Hello all,

The mahonia branch in the arrangement, above, was an offcut from an arrangement I did last week in the shape of a pinwheel. I removed all but two, parallel leaves and added a partially open camellia to complete the arrangement.

The arrangement, below, comprises of only one, long stem of chrysanthemums. I wanted to use this curve that was created naturally but it was too weak to hold the cluster of flowers at the tip of the branch. I removed 5 flowers to lighten it and then had to rest the branch on the top of the large conical container.

The photograph, below, is of a floor arrangement. I attached a dowel onto the wooden board and fitted the palm pod over the dowel, making quite a secure structure. I added wisteria vine, chrysanthemums and amaranthus. The fresh materials are in vials inside the palm pod.

The arrangement, below, is a simple but striking one. What makes it work is the combination of container and materials. The curved stem of the crucifix orchid creates the line and the hydrangeas create the mass, both of which relate to the container - colour and shape.

There's something quite charming about a tree that has lost its leaves but is laden with fruit. Such is the case with my pomegranate and fig trees. I cut branches from both to make an arrangement. I needed a very heavy container to hold the very heavy branches, so I settled on the onyx tsubo vase. In my last post I referred to it as travertine, however, Christopher kindly corrected me. I added camellias and cotoneaster branches to complete the arrangement. It can cover a number of themes - Fruiting branches, With branches only, In a tsubo vase and A number of Materials.

Another simple arrangement, below. Wisteria and crucifix orchids in a ceramic vase.

Yesterday Sam and I attended our grandson's Confirmation ceremony which was held at St Patrick's Cathedral. It was quite an experience, as we are not Catholic and have no idea about such matters. The most important thing was being there with our grandson on an important occasion. The second important thing was seeing the inside of the Cathedral. I've been wanting to go and see it for years but never go around to doing so. This was a great opportunity, as it is a truly magnificent structure.

Bye for now,

Emily