Sending a Message with a Tussie Mussie

Today's outing was lunch with two friends at the Glove Factory in Holt, and then an afternoon visit to the Courts Garden, a National Trust property, where we had the opportunity to learn about the language of flowers and then to make a tussie mussie (a small posy) for a friend.

The event was geared towards children, but we did it anyway! First off was to follow a trail through the gardens and find the boards explaining the meanings of the various flowers. 

Then back to the start to make a tussie mussie, selecting the flowers which would convey your message to your chosen recipient.

These are our attempts!  Mine is the centre one with the yellow dahlia (always your friend), lavender (devotion), ivy (friendship), salvia (wisdom), fennel and snapdragon (both meaning strength).

I don't plan to give it to anyone and to be honest I just chose the flowers I liked from the selection available to us, without considering the message at all. I'm not sure I would have been very good at this if I'd lived during Victorian times, when this was at the height of its popularity!

We finished off the afternoon by a walk around the gardens, which are beautiful and well worth a return visit, and then into the tea room for refreshments before we parted company. It turned out to be a cheap afternoon out as the event was free and as I'm a member of the National Trust I didn't have to pay for parking or entrance fees, so I only had to pay for my refreshments.  The weather was glorious and I also managed to get my 'pairs' photos for the next two weeks - a successful trip and a great way to spend an afternoon.