where is spring?

bouquet of ranunculus, bearded iris, sweet peas, clematis, lilacs and peach campanella roses

it's cold here.  it caught me by surprise this morning on the way to spin class.  yep, folks, i'm still spinning monday and wednesday mornings.  monday's classes are usually pretty nice -- a good way to start the week.  but the instructor for wednesday's class is brutal (in a good way, of course).  she makes sure that i sweat and pant and nearly faint at least three times over the course of 45 minutes -- very intense.  naturally, i've signed up for her class this friday (pray for me, please).  my legs are burning.  i've consumed two glasses of wine to help relax my muscles ;)

 and a little garden snake baking in the morning sun.  he kept me company as i was taking photos.

york harbor

in massachusetts this easter weekend.  we went to york harbor, maine yesterday to wish sarah a happy birthday with a posy of purple and gold blossoms.

i love sarah's apartment; it has a coastal new england vibe about it.  the apartment itself feels nautical and she's brought many components of the outside in with a great collection shells, weathered elements and ferns and other plants potted in vintage vessels.  i could never replicate this myself so perhaps capturing it would be the next best thing.  sarah's lucky to live in a place like york harbor.  pete and i often talk about moving back to new england, but we'd miss nyc terribly.

posy of clematis, ranunculus, sweet peas, lilacs, tulips and peach campanella roses

clematis, ranunculus, sweet peas, lilacs, tulips and peach campanella roses

clematis, ranunculus, sweet peas, lilacs, tulips and peach campanella roses

clematis, ranunculus, sweet peas, lilacs, tulips and peach campanella roses

soul pyscho (i mean, soul cycle)

bouquet of lilacs, 'putamayo' carnations, hellebores, sweet peas and clematis

i'm so tired today i want to cry.  this morning was my first morning working out in a really intense way.  i was up at 5:30am for a 6:00am soul cycle spin class.  pure utter torture.  arms. arms.  now double time!  pedal.  pedal.  i left the studio with sia stuck in my head -- "hey i heard you were a wild one, ooh...."  

and before i pass out tonight, i wanted to share this bouquet.  when i have consults with brides, i get a lot of "i don't like carnations" or "anything but carnations".  i get it.  we largely see garishly colored carnations mixed with baby's breath and leather leaf ferns being pushed out from those big box flower companies -- not so pleasing.  but i'm noticing a renewed interest from designers to elevate the carnation's status (see the summer 2012 issue of martha stewart weddings).  and i'm buying what they're selling.  carnations can look very upscale when accompanied by more luxurious flowers and they're inexpensive.  look at this week's bouquet and last week's too.  give them a second chance.