Best Wing Forward!!

                Hello, you lovely people,

Here we are twelve days into the new year and already I am focusing on the direction ahead. I get so excited at the start of each year, making plans and decisions for the future month's ahead.


Over the past year, I have learned a great deal about social media, blogging, tweeting and keeping my posts up-to-date. Strangely enough I found it all quite tedious to begin with but laterally I'm pleased to admit I'm actually getting to grips with it and enjoying it all so much more.





This year, I will write my thoughts and plans on my post and publish them. I must confess I am inclined to procrastinate so, I feel I will accomplish so much more being aware you all know my plan and by the end of 2013, I will have completed all my tasks!!


Apart from my floristry business which I am very passionate about and love, I have signed up for Goodreads 2013 Book Challenge. I will read one book per month over the following twelve months. I appreciate most of you will be completing many more books but I feel this would be a good challenge for me... Yeah!

I intend to update Natural Twigs n Spices and my new blog The Quartz Rose which is going to be an extension of my website www.myflowerpot.co.uk but with a twist and involving meditations, healings and in time, treatments and courses. I will write one post per week  for each blog to begin with. My challenge on Twitter, will be to reach 4,000 tweets with quotes on various topics, recent news updates, retweets and any other subjects or gossip by the end of 2013! Yeah!!

I started a Creative Writing Course sometime back and floundered badly along the way, so I have decided to pick up where I left off and continue the course.  I  hope to be closer to my dream this time next year if not before. So here's to a "Best wing forward and finding my writer's voice".

What are your plans for 2013 and are you starting any new businesses?
Any suggestion would be very welcome. So please leave a comment, I don't bite or sting!! 

"The Floral Birthday Book printed by E Evans

Today, whilst sorting through paperwork, I came across a little green and gold hardback'd book. It looked quite old, the pages were worn and turned at the edges. I opened it to look inside, I did not recognise the font but the book was full of poems and beautiful illustrations of hedgerow flowers on each page. The front cover was divided into four sections by a gold line connecting to an oval shape in the centre with yellow wording which read; "The Floral Birthday Book," at each corner section there was a picture of a wild flower. 
                                          
                                                                                                                                                            
The book was small three inches wide by four inches long and small enough to slip into a pocket. When I held it in my hand I wanted to hold onto it but it felt fragile and well used. As I opened it I found there were no dates of when it had been written. Between the first three pages parchment paper was inserted between two full page illustrations. On the fifth page I found "Flowers and their Emblems", with appropriate selections from the poets with 368 Illustrations. On following pages, I read  the names of each poet and on the following page their poems. The edges of each page were red and I felt I wanted to wear gloves so as not to damage the paper. On each page there were three sets of poems and three sets illustrations. The next page was blank but it had been divided into three individual spaces. Two section on this particular page had names yet other sections within the book were blank. I found the name of W Foster on one of the illustrations and then noticed that the little book had been printed by Edmund Evans.

My curiosity took me  online to see if I could find any history on this little book. To my delight I found a similar book but it wasn't as pretty as mine. The book online was covered in brown cloth with a gilt tool edging and yellow pages inside. It is believed to have been written in 1876 and this one like mine had no inscriptions on it which made it the original. Printed by Edmund Evans.

Has anyone come across a similar book to this one?