Oh the loveliness of June!

It's been a full and lovely month. My precious little girl had a birthday and we threw a pink fairy party for her. It was wonderful to indulge myself in organizing something so girly and magical. I tried not to get carried away but it was hard!

I do give credit here to my husband, Jonny who actually made and assembled the castle cake. I simply got to decorate which I thought was a good deal :) Oh go on then, just one more picture of it!

We had some of her wonderful little friends over, it was so lovely to see them all together, I love watching the little friendships unfold. We played pass-the parcel, and the prize was bubbles for everyone which went down really well! I also filled Amber's paddling pool with torn up pink tissue paper and hid some 'fairy treasure' in it (yes my house did look like a bomb had gone off afterwards but it was worth it!) And we also gave them each a little glass bottle to fill with 'fairy dust', thank you Kelle Hampton for the inspiration!

I can't believe my little girl is three! Oh how much Jonny and I have learnt since she came into our lives. She has been such a precious gift, she is 'beautiful and true' as she says and the loveliest person I have ever known. A firey, strong, sparkley princess, and a joy-bringer to everyone we meet. I love her so much and I can't wait to hold her hand through all the challenges she will face this coming year. Starting Nursery school for one, but that's for another time. Happy Life, what a wonderful thing to celebrate our big-little one.

More June-goodness, and I have to talk about the gorgeous roses in our garden. They seem to have sprung from nowhere in every colour and scent. I love the 'Englishness' of roses and the soft- femininity of them. I also love that they come in every colour, representing the different flavours of us women! The picture below feels like a self- portrait of the season in many ways, I love bright pink colours and there is a boldness and strength about me that feels very much like the colour of the rose in the picture. I also love that the rose is completely surrounded and safe to bloom, something I have felt very much over the past months, a need to find my own space whilst I am established with my family as truly me. The criticism and judgment that sometimes come when you break out of old patterns into new ones is diminished by the glorious beauty of the verdant greenness all around you. This is life.

"To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive." Robert Louis Stevenson

The Scottish poet, Robert Burns wrote: "O, my love is like the red, red rose that is newly sprung in June. O, my love is like the melody that is sweetly played in tune." I have to agree with him, that what best represents that feeling of love for me is the red rose. There is something so vibrant and uncompromising about it, yet so soft, gentle and wholesome too. Here is a beauty from the garden:

Although I have a gazillion more photographs of roses, butterflys and all sorts, I must conclude now as Jonny is patiently waiting for me! I will be posting up again soon with a recipe for home-made rose water, and lots of other fun things we've been up to!