Arrangement

When I was six years old, my mother surprised me with this sweet Victorian tea cup as a gift. She was an inveterate antique shopper, and had found this little treasure in a shop in Brighton's Lanes. I remember feeling terribly important and grown up to be trusted with such a delicate, old, and beautiful thing. I have treasured it now for over half a century.

I think the reason she gave me such an odd gift for a small child is that I had just picked out some rose sprigged wallpaper for my bedroom. You can't see it in this picture, but the china is so fine it is almost opaque. You can see daylight through it. I'm quite sure this cup sowed the seeds of the deep love I have for antique china and porcelain -- so much so that I now sell it to others.

The flowers arranged in my tiny four-footed container are all from my garden. They include Lady's Mantle, roses, daisies, salvia, and a couple of sprigs of spirea.

An early start this morning, as we are headed to Lime Rock Park for (yet another) weekend of racing.