One way ticket to London

Bond Street, London: Frankelin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill discuss war, peace and wedding anniversaries (Winston seems to approve of my first bouquet from floristry school). 

My darling husband came home from work one evening just over a year ago to find me fussing over my flowers yet again.  I hadn't done any housework, the floor was littered with leaves and I had that manic look in my eyes... even the flowers looked traumatised.  

"You're just a frustrated florist."

Little did he know that his throwaway comment would have me booking a one way ticket to London within the week.  Never one to do anything by halves, I jumped on the first available flight and applied to the internationally renowned Jane Packer Flower School. 

All in white: roses, astilbe, lillies, mini gladioli

My daughter was training as a pastry chef at Le Cordon Bleu London, so it didn't take much pushing or shoving to get me on a plane (even though I have a horrendous fear of flying).  Katie, my well meaning daughter, booked me into an old, five story tenement building complete with sloping floors, rickety stairs and squealing mice... oh and a (singular) bathroom which I shared with the eight Russian tenants two flights down. 

I came to the conclusion that I was inhabiting a tiny servant's room of a bygone era at the very top with views and air conditioning by the way of a tilting window in the roof.  Luxury!!  What a start - what on earth was I doing here?!  Little did I know it would be the beginning of a most wonderful adventure with flowers, meeting people from all walks of life and countries along the way.

I returned to Sydney after a six-month-long sojourn and have since been doing flowers for private events.  I have started up this blog to share my love of flowers and show just how accesible floristry can be.  There's nothing as rewarding as being able to give a hand-made bouquet or create a beautiful centre piece for your table.  I will be sharing my tips and tricks, and I hope you will enjoy flower arranging as much as I do!