I'm not sure if it's the sudden appearance of the sun in a cloudless blue sky, the abundance of Spring flowers or the recent encouraging news that we may be able to fully re-open the shop on April 12th, but ...I'm feeling extremely cheerful and super optimistic! The last year has been a rollercoaster of positivity and downright misery for so many of us, but I really believe we have reason to be excited about the future. Although we won't be able to open our doors in time for Mother's Day on March 14th, if you're organised you can still delight your Mother, Grandmother and Mother in law with a beautiful bouquet guaranteed to brighten anyone's day and that will last for days to come. Just give me a call at the shop, order your bouquet, pay over the phone, book a delivery slot or arrange to collect them from outside the shop. We did this for Valentine's day and it worked really well. I've also joined together with The Little Bean Cafe and Henning's Wine Merchants to further delight the most special of mothers with some pink fizz and a cream tea. To have flowers, fizz and edible treats delivered to someone special, you have to be super organised; booking your flower delivery slot first and then calling The little beans and Colin Fizz to add on the extras, but if you do you'll be in your mother's good books for the rest of the year! We are going to miss Easter again this year. I got a little over-excited a couple of weeks ago and got John to unpack all the Easter bling I bought in January 2020. There were boxes and boxes of rabbits, chicks, pots, vases and decorative eggs, things you will struggle to imagine never-mind find anywhere else. I was in my element, unwrapping and setting them up in the shop, only to be told to re-wrap and put most of them away. I was like a sulky child who was told she had to put away all her favourite toys before she'd finished playing with them. I managed to sneak a few pieces home, just to brighten up the house and garden. Looking further ahead into April 12th when, in theory, I can throw open the doors of the shop once again and start welcoming customers and friends inside. I have been busy ordering fresh new stock, lots of wonderful things for home and garden, everything from the rustic to the modern but all with a country cottage feel. I can't wait for them to arrive so I can re-fill the shelves and... bring out the flower cart!!!! I'm trying to think of something spectacular I can create to celebrate the re-opening of the shop. If finances allow I may do something fabulous with flowers.

It may appear from outside the shop that there's no one about, but if you think I'm at home with my feet up watching box sets, you'd be wrong. Take a peep through the steamy windows and you'll see me and the flower ladies beavering away. We had to close for a couple of weeks after Christmas, but recently we started taking orders for local delivery and collection in addition to the funeral work that we'd been able to continue with during this Lockdown and we have been extremely busy. It's amazing (not to me obviously) how the giving of flowers can keep people connected regardless of distance or proximity and we've been rushed off our feet in recent weeks. However it's strange when I think back to this time last year. There was talk of a contagious virus spreading across the globe. I remember levels of infection rising in Italy and other parts of Europe which was starting to have an effect on the flower markets. We were approaching one of the busiest days on a florist's calendar - Valentine’s Day! Even back then, when there was a feeling of uncertainty. Concern that we might not be able to get stock or concern that the UK would go into a sudden lockdown with a shop filled to the brim with fresh flower. As it happened Valentine's Day 2020 was much like any other year with hundreds of planned orders and almost as many " Oh bugger, I forgot what have you got left " s No one would have imagined the proceeding 12 moths. As we approach this Valentines I can only implore everyone.... Please, please, please get your orders in early! We only have a few delivery slots left and there will be no opportunity to stick your head in the door when the penny finally drops. Collection orders will have to be made in advance and pre-paid as we are unable to invite customers into the shop. Ladies, let your other halves know! ****To make your day extra special**** We have teamed up with Henning's and for those who want to add some bubbles to your Valentine’s order this is what you need to do... If you have a flower delivery booked, simply call the lovely Colin or one of his team at Henning's and add a bottle of either; Wiston's English Sparking Wine @ £29.50 or Pol Roger Champagne @ £47.50 Colin will then drop your order (not literally) at the flower shop in time for your delivery. The Flower Shop : 01798 875 488 Henning's : 01798 872 671

Well, minus the high heels, the tights, curlers and corset...but I've been loving running the carpet shampooer around the house, making tea for the fit young man who has been doing some terracing in the garden and dusting the ornaments (some that have only become antiques since they've been sitting on my shelves) . I tried baking bread, but that's what the young chap in the garden is using for the terracing. He recently asked me for a dozen rolls...for the edging! I've been working through the full Avon list... plumping cream ( only to be used on the face) , biarritz glow foundation, kircsh cherry flavoured luscious lips and I even have NAILS, clean, unchipped, painted ones (I've had to do them myself so when I say painted, so are my cuticles and the chewy bits down the side). You can always spot a florist by their nails...chipped, torn, with spongy fingertips from being pricked by thorns and being permanently wet. It's been 3 weeks and my fingers are only just drying out. I think I have rising damp originating from my wrists. I've also become ' stay at home mom ' and ' home educator ' to puppy Phyllis and the kittens. I've finally taught little Phyllis not to pick poop out of the cat litter tray and place it on the sofa - I really don’t know who taught her to do that in the first place. I think it was the kittens spurring her on, she's very easily influenced. John has been trying desperately to keep me occupied. It's why he persuaded me to open The Flower Shop in the first place. He said that even if it made a loss it would be cheaper than keeping me at home where I would simply shop and dream up projects - all of which would involve a lot of expense and a huge mess. To be honest, I've enjoyed a complete break. I could never have stayed away from the shop if we weren't in Lockdown. I've managed about 6 days holiday in the last 5 years so I really needed a break, but now I'm ready to get back to work. The house has been empty of fresh flowers for weeks and the effects are beginning to show, even a small vase of flowers on the kitchen table brings energy and a sense of optimism to the day. Even if we can't open the shop, I'm really hoping we can be ' open ' for collections and deliveries in time for Valentine's day. If that's possible I'll let you all know as soon as I can, so watch this space.

I think of myself as one of the lucky ones. Life as the Village Florist hasn't been easy this year,I have seen some terrible lows but I have also experienced some of relative highs and The Flower Shop is still open, well not open open, but still in business. Looking back to this time last year compared to now, is like comparing dogs to dahlias there's absolutely no comparison whatsoever. The shop would be open, full to the rafters with flower and foliage and we'd be ridiculously busy arranging flowers ready for the most lavish New Year celebrations. There would be laughter, the occasional glass of champagne and I'd still have a huge bunch of mistletoe over the door. Today the shop doors are closed, there are no flowers and there are no New Year's Eve celebrations. There are some good bits, so stick with me. I'm as fed up as most with all the doom and gloom in the news every day. Having access to fresh flowers and a friendly face, even one hidden behind a mask, has kept me upbeat through the trickiest of times. We've been lucky enough to have some wonderful local growers who have been supplying the flower shop all year round, but we still depend heavily on the huge range of flower that comes in via the continent and that's been quite a challenge. Several times, without warning borders were closed as the doors to the Dutch flower markets were slammed shut, sending florists everywhere into complete mayhem. With orders taken in advance we depend on stock turning up when planned. I can't stock up on flower and pop them in the freezer alongside John's cheesy leeks, so I've had to be extremely creative and once or twice. If anyone spotted me rustling behind a bush or clambering over a style on a WSCC footpath with a pair of secateurs in my hand this year, then I was only doing what was necessary to keep my customers happy. We've not always been able to welcome customers into the shop, there have been times where I've had to close the doors and take telephone orders only. When I have been allowed to open it's not been the same, we've had to distance ourselves (something I find particularly hard) , there's been no hugging and kissing (something else I've missed) and worse of all everyone has been wearing masks, making it so hard to read people (something I think is very important in floristry and especially in a small community). However, if I had to endure this year anywhere in the world it would be here in Pulborough and I'm so glad to be a village florist now more than ever. Even without all the hugging, kissing, laughing and simply being in close proximity to other people, it has been an absolute joy seeing people out and about, queueing outside the shop waiting to come in, seeing peoples eyebrows raise when I hand over bouquets, seeing people smile when they answer the door and realise that others are still thinking of them and sending them love and hugs in a bright bunch of fresh flowers. For the next few weeks it looks like the shop doors will stay shut and the team and I will be ' staying at home ' but I can't wait for a time when we'll all be back together as a community. Hopefully that won't be long.

A ripple of panic spread through the village yesterday, when the media started to report on a potential second lockdown. At first we buried our heads in pots of flowers and dozens of cardboard boxes filled with Christmas stock that had just arrived, simply not wanting to believe it. As news of a potential lockdown started to become more and more likely, I became more and more panicked. Then suddenly my past experience in local government kicked in and on went my serious head, my lipstick (essential for thinking) and rushed home to dig out my old Mulberry handbag (another essential for serious situations like this) , only to find I'd previously donated it to a cat charity - I'm not sure what they are using it for, I assume they sold it but it could now be a very posh cat carrier. I came back to the shop, armed with clipboard, notepad, stylish neckerchief and a brightly coloured lip crayon. Fully prepared and ready to tackle whatever nightmares were on the horizon. By 4pm yesterday we had a basic plan of action and today has been a series of emergency Flower-shop COBRA meetings to finalise all the details of how we hope to SAVE CHRISTMAS IN PULBOROUGH, from a floral and decorative perspective anyway. So here's the plan.... 1. Our part-time, job share, turn up whenever you can and try not to get lost ' Delivery driver ' Michelle has been promoted to Director of Communications, to keep everyone informed and updated on what's going on in the Flower Shop at all times. She will also be busy updating the website with news and selected items of stock. 2. After Thursday we will not be able to open our doors and invite customers in, BUT we will be open for business. 3. Orders for bouquets can be made over the phone or via email. 4. Members of the floral team and I will be working inside the shop and taking calls between 9am and 3pm Mon-Sat. 5. We will be filling the shop with loads of Christmas goodies, ready for when we can welcome customers back in, but will also be posting pictures on social media and on our website for a 'click & collect' service (unlike Tesco, this will however require you to give us a friendly call or email us with whatever you want). 6. We will expand our Covid-safe delivery service (upping John's hours) to provide FREE delivery within 4 miles of Pulborough with deliveries further afield at a small charge. All in all.. DON'T PANIC!!! We will still be here. Please keep in touch with us on social media, online and on the phone. Keeping in touch with friends and family, especially those who are alone or shielding is more important now than ever before, so is keeping your spirits up and making your home a wonderful place to be. Love and best wishes, from me and the whole team at The Flower Shop - Pulborough xxx

This week we received a phone order for two bouquets for the same lady, from two family members that lived thousands of miles apart. Both wanted to say how much they missed their mother on her special day and wanted bouquets to reflect the occasion. Both bouquets needed to be large, delicate, colourful but completely different, each to reflect the sender's personality. It's not easy to do this, when you have spoken only very briefly to the person ordering the flowers. Long enough to jot down a few necessary details such as what is required, when, for who and how much they want to spend. Regardless of price, I always use the freshest, best quality flower and foliage and although my style is quite distinctive I try and make each one individual. This is the main reason why, no matter how many orders we get through the door on any one day, we are not a conveyor-belt or Interflora florist and I remember each one, even if I haven't made it myself. For this reason it was VERY ODD when I answered the phone to a VERY IRATE customer, who not only insisted that I had not made up and delivered his order, but that I had tried to get away with making up only one bouquet and addressing it from both he and his brother! "My mother only received ONE bouquet, which contained two separate address cards!" "No, absolutely not, that would never happen" I replied " Let me speak to the delivery driver and get straight back to you." I called John in... and in a calm voice ( screaming at a very high pitch, hardly able to get my words out) "Where're the flowers you delivered earlier, do you remember taking two, you definitely took two didn't you, two bouquets for the same person, not one, definitely two, two separate bouquets?!!!!! "Whaaaaaaaaaah...aaaahghhh!" John just stood there until I'd stopped running around trying to see if there was a spare bouquet left somewhere in the shop. When I stopped caterwauling, John managed to speak... "There were definitely TWO bouquets and I delivered BOTH to the same address and each had an address card." "Unfortunately the addressee wasn't in, but the main door to the block of apartments (mainly occupied by sociable over sixties) was open and I left them right outside the lady's door and rang the bell in case she was in and shielding" he added. I called the customer back to explain what had happened and even asked if he wanted to talk to John - HE DIDN'T! I offered to remake the £60 bouquet at my expense and that appeared to pacify the gentleman. It was all I could do, but it really wasn't my fault. I'd made up the order as requested and can't keep running backwards and forwards to addresses hoping to catch the recipient while they are in. I'm absolutely shocked at what must have happened. I realise that we are in the middle of a pandemic, lots of people are shielding behind closed doors. Fewer people are going out to shop and are having deliveries of all sorts left outside their doors. Someone must have nipped in through the main door, pulled out the address card from one bouquet, stuck it in the other and made off with someone's birthday gift sent by a loving son. UNBLINKINGBELIEVABLE!!!! I can't believe this would happy in our lovely community.

No one knew this year was going to turn out as it did and every time it looks like we could be getting back to normal, new rules are announced that raise even more questions as to what to do next. Nothing has gone as planned, but I'm so thankful that I still have a business, I'm still able to stock the shop with gorgeous flowers and gifts, I'm still able to employ my wonderful staff and The Flower Shop still part of this amazing community. We have survived the summer because we are not totally reliant on Wedding floristry. I love a good wedding and I feel awful that so many couples have had to cancel, postpone or shrink their wedding celebrations, but in addition to birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's day and Valentine's day.... CHRISTMAS is our busiest and most profitable time of the year. Those of you that know me know that I love being part of a community, I am extremely social, never need an excuse to party, hate having to social distance and absolutely love Christmas!!! Being kept away from family and friends has been really difficult for me and I'm sure that we've all struggled with the social distancing rules. The thought of all getting back together for Christmas has been the one thing that has been keeping so many of us going. Then last week there was talk of CHRISTMAS BEING CANCELLED!!!! Nothing has been announced, but with cities and counties going back on local lockdown and social gatherings being reduced to a measly six, there's a huge amount of uncertainty about what Christmas is going to be like. With all this uncertainty and a desire to cheer ourselves up, the optimists and the pessimists among us have been rushing to buy whatever they need ready for the festive season. So, the BIG QUESTION for me and the shop is "When do I get out the Christmas stock????!!!" I normally wait until November, once the fun of Halloween is over and the pumpkins have been packed away, but if I wait until November this year anything could have happened! There's no point looking at trends over previous years as there's never been a year like this. There's no business plan or map that will help us navigate this Covid-climate. So, my thought at the moment is that we are going to start Christmas early. IN OCTOBER! But let me know what you think. Do you need something to look forward to? Do you want to get preparations underway or would you rather wait and see what happens? One of the things I love most about the festive season, apart from alcohol, chocolate and mince pies is CHRISTMAS WREATH MAKING! Not only do I love making Christmas wreaths and seeing them hung on doors throughout the village, I love giving Christmas wreath workshops. There's nothing better than getting together with a group of friends, warm mince pies and a few glasses of wine to see who can create the best Christmas wreath, but given the current Covid -laws, I won't be able to hold workshops this year. 😠☹️ DON'T WORRY....I HAVE A PLAN! I'm going to make up ' Wreath-making Kits ' which will be for sale (I might even include the wine and mince pies) and I'll even provide a link to an online tutorial. So you can plan your own bubble-parties to enjoy wreath making in your own home. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for further announcements on when these will be available. 😁

I'm not sure if it's a female thing or a parental thing, but I'm sure it's the same for all small business owners. We always put other people first, whether it's children, family, friends or customers, we don't want to let anyone down. It's been eighteen months since I was first diagnosed with having gall stones. Initially I thought it was my body's way of telling me that I'd eaten or drunk too much, or that I needed to eat more lettuce 🥬 , which is probably true, but I thought I was having a heart attack every time I consumed a little too much chocolate and because it was Christmas at the time, that was a LOT of heart attacks! The first time I had an attack John wanted to call an ambulance, but I didn't have enough cover in the shop and I couldn’t drop everything just for a 'potential' heart attack, so I soldiered on. After a few more episodes I agreed to see the doctor but when when they suggested doing an endoscopy I thought " No, no , I don't have time for all that " The doc tried to reassure me (not realising exactly why I was fretting so much) , "Don't worry we can sedate you for the procedure" That wasn't my first thought, what I was really worried about was not being in the shop on the run up to Christmas! After explaining that speed was of the essence the doctor said, if I wasn't sedated I could be in and out in no time. So I took one for Florists and Small Business owners everywhere! I sat there, trying not to gag, while the doctor fed a long tube down my gullet, without even using liquid chocolate as lubrication (I really suggest any healthcare workers reading this, consider this in future) . I needed surgery to remove the rather large gall stones which were causing me so much discomfort, so I got out my diary... No, January wasn't going to work, short-staffed after Christmas and too busy. February? No that won't work either... Valentine's Day, March? No, impossible...Mother's Day! OK, OK April it was! Then Coronavirus struck. My operation was cancelled, re-arranged for June then cancelled again, re-arranged for August and yes..cancelled again! My operation is now booked in for TOMORROW!!!! Yes, tomorrow, the day after today, Monday, less than 24hrs away. I'm not at all stressed, anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm extremely laid back and confident that I'll be in and out in a few hours and back at work on Wednesday. Although I have told John that if it all goes wrong and I die during the operation then; the kittens need castrating in November and not to forget to tell the vet to microchip them at the same time and that I'd like purple flowers with lime green accents at my funeral. It's a good job I'm so laid back and not at all stressed, completely chilled and not at all worried, because we had a WEDDING to do this weekend! Yes you heard right... a WEDDING! It was the first wedding, involving a church set up, transfer to venue and breakdown that we've done since before lockdown and it was this weekend. This weekend, the weekend before my operation. I did think of postponing my operation, I mean I've survived this long with bouts of excruciating pain, I'm sure I could have managed a little longer, but John and my fabulous team of florists wouldn't hear it. Becks, Lisa, Ali and Rach all pulled together and not only made a fabulous job of the wedding but have put aside all their personal commitments and demands on their time to ensure I don't have to worry and can leave everything in their capable hands for as long as needed. They are putting me and all the Flower Shop customers ahead of themselves and I will be eternally grateful to have such a fantastic team!!!!

We don't always have time to issue care advice with every bouquet and I know not everyone reads those all important care instructions, so here's a little reminder on how to care for, or rather what NOT to do, when it comes to looking after your beautiful blooms.