SPRING'IN MY STEP
The pouii trees are blooming!! I can’t help it – the sight of those bright yellow blossoms on every street corner just makes my spirits soar. The sun seems to shine a little brighter, the air seems to be a little bit fresher, and I have to wrestle with my inner child so as not to roll with abandon through those golden carpets of petals.
The onset of spring with its breezy air and riotous blooms always brings with it the urge to bring this freshness into my home. It’s the perfect time, when I’ve finally recovered from the rigor of the Christmas season, the onset of the new year, and all the back to work and school shenanigans that come with it. It’s the time when the pieces of the new year puzzle are finally falling into place, and life seems to have just a little more order.
I don’t know about you, but my home always reflects my mood. Yes, there are times when my houseplants are a little wilted, when the lights seems a little dimmer, and when silence echoes thickly in the passageway. Then, there are the times when the sun seems to shine right through the walls, and birds actually fly through windows and chirp at us from atop our kitchen cabinets. With spring, my home sings.
My favourite ‘spring’ touch is to use organic material as décor pieces. The variety of textures and colours seems to be so much more in sync with the beauty of outdoors than just cut flowers. For this reason, instead of planting straight into the ground, I keep a lot of my flowering plants in pots. When they are in bloom, it is so much easier to bring them indoors and place them all around the home for splashes of color. I just wipe the leaves with a little homemade rosemary or mint infused olive oil to remove the outdoor smudge and give them a little sheen. Not to mention the beautiful scent the oil gives your home!!
Another great idea is to keep bunches of Old Man’s Beard hanging from tree branches in the garden. They grow quickly and easily with minimal care, and make the most beautiful overhang for indoor vases and pots. They can even be used in between serving platters as a decorative touch for buffet meals.
USE FRUIT AS CENTER PIECES - THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT. AS A MATTER OF FACT, THE LITTLE NICKS AND IMPERFECTIONS ADD TO THE TEXTURE AND NATURAL BEAUTY OF THE ARRANGEMENTS.
BRING OUT THE BRIGHT CUSHIONS AND BLANKETS TO THROW OVER CHAIRS FOR 'SPRING'IN' COLOUR
Of course, it should not just be because of the pouii bloom that we seek to brighten up our homes. For me, I’m just a sucker for colour, and it always takes the pouii to haul me out of my ‘structured’ and ‘planning’ mode and to remind me that life is so much more pleasant with a little frivolity and lightness ….and that sometimes, a good roll in the grass may be all we need.
