I reckon I have about half an hour to write this blog, as I do need to cook! I've been planning, for the first time since our marriage a three course Valentine's dinner for my husband. Yes, I know, we are terribly unromantic - or not easily persuaded by commercial marketing, whichever one you think applies. 

Of course I do need to feed the teenagers and toddler before then as well. They are just going to have pasta with pesto and broccoli, so that shouldn't be much work. Also the sourdough bread is already finished, our own prunes (dried from the Victoria Plum) are soaking in cherry liquor for the chocolate pie, the stock is made for the pommes boulangère and of course the table arrangement is done. So what can go wrong with just two and a half hours, eight dishes and a blog to do left?

I am not expecting any flowers tonight. This is my own fault, or better, my own choice, as I tend to be very critical of bought flowers. They are often the unfragrant variety and I can hardly ever find a vase to suit the bunches under £20 and end up cutting up those long stems. I tend to have no problem with anything bought at David Austin roses or similar though .... 

So, therefore I've arranged my own, in both senses of the word. As the bunch from Monday is still as good as it was on -indeed- Monday including the three white hellebores, there is no need for another big arrangement. Instead I have made a willow heart wreath for the table. This proved tricky, but with a lot of bending and one V shaped set of twigs, also not too complicated once I had the initial shape. 

It isn't very even, nor does it lie flat on the table, but then life isn't perfect for that matter either. 

As it is Valentine's day I thought that I should reveal my secret stash of two varieties of dried flowers, Acroclinium and Limonium sinuatum (Statice). These are not from last summer, but from the summer before and I was simply amazed by how bright the colours still are. Obviously the storing in the dark does do the trick.The pictures below are not quite true to colour due to the bad light, but it does come close.  

I also added some little vases with fragrant daphne (Daphne odora Aureomarginata). As the leaves have started to yellow, I cut those off and added some rosemary sprigs instead. Last but not least I  decorated two champagne flutes with the dried flowers for some lovely bubbly.

I need to get on with the cooking, so have a look yourselves! Happy Valentines day!