Bringing Spring Into Your Home

There's a certain emptiness to your home once the Christmas decorations have come down.  Sitting rooms stuffed with trees and fairy lights feel suddenly cold and bare.  I have pots of Poinsettias in literally every room - now all slowly falling into demise, their cheery red petals no more; apart from a tiny one in our kitchen which is flourishing despite being in direct sunlight and a draught! 

It can all feel really dreary and a bit bleak.  The days are just about getting lighter but Spring feels a long way off.  I secretly quite enjoy this time of year.  The beautiful chaos that is Christmas is passed and I actually have some time to reflect on the year ahead and the things I want to achieve, do and make time for. 

We moved the week before Christmas last year so we are still getting to grips with the house and all our plans for it.  Hellebores have started to rise in the garden alongside snowdrops and little pink flowers we haven't yet worked out what they are.  But so delicious to see.  

It is at this time of year that I really go to town with flowers and plants in the home.  It feels important to have some colour and cheer around us.  Hyacinths are brilliant at adding colour but I also love their heavenly scent which just conjures up feelings of Spring.  We have them in pots dotted about Hare house and I picked up some from the local flower market at the weekend and it's been fabulous to watch them bloom.  My other favourite flower at this time of year is the glorious tulip.  So bright and they always make me happy.  You can also find paperwhites and muscari at this time of year.  I've been eyeing up the different home kits that Southwold Flower Company have such as the muscari basket DIY kit, which look so gorgeous and once they have finished flowering you can put the plants in your garden.

The second important change I make is to my candle scents. Nothing too summery for this time of year but I like to ring the changes after my Christmas candles which are full of heavy spices and cinnamon.  Plum & Ashby's Pomegranate is a favourite at this time of year, light but not sweet.  Or the one I am burning at the moment and just adore is the Collingwood of Somerset's Orange Blossom & Fig.  It's simply gorgeous and its soft cedarwood undertones give it a mellow warmth that is perfect for a bright but cold January day.  I do like to have one lit in the evenings or on a chilly weekend afternoon.  Always so soothing to see the flame flickering and a delicious scent fill the room.

A lit candle and a cheery bunch of tulips on my table and I feel soothed and ready to get on with my planning for the year.