Flowers and Strawberries

What could be more lovely during the Spring Season but to have lots of flowers and strawberries?  I was in hanging flowers heaven last weekend when we visited the Hotner Greenhouse and Garden Centre in Brooklin, Ontario, North East of Toronto. The Hotner Greenhouse and Garden Centre is huge with different sections of all kinds of florals, vegetables, herbs and all other plants, ready for planting in the garden. Here are some of their Hanging flowers and Wall flowers for sale which are perfect for those who do not wish to do a lot of digging on the soil. There were so many different kinds and colours displayed on their Garden Centre.  After we finished our Garden shopping, we stopped by for lunch at Haugen's for some barbequed chicken and ribs then the best of all, for dessert was a slice of the best strawberry pie I have ever tasted in this part of the countryside. 

Hanging Flowers or Wall Flowers are perfect to decorate indoors and also outdoors. They require minimal maintenance except for some watering, sunlight and also some talking or singing to make them bloom into these beautiful flowers. 

More rows of blooming Wall flowers and Hanging flowers that are perfect for both the indoors and outdoors. 

Haugen's Strawberry pie which is the best I have ever tasted. It was baked like a tarte tatin style with no flour and not custard based. The fresh strawberries were from the farms in the surrounding area then caramelized with a syrup or gelatin like mixture. The pie was filled with strawberries and not too sweet. Then when served with fresh whipped creme, we just dug in and finished it all the way to the bottom. 

May you all have an inspiring week ahead!

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Weekend In Villa Carlotta

Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo, Lake Como, Italy.

Whenever you visit a particular place and you admire their architecture particularly the houses in the City, do you become curious and wonder how do the people live there? We were able to satisfy our curiosity by visiting the Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, Lake Como, Italy. During a lake cruise along the scenic, beautiful and pristine Lake Como, we decided to purchase a ticket to visit the Villa Carlotta during the day. The Villa is one of the grand houses along Lake Como that is open to the public. We embarked on the ferry stop at Tremezzo then walked to the gates of Villa Carlotta to discover the Grand House and its wonderful gardens. The gardens at Lake Como is always included in the Top 10 Gardens of the World. We could not miss the chance to visit the Villa to discover who lived there, how they lived in the Villa and walk along their grand gardens overlooking the beautiful Lake Como and the surrounding mountains in this part of Northern Italy. 

Villa Carlotta was originally built for the Milanese Marquis Giorgio Clerici in 1690 facing the Italian Dolomites and also near town of Bellagio, in Lake Como. Then in 1801 the Villa was sold to a politician,Gian Battista Sommariva who further developed the Villa to become a centre for Art and improved the gardens to be one of the best along the lake. Then in 1843, Sommariva's heirs sold the Villa to Princess Marianne of Nassau, wife of Albert of Prussia. The couple gifted this Villa to their daughter Carlotta upon her marriage to Georg II of Saxen-Meiningen. Hence, the name Villa Carlotta. When we toured the Villa, we saw their public and private rooms filled with their art collections, Sculptures by Canova, Palamedes' Eros & Psyche, Terpsychore The Last Kiss of Romeo and Juliet, furniture, portraits and other knickknacks which gave us a glimpse of their lifestyle in the Villa. 

View of the Main Gate and the lower formal garden.
Royals and Aristocrats from Italy and all over Europe come to Lake Como for their Spring and Summer vacations to enjoy everything that Lake Como has to offer especially its fresh air, clear, sparkling water of the lake, Grand Villas and Grand Hotels in every town. 

Georg II was fond of Botany and further developed the garden with its wide variety of plants and flowers. 

The view from inside. Even in their Vacation homes, the Royals lived grand lives. 

In the garden, there are potted plants too.  In the far distance, you will see the Italian Alps some still covered with snow. 

The town behind me is Bellagio. From Como, the ferry stops here in Tremezzo then the next stop is Bellagio. It is about a two hour Scenic Ferry ride from the town of Como to Bellagio. There is an Express boat which takes about forty five minutes from Tremezzo to Como. We purchased the ferry tickets from the town of Como including the ticket to the Villa Carlotta. There is also a scenic drive to these towns driving along amazing long tunnels built through the Mountains. 

The park has a pathway surrounded by its collection of ferns, century old cedars and sequoias.

The park also has a Rock Garden planted with Roses. Other Spring flowers we saw were azaleas and Rhododendrons. 

Roses everywhere including on the rock wall.

Underneath the bitter orange groves. I love the fragrant smell of these orange groves together with the roses in the Rock Garden which were beside this alley of orange groves. It reminded me of  a Jo Malone scent.

Oh the beautiful town of Bellagio. Every town along Lake Como has its own character and beauty. We stayed here in Bellagio which you can read from my previous post, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni and also my post about Weekend In Lake Como.
Visiting Lake Como was truly a place of heaven.

I hope you enjoyed our visits to various Spring gardens during this month of May.


I wish you all a Happy Weekend!

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Spring Haute Couture Dreams

 

Sometimes it is nice to daydream when you see all of these beautiful Spring Haute Couture collections from  Christian Dior and Chanel. Here in Toronto, Holt Renfrew Department  Store displayed some of the Special Limited Collection of the Lady Dior bags in their store. From the above two pictures, we saw the Lady Dior designed with a flower encrusted with precious pearls while on the left photo is the version of the Lady Dior for a more casual look made in Raffia with a lavender leather handle. These bags are perfect to carry this week when attending the Cannes Film Festival in the French Riviera or the Chelsea Flower Show in London, England. Both events are simultaneously happening this week. With the Chelsea Flower Show dubbed the greatest flower show on earth and also celebrating its 100th Anniversary this year and Cannes Film Festival with its roster of Actors from all over the World, it is just fitting to attend these events in great style. 

Lady Dior Resort Bag refreshing style for Spring and Summer.

The Lady Dior bag was named by the Dior Fashion House after Lady Diana. This is one of Princess Diana's favourite bag when she became the Princess of Wales, carrying it around during her Official functions. This bag is one of the iconic and classic bags now in the Luxury Handbag market. 

Nicole Kidman elegantly wearing Dior Spring Floral gown during the Cannes Film Festival 2013.
This collection is from Raf Simons' Dior 2013 Spring Couture  Collection.
Photo credit:Vogue.com

Beautiful dresses for Cannes from Chanel 2013 Ready To Wear. These finale strapless dresses were pale backgrounds to three-dimensional sprigs and branches heavy with blossom. Although these floral dresses are from the Ready To Wear collection, they look very Haute Couture because these flowers and sprigs were handstitched into the material creating the three dimensional effect. Well, we are dreaming of wearing these Floral dresses together with those gorgeous Chanel sandals.
Photo Credit: Chanel at Style.com


May you all have a fabulous week ahead!

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One Fine Spring Day

View of Hyde Park from inside Kensington Palace.

On a sunny day with clear blue skies in London last Spring,  we ventured towards my favourite Hyde Park to visit the newly renovated Kensington Palace, the birthplace of Queen Victoria and former home to the late Princess Diana and Princess Margaret. The Palace is still home to some other members of the Royal Family with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge about to move in this coming July.  It was a one fine day to stroll around Hyde Park, visit the palace, its colourful gardens and also have lunch at the Orangery Restaurant  near the Palace gardens. Visiting London in the Spring was truly magical.

Kensington Palace was purchased in 1689 by King William III (the statue above). King William III and his Queen Mary preferred to live at Kensington Palace instead at their official residence at Whitehall Palace near the Thames River. The King and Queen asked renowned English Architect Christopher Wren, who also built St. Paul's Cathedral, to renovate and expand the Palace. On 24 May 1819, Princess Victoria was born at Kensington Palace. Inside, we saw the Queen's rooms including the room where she was born.

Across Canada is our long weekend celebrating Queen Victoria Day. It is celebrated on the third Monday of May before May 24th in honour of the Queen. It is also considered the Sovereign's Official Birthday in Canada.

Another famous former resident at Kensington Palace was Princess Diana. On the left was a photo by Mario Testino for Vanity Fair Magazine. In the Palace, there was a display of Princess Diana's gowns and this wallpaper depicting  Princess Diana's life from her Engagement, her wedding, being a young mother  and her modern Princess life.

The late Princess Margaret, photographed by her former husband Lord Snowdon, was a former resident at Kensington Palace. The new residents will be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, photo by Mario Testino, coincidentally will be occupying the late Princess Margaret's apartments in the Palace. Hopefully,  the Duke and Duchess will move in July together with their newborn baby.

The view from inside the Palace.

I'm fascinated by these lanterns topped with crowns.

The two photos above were not filtered photos.
These were original photos I photographed from inside the Palace.

The Kensington Palace Gardens in the Spring time.

A perfect harmony of different Spring flowers and colours.

That's me and my Aunt who lives in London. We had a delicious lunch inside the Orangery which was built by Queen Anne during the 18th Century in the Kensington Palace Gardens. It is a restaurant now offering delicious British food for lunch and their famous Afternoon Tea. We were lucky that there was no line up. After we were seated, there were many people that arrived which caused a long line up outside this beautiful building. After our visit there and a stroll in Hyde Park, my Aunt took me shopping at Regent Street to show me her favourite store, Ted Baker.

They say no Sovereign was more loved 
than I am. 
- Queen Victoria.


Canada will celebrate Queen Victoria Day with fireworks across the nation.

May you all have a lovely Spring Weekend!

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The Iris Match

Iris flowers from our Garden. 

For many, many years, I have been searching and testing different perfumes.  When Prada launched their Infusion D'Iris perfume, I immediately tested it myself and finally found my perfect match in perfumes. In the beginning, I was attracted to the new Prada perfume because of its mint green colour and the packaging looked so simple and clean. The key ingredient in the Prada perfume is the Iris flower which has a powdery effect that is refreshing and not too heavy to wear. Spraying it on reminded me of the fresh smell of Baby Powder when we were children. It is a good thing too that the Iris is one of my favourite spring flowers. Now I know that the Iris based perfumes works well for me and does not cause any allergic reactions. This type of perfume from the Iris flower will be something I will use forever. 

Here are the four perfumes that can be used in any season and have similar characteristics of being powdery (Iris), woody (cedar), balmy,  floral(Iris, Jasmine and Rose) and citrus (mandarin, Orange and Orange blossom):

• Prada Infusion D' Iris - Introduced by Prada in 2007, this is my favourite together with the Chanel No. 19. Just like the Prada brand, it is modern and elegant but at the same time a very discreet scent. Not too overpowering.
• Chanel No. 19 -  Launched by Chanel in 1970 to commemorate Coco Chanel's birthday on August 19th.  I interchange using the Prada and the Chanel during the week. One thing I love about this perfume is that it stays longer during the day. No need to re-touch too much and still smell refreshingly good.
• Acqua Di Parma Iris Nobile -  Created in 2004 to celebrate the nobility and classic elegance of the Iris combined with the woody elements of cedar and fruity orange blossoms common in Italian gardens. I have tested this perfume only. It is also very fragrant and definitely an epitome of Italian elegance. 
• Frederic Malle Iris Poudre - This I would say is the Haute Couture of the Iris perfumes. Also the most expensive among the group. But this perfume definitely stands out. When I asked my mother to try it last weekend, during Mother's Day, she said it is different. The Nose for this perfume was Pierre Bourdon who was a French Diplomat turned Perfumer. The fragrance has tonka bean, vanilla, vetiver, musk, sandalwood and the Iris. I use this perfume for special occasions only especially on weekends. 

Have you found your perfect match in perfumes? How did you find it?
Which perfume is your perfect match? 

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A Spring Florals Celebration

Spring is finally here in Toronto! To celebrate the arrival of Spring in the City, the Gardiner Museum had a special exhibit last weekend only from May 3 to 5 titled Spring Awakening: Gardiner In Bloom. The Top 10 Floral Designers in the City were invited to create their special floral creations inspired by the Ceramic Collections in the Museum. The Gardiner Museum is the only Museum in Canada dedicated to the exhibition of Ceramics from all over the World. They have ceramic collections there from the Aztec, England, European,  Ancient Chinese and Japanese among others. On a lovely, sunny and warm Saturday morning, we ventured over to the Museum to view these spectacular floral  installations alongside Ceramic Art objects from the Museum.  

1. Ball and Wedge by Bruno Duarte
Fresh Florals Creations

A ball of carnations inspired by the Art Balls on the main entrance of the Museum.

Inspiration is around us at all times, even in the simplest of ways. 
We just need to open ourselves to it.
- Bruno Duarte

2. Exotic orchids designed by Bella Jackson from Floral Fetish was inspired by the Aztec statues displayed in the Museum. 

3. Margaret Taylor and Sue Clarkson from the The Garden Club of Toronto were inspired by this ceramic object titled Septet 4. Their floral design used calla lillies, Carnations, orchids and Baby's Breath. 

4. This is a mother and daughter team: Phyllis Lill & Marilyn Lill  from the Lilium Floral Studio. 

Their Floral Creation was titled Temptation with Fruit & Flowers inspired by this Ceramic plate depicting Adam & Eve with the Temptation Tree. They used green apples, Yellow chrysanthemums and yellow roses to complete their creation. 

5. This piece was titled The Tree of Life by Michael Renaud from Horticultural Design Inc. He used exotic orchids here in purple which he formed into balls with the smiling Buddha in the middle.

Michael was inspired by the Oriental Jar with flower pom poms in purple, red and orange in this Floral creation.

6. Rosemary Little Jeffares of Quince Flowers called her floral creation Paper Cup Tower For a Spring Tea Party which was inspired by the colours  of the Meissen Tea and Coffee Service above.

7. Lidia Tacconelli from Fiori Floral Design called her Floral creation Optimism which was inspired by an English porcelain vase with yellow, white, brown and gold colours depicting a Pastoral scene.

 The wonderful yellows reflect the yellows that are prominent in the English Gardens during spring. 
Yellow being a symbol of enlightenment, happiness and promise of a positive future. 
- Lidia Tacconelli

8. Bert Browne from EarthWork Floral Design created these Floral Arrangements located in the Rotunda surrounded by the display of Harlequin ceramic statues.

The Harlequin ceramic statue circa 1770-1780 was created by William Duesbury. Bert was inspired by the colourful costume of the Harlequin and its comedic pose to create these Floral Arrangements.

9. Lastly, Joseph Delarge of Ecostems, proudly calls itself Toronto's only environmentally and socially sustainable Flower Shop created this floral masterpiece. This piece was inspired by the White Ceramic nest (above) created by Cheryl Ann Thomas.  As you can see from the photo above, the nest was filled with hydrangeas and freesias.
 
Joseph's Flower Shop sell all of these flowers and floral arrangements grown locally and organically from Toronto. In this piece, he used hydrangeas, freesias, orchids, branches, dead wood, barks and vines. Only when broken apart that we see its true beauty.

Joseph Delarge described this piece and Spring in Toronto the best:
Gatherings of spring flowers that represent the colourful eggs of spring 
that can be found in the nests of wild birds all over Toronto this time of year.

Thank you for joining me on this Floral Spring Tour in our City of Toronto.

Here in North America, we are celebrating Mother's Day this weekend!


Happy Mother's Day to all the dearest Mums! 

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