short, impromptu and pretty much whirlwind trip to Adelaide, for family reasons. While there, he simply couldn't resist a visit to the local flower market, so we thought we'd share the experience - and a couple of pictures - with you.  Those of you who have been to Aalsmeer or Westland will see from the pictures that this visit to Adelaide Flower Market has certainly been different to our visits to these other markets in recent months.

 

What was probably most striking about this market was the personal service from knowledgeable wholesalers, and taking the opportunity to chat to them about the market.  In some ways, it was rather reminiscent of many of the visits to local markets in younger years, bringing back some amazing memories of the early morning starts and the general buzz and excitement of going, so a very worthwhile visit to have made!

Father's Day - 19th June 2011

With Father's Day just around the corner, we've been discussing gift ideas to let our amazing Dads know just how amazing we think they are! Chocolates and gadgets are high on the list for most of us, but what about flowers?

When thinking of gifts to send to our loved ones, flowers spring immediately to mind for the ladies in our lives, but tend to be less obvious a thought for the men. And yet, flowers are a loving, thoughtful gift and surely something that can appeal to everyone, so what better way to show your appreciation for your Dad this Father's Day than with a special arrangement that shows him how wonderful he is?

Some Father's Day Facts:

• The celebration of Father's Day began in America in 1910, spreading worldwide after 1924 when the US President declared it a yearly national event.


• In most countries, it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June, but the dates and months vary for other countries across the globe. It's September for Australia and New Zealand; March for Spain and Belgium; December for Thailand; and November for Sweden, to name just a few.


• The official flower for Father's Day is the rose: people traditionally wear a red rose for their living father, or a white rose in honour of their deceased father.


• Ties are the most common gifts (A surprise to me as that's not something any of us had thought of!), but other popular gifts include slippers, chocolate, tools and socks.

 

What will you be getting your Dad this year?

Charity Cycle Training Update

Time for an update on how the training's going for the London to Edinburgh charity cycle. And, after much pestering, I've got my hands on some new photos to share with you all, so have a look for yourselves and see how the lads have been getting on...

Since training began in January, every Sunday has seen a training session with the distance steadily increasing, and they're always looking for new ways to challenge themselves by changing up the route and finding harder climbs. Additional training in the week has been harder to organise, trying to fit it in around other commitments of work, family, and so on. It certainly seems to be paying off though, as Dave M has been telling me today:

"It's working. I can feel the difference - roads that used to hurt don't hurt anymore, and hills that you used to look at and groan you can now go up relatively easily. There are no hills now on the Lanarkshire route that I look at and think 'How am I going to get up that?!' You just hit a low gear and off you go!"

So what adventures have they had along the way? Early on, Dave M suffered a bit of an injury after coming off his bike on a sharp bend and his poor foot still hasn't quite recovered, but he didn't let that put him off and was back trainng again straight after. Just the other day, they tasked themselves with the steep climb at the side of Edinburgh Castle. As they reached the top, they got talking to a Londoner who thought they were mad for having cycled up that hill - and that was before they told him of the main event!

The weather's given them some interesting experiences as well. As usual, the Scottish weather has been a bit unpredictable, so they've been out training in all sorts of conditions. Were any of you out in the crazy winds we had a couple of weeks back? You'd think that would put the guys off their training, but dedicated as ever they were even out in that! As it turned out, the wind on their backs on the uphill sections gave them a massive push - at times they made it up to 8th gear! Downhill though, the wind was against them making it a struggle to get past 1st gear, and having to pedal hard to not be pushed back up the slope - crazy weather indeed!

So quite a mix of experiences so far, and I'm sure there'll be lots more stories to share so keep an eye out for more news soon! If you're feeling generous, head on over to the JustGiving pages to sponsor in aid of Maggie's Centres or the Lothian Autistic Society. They're still a long way away from their targets for both causes, so your donations and any tips on raising even more for these amazing charities would be gratefully received.