Rest.
There is something about August that always feels a little quieter.
Not because life suddenly slows down - it rarely does - but because winter begins whispering that it won't be here forever.
The mornings are still crisp, the kettle is forever boiling, and the garden still feels asleep, but if you look closely, there are tiny signs that spring is patiently waiting beneath the surface.
I've always loved this part of the year.
Everyone seems eager to rush towards longer days and fresh beginnings, but I find myself wanting to linger here just a little longer.
As a florist, winter has taught me that not every season is about abundance. Some flowers spend months quietly building strong roots before they ever think about blooming. Roses stand bare after their winter prune, looking almost lifeless, yet we know their most beautiful season is just around the corner.
Nature has never mistaken rest for laziness.
I'm trying to remember that myself.
Running a small business often feels like there is always another bouquet to design, another proposal to send, another email waiting in my inbox or another idea I should already have brought to life. Then outside the studio, I'm simply Mum to Ollie and wife to Adam. There are school lunches to pack, washing that somehow never ends and dinners to cook before everyone gathers around the table.
It's a beautiful life.
But it's a full one.
Lately I've realised that rest isn't always found in holidays or weekends away. Sometimes it's choosing not to fill every spare moment. It's letting the washing wait until tomorrow because the fire is warm. It's putting my phone down. It's making dinner slowly instead of rushing through it. It's lighting a candle, pouring another cup of tea and remembering that life doesn't always have to be productive to be worthwhile.
Soon enough, spring will arrive.
The blossom will appear. Wedding season will gather pace. The studio will once again be overflowing with buckets of flowers in every colour imaginable.
There will be plenty of time for growing.
But before we rush into another season of doing, perhaps August is gently asking us to simply be.
To rest.
To refill our cups.
To let the quiet do its work.
Because just like the garden, some of our most important growth happens where nobody else can see it.
From the Studio
This month I've swapped podcasts for classical music while I work.
What started as a small experiment has completely changed the atmosphere inside the studio.
Instead of designing to background chatter, I've been surrounded by the gentle sounds of Debussy, Chopin and Elgar. Everything feels slower. More intentional. I notice the tiny curve of a stem, the way flowering andromeda catches the morning light and how each bloom naturally wants to sit. Bouquets almost seem to arrange themselves.
Perhaps flowers have always deserved a classical soundtrack.
On repeat this month
- Clair de Lune — Claude Debussy
- Gymnopédie No. 1 — Erik Satie
- Salut d'Amour — Edward Elgar
- Nocturne in E-flat Major — Frédéric Chopin
- On the Nature of Daylight — Max Richter
Around Our Table
If one meal summed up winter this week, it would be this creamy gnocchi.
Comforting, simple and exactly the sort of dinner that fills the house with the most wonderful smell. Perfect after a long day in the studio.
Creamy Pork & Fennel Sausage Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 500g potato gnocchi
- 4 pork & fennel sausages, casings removed
- 250g Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small brown onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 250ml thickened cream
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
- A handful of baby spinach
- Fresh thyme
- Olive oil
- Salt and cracked black pepper
Method
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.
Meanwhile, heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the sausage meat, breaking it into rustic pieces as it browns. Stir through the onion and mushrooms until beautifully caramelised before adding the garlic for another minute.
Pour in the chicken stock and allow it to reduce slightly before stirring through the cream, parmesan and a few thyme leaves.
Cook the gnocchi until it floats to the surface before transferring it straight into the sauce with a splash of the cooking water. Fold through the spinach until just wilted.
Finish with plenty of cracked pepper, extra parmesan and fresh thyme.
Serve with warm crusty bread and don't be surprised if everyone goes back for seconds.
A Little Evening Ritual
Once the dishes are done and the studio lights are switched off, I've been making the same drink every evening.
A mug of spiced hot chocolate.
Rich cocoa, creamy milk, a little cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg and just the tiniest splash of vanilla.
It's become the signal that the day is finished.
No more emails.
No more work.
Just a blanket, a good book and a quiet house.
Sometimes the smallest rituals become the ones we treasure most.
In the Garden
One of my favourite things about August is that the garden begins to stir.
It isn't loud yet. There aren't armfuls of flowers waiting to be picked. Instead, it's tiny signs that reward anyone who takes the time to look closely - fresh green shoots pushing through the soil, swelling buds on the roses and blossom quietly preparing for its grand entrance.
If you're gardening here in Adelaide, now is such a lovely time to get outside before spring arrives.
A few jobs I'm tackling this month:
- Finish pruning roses if you haven't already and feed them with a good rose fertiliser ready for their spring flush.
- Divide overcrowded perennials such as agapanthus and daylilies.
- Plant herbs like parsley, coriander and chives.
- Towards the end of the month, scatter seeds for cosmos, larkspur, nigella and Queen Anne's lace if the soil begins to warm.
- Keep an eye out for snails and slugs - they always seem to know spring is coming before we do.
Gardens have a beautiful way of reminding us that the quiet work often happens long before the flowers arrive.
Things I've Been Loving
Fragrance
I've barely worn anything other than Jo Malone English Pear & Sweet Pea this month.
It's soft, elegant and quietly nostalgic. The sweetness of ripe pear mixed with delicate sweet peas somehow feels made for late winter - when you're longing for spring but still wrapped in cosy knits.
If August had a scent, I think this would be it.
What I'm Wearing
My Country Road knitted dress has barely had a day off.
It's become my unofficial winter uniform - comfortable enough for long days conditioning flowers, warm enough for chilly school drop offs and still polished enough for wedding consultations.
I love clothes that make you feel put together without trying too hard, and this dress does exactly that.
This Month, I'm...
- Learning to rest without feeling guilty.
- Drinking far too many cups of tea.
- Filling the studio with classical music instead of podcasts.
- Looking for the first signs of spring in the garden each morning.
- Remembering that not every season is meant for blooming.
I hope wherever you are, you've found a few quiet moments to slow down before spring begins asking more of us.
Until next month,
Kels x ♡
"The garden never hurries towards spring. It simply trusts that the season will come."