Ooh la la .......... what happened?  I was going to post a picture every day of my life and here it is, almost a year later.  I guess I just got busy!

In May 2012 I relocated my florist shop, The Florist Tree, from Inglewood to City West Centre in West Perth adjacent to Flowers Design School.  On January 1st last year, I took over as Principal of the school.  It has been a very busy year but my lease was up and I have found new premises close to home in Inglewood again.

One of our most favourite places in the world to visit is Paris where in 2005 I attended a Summer School in the heart of the 6th Arrondissement with 6 European Master Florists - Moniek Vanden Berghe, Jacques Castagne, Per Benjamen, David Denyer, Gilles Pottier and Frank Piper.

As I walked to class each morning I had to pinch myself that this was really happening.  It was a wonderful experience and it is where I met a now, very dear friend, Tina who lives on the Gold Coast.

Here are some of the designs we created.

Sunrise in the suburbs

Inglewood 

Found a little bit of Paris. . . . . . .

It wasn't quite Laduree  . . . .  :( but it's quiet and has wonderful Parisian books

Sometimes I can't believe what I am seeing . . . . .

I don't this this needs explanation!  What next?

I love the contradiction.  Gozleme at our favourite Halal Turkish Cafe, served on a Happy Christmas plate.

Those dam pigeons are so dangerous . . . . . . .

Some more background . . . .

This is Coniston House, a lovely hundred year old heritage house set on 6 acres in the beautiful Derwent Valley in Tasmania.  We lived there for 11 years and remember fondly so many wonderful experiences.  My garden was my joy and I so miss all those beautiful botanical wonders that I can only dream about since returning to Perth.  For your interest, the summer past was the hottest in recorded history.  I was SO OVER IT and longed for the cool nights when you always still needed a sheet and a cotton blanket.

In all the time we lived there, this was the only time it actually snowed on our house.

This was taken after the sun came out - picture postcard material

Let's start here . . . .

This blog is a whimsical record of my Joie de Vivre!  A celebration of a cheerful enjoyment of life and an exultation of spirit.

I guess my blog should start with a picture of my best friend and soul mate - my darling husband.  This photo was taken at one of our favourite places in the world - Dover, on Esperance Bay in southern Tasmania.  Over the years we stayed many times at Driftwood Cottages until we found our dream cottage 'Tide's Reach' where we stayed several times on special occasions.  As this blog progresses there will be many photos of special times there.

Before we shifted to Tasmania we lived in this dreamy location in the Perth Hills for 11 years at Anne Hathaway's Cottage in the Elizabethan Village.  We provided boutique guest accommodation and it was during this time that I trained at Flowers Design School to become a florist, a far more rewarding life than my corporate career as an insurance underwriter although I did love my job as a livestock underwriter which was very social visiting horse studs around the world, the races, trots, cattle and sheep sales etc.  I adore animals and have certainly had my fair share of pets during my life.

This is my much adored Rosie (Ch Nightwatch Brahms Lullaby) who won many awards.  This photo was selected by an international publisher as Australia's representative of the Bullmastiff breed.  My career breeding prize Bullmastiffs spanned over 30 years and in fact, I bred the first Bullmastiff in Australia to win an All Breeds Championship Show with over 900 dogs entered.

These puppies were were from Rosie's only litter.  Aren't they gorgeous?