Are you being served?

I guess you would have to be at least my age (28ish) to remember the sit-com ‘Are you being served?‘ Regardless of whether you remember it or not, I’m sure you’re also wondering what on earth has this got to do with flowers or the Flower Shop?

Well, you may well wonder!

If you are as old as I am and have lived in Sussex for as many years as I have, then you may remember an old department store in Horsham, called Beales. I have been told it is now long gone but when a bride told me she would be having her wedding breakfast and celebrations upstairs at Beales, I readily agreed to deliver and make whatever arrangements she wanted.

“What floor will you be having your reception on?” I asked politely.

” There’s an upstairs room which has been reserved for us, all the staff will know” came the reply.

Strange I thought, checking the bride’s family name to see if it might be ‘Beale’.

It wasn’t. I kept smiling and promised to have the flowers delivered and arranged nice and early and reassured her that whatever the space was available, it would look absolutely stunning.

After the bride left, I asked Becky (who lives in Horsham) if she knew the department store. Both Becks and Claire2 fell about laughing, not just giggling but laughing like they were about to wet themselves.

NOT ‘BEALES’….. BILL’s!!!!!!! they both said in unison.

Apparently, Bill’s is a very trendy eatery that has a very popular restaurant in Horsham. Maybe I need to get out more, I’m definitely spending too much time in the village.

Don’t get me wrong, I love this little village of Pulborough, but when the prospect of a shopping trip to John Lewis in Chichester gets me excited as a kid at Christmas, I should worry. To be honest, if John mentions going to the supermarket in Storrington, a couple of miles down the road, on a Sunday morning, I can hardly sleep the night before in anticipation of a trip out.

My Life as the Village Florist really is that, 24/7, 365 days a year. I love it most of the time, but sometimes, I just want to get out!! If I need my hair doing, my wonderful hairdresser Jess comes to the house, if I want company and entertainment I have my fabulous village book group, if I fancy seeing a film, there’s the village cinema. I have a gorgeous garden that’s carefully tended to by shop horticulturist and Britain in Bloom judge, Ruth. We have chickens, ducks, Mike the Jack Russell, Lilly the cat and my brother and sister-in-law live around the corner, what more could I want and what possible reason could there be for leaving the village, ever?!