Pink lemonade and chocolate mint

I've been going to lots of classes over the last few months - flamenco, ballet, swing (lots of fun, would like to do more classes in future), singing, tap dancing (far too technical for me and both are much harder than they appear to be), and different types of acting (which is loads of fun).

After my improvisation class last week, we went to a cafe for food and a chat. When we left, I asked the staff if I could take our empty bottles - pink lemonade and citron (isn't that just 'lemon' in French?!) and the staff at Bills' kindly wrapped the bottles up for me.

There wasn't a lot in full flower in the garden, but I filled the lemonade bottles and some mini milk bottles with rose buds, scabious, flowering orange thyme and chocolate mint. I made a lovely cup of chocolate mint tea with the leaves below the water line, and even that looked pretty in my William Morris 'Daisy' mug that my friend Sarah gave me as a 'cheer up' present this year.

I took these photos on the same day that I took the overlit photos of the first roses, and I think these came out much better!

I like the promise of summer that these image evoke - parks, wooden benches, lemonade and tea, and sweet-smelling roses and herbs.