Well... June & July certainly weren't quite what was planned!
Mr Flower Crate and I both managed to come down with the flu, which I can confidently report is every bit as miserable as everyone says. It completely wiped us out. Zero stars. Wouldn't recommend it.
The upside? It forced me to stop.
One afternoon, feeling rather sorry for myself, I wandered outside and lay down under one of our young oak trees. Mainly because that was about all I had the energy for!
At first I was just watching the leaves dancing around above me. But after a while I noticed the tiniest caterpillar making its way along one of the branches.
Honestly... I watched it for ages.
It was completely fascinating.
It made me wonder how many little things are happening around us every single day that we simply don't see because we're too busy racing on to the next thing.
I don't know about you, but I think we could all do with stopping every now and then. Not because we have the flu (I'd definitely recommend finding a nicer reason), but because the world carries on putting on a pretty wonderful show if we take the time to notice.
Anyway... enough philosophy!
Back at The Flower Crate, July seems to have brought a steady stream of delivery boxes through the door, and I have to admit, opening new stock is still one of my favourite jobs. It's a little bit like Christmas... except you've ordered your own presents.
We've unpacked the most beautiful colourful glassware and plates from Maegen, gorgeous new woollen neckerchiefs from Knit Shepherd, Maison Fanli suede handbags that will happily take you from work to dinner to weekends away, Cotton Clara cross stitch kits (which are dangerously tempting me to take up a new hobby), Kodiak water bottles and, perhaps most dangerously of all, Fudge Farm's proper old-fashioned fudge.
It's a tough job... quality control and all that!
As always, we're still quietly working away at reducing our environmental footprint.
Being floral foam free has become second nature now, but we're always looking at what more we can do. We recycle all of our soft plastics, and every scrap of green waste from the shop comes home with me to become compost before eventually finding its way back into the garden.
I rather like the thought that this season's flowers help feed next season's tomatoes.
Speaking of flowers... winter is always a little quieter when you're committed to buying only New Zealand-grown blooms. That's just part of following the seasons.
But I actually love it. It makes you appreciate what's available even more.
The texture of phyllica, the delicacy of rice flower and the elegance of orchids all seem to shine at this time of year. They may not shout for attention, but they're quietly beautiful—and perhaps that's exactly what winter is all about.
The shop continues to keep us busy, and one of my favourite things is still hearing someone walk through the door and say, "I never knew this place was here!"
I always smile.
I think Hamilton still has some wonderful hidden gems, and Lovegrove Lane is certainly one of them. Whether you're coming to visit us, heading to Sun Salute for yoga, grabbing a coffee from Nook - our new coffee hang out in the lane or simply having a wander, it's a lovely little pocket of Hamilton to spend some time in.
So if you find yourself nearby over the next few weeks, pop in and say hello. Have a browse. Smell the flowers. Admire the new arrivals. Or simply escape the winter for ten minutes. Sometimes that's all we need.
Until next time...
Alex
