In Pursuit of Paradise

March Field Notes

Every week, the kids and I drive past a beautiful Victorian greenhouse perched in the garden of a big, lovely house. It’s too far away to see inside, but every time we pass, I find myself dreaming of my own brick-walled, sun-drenched, soil-scented greenhouse. There’s something about them I just love - the hot, fresh stuffiness, the earthy smell of life unfolding. Last year I visited Woolbeding Gardens to sketch their new decagonal pyramid-shaped glasshouse that opens like the sepals of a flower:

Anyway, I googled Victorian greenhouses this week and discovered the one I’d really like will cost me around £30,000 (bargain) plus I need to own a garden big enough to build it in. A lesser mortal might call this is a pipe dream, but why shouldn’t I aim high? What’s more, why should I wait? I took two steps this week on my thousand mile journey to greenhouse paradise. First, I changed my desktop background to a picture of a really nice greenhouse. (Manifestation, am I right chaps?) Then, I cleaned all the mould and cobwebs out of the conservatory, repurposed our changing table as a potting space, and made myself a little growing corner complete with a tray of tiny kale seedlings I planted last month. Weirdly the National Trust are yet to get in touch about visitor admissions but whatever.

Is the spring light starting to poke through where you are? The pattern here in the south is around four days of rain, one day of sun. Everything still feels wet and grey outside most of the time, but I am enjoying sowing the first seeds of the season. We’ve got kale and rocket, onion and garlic sets, and Olive has planted strawberries and sunflowers. They were all settled on the kitchen windowsill, but now I have my mega growing corner set up in the conservatory, they’ll be on the move. I’m looking forward to sowing more seeds and tidying the pots and canes this weekend, appreciating the mundane, simple tasks of normal life in contrast to the horrific backdrop of global affairs.

I’ll leave you with this amazing photo of an overgrown glasshouse by German photographer Matthias Haker, king of capturing abandoned spaces.

Something I Made - The Petit Déjeuner Giclée Print on Papaver

The most popular item in my new stationery brand was never intended to be a print! They were originally only available as cards, but after reopening Papaver last week, I had so many requests that I had no choice but to obey. This design was inspired by the joy of a fresh breakfast - coffee, pastries and peaches. Peach trees and fruits appear frequently in European art and literature, particularly in the paintings of Caravaggio, Renoir, Monet, Manet and Van Gogh. They symbolise love, beauty, fertility and the transience of life.

Something I Like - The new TESAMMANS collection from IKEA x Raw Color

The Swedo-Dutch collab we never knew we needed. You all know I bloody love IKEA. It’s a blessing my closest one is an hour away or I’d be scoffing Daim cheesecake and buying dragon trees every weekend. But I will indeed be visiting for this launch next month. The textures, the colours, the patterns! It’s just the right balance of playful and cosy and I love everything about it, particularly those olive green and pastel pink clashes. Dreamy.

Recipe of the Month - Hot Cross Bun French Toast by Mob

It’s Ostara season! Time to celebrate new life with chocolate eggs, vases of daffodils and these absolute beauties. Apparently this recipe is a good way to use up stale hot cross buns, which I find confusing as they haven’t a chance of surviving long enough to go stale in our house. I am absolutely making this and it’s going to be divine.