How To Walk In High Heels: The Girl's Guide To Everything (43 page)

Bridal bouquets

The Roman bride and groom would wear floral garlands as a symbol of their fertility and long life together, and some even had garlic in the mix to ward off evil. Today they are more to symbolise a maiden, and the scents hopefully will for ever hold memories of that day. The throwing of the bouquet came from America, clearly originating from a woman once in a netball team. Unwed women have to get in training to catch it, as it is said that she who does will be the next to wed.

But what to have in your big day bloom? Flowers have so many meanings it is important to send your beloved the right message.

How to care for tulips

Everyone has their preferred spray, but tulips are a very popular choice because when they are youthful they are the loveliest thing to lift a room, and when they droop they don’t drop their pollen. When you get tulips you have to go through a rigorous care ritual to encourage them to live and come into a long bloom. First, take cut flowers and plunge immediately in a basin of cold water. Also fill the chosen vase with water. Whilst under the water cut a small diagonal tip off the stem so you make a fresh cut that has not been exposed to the air. Repeat this process for the whole bunch then transfer into a vase one by one, quickly to avoid the tulip getting air in the raw cut. Take a pin and prick a hole an inch below the head, all the way through the stem. This air hole will ensure the tulips stand upright for longer.

How to purchase flowers for gifts and grovelling

If the ‘bouquet’ you receive comes from a garage, or contains garish shades of carnations, slam the door back in their face. This was a cheap ill-considered gift. Similarly, warning bells should ring if you get a huge unexpected floral delivery; yes, suitors and admirers may be earnestly trying to woo you, but if it comes from the person you are dating you might want to check what they did last night. Know your favourite flowers, and have a favourite florist on hand to recommend in each of the major cities. Question what someone really thinks of you if they send you a Venus fly trap or a cactus plant.

Floral services to have on speed dial

London: Paula Pryke at Liberty, 020 7734 1234

Milan: Tea Rose, 00 39 02 7601 5467

Paris: Fleurs Fruits Feuillages, 00 33 1 47 27 27 27

New York: Michael George Flowers, 001 212-883-0304

‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea,

In a beautiful pea-green boat.

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

wrapped up in a five-pound note’

Edward Lear

How to Get the Travel Bug

‘Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun’
Noël Coward

How to get started

You might have fifty-seven channels on cable, or be able to google any piece of information you like on the internet, but the only real way to find inspiration is to get out there, see it and experience it. Travel should start at an early age; children under two travel free so there is no excuse. Ideally you should aim to discover one new city or country a year. Go to as many places as you have pages in your passport.

The tourist can be a horrible stereotype; the trick is to blend in with the locals, respect their culture and the doors will open for you to explore.

Picking a destination is like deciding which chocolate to pluck from a box: you can see what it looks like in the picture, but you don’t know what it is like on the inside until you have taken a bite. Take a risk and find a new favourite.

Films and books are a brilliant source of inspiration.
The Sound of Music
will send you to Salzburg,
Moulin Rouge
to Paris,
Picnic at Hanging Rock
to Australia, and
Amadeus
to Prague. If you are feeling literary a dip into
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
will have you heading to Dorset, E.M. Forster’s
A Room with a View
to Florence, while Bram Stocker’s
Dracula
will pack you off to Transylvania, and Vikram Seth’s
A Suitable Boy
to India. Alternatively the truly cultured could seek inspiration through paintings; let Gauguin send you to Tahiti, Monet to his garden in Giverny, France, or go to a country for its galleries.

Everyone should visit the
Mona Lisa
in the Louvre in Paris at least once. The view from the top of the Empire State Building in New York, and sunset on an exotic island are also essential. Borders and equators are there to be crossed. If you love Thai food why not visit Thailand? If you have a shoe collection to rival
Sex in the City
’s Carrie Bradshaw, perhaps go to New York to compare styles. Holidays are great opportunities for role-play. But there is also much to be said for lying on a white sandy beach, where your only worry is what factor sun-cream to wear.

You will, of course, need the appropriate wardrobe whatever the destination, so you need to investigate the culture of the country you are visiting. In some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, shoulders should be covered. In Japan it is considered the height of bad manners to blow your nose in the street. Likewise, two blonde girls in a traditional Arabic state may raise eyebrows. It is worth checking things out before signing the deposit.

If you still don’t feel you’ve found the place you’re after you could
cautiously
ask to see a
selection
of your friends’ holiday snaps, or could go to
www.expedia.co.uk
or
www.lastminute.co.uk
and see what destinations they have on offer.

How to decide when you are going

You need to know, roughly, what the weather will be like and what to expect at your chosen destination. If it is for work that is not too important as they will be responsible for transporting you from office to airport to office to hotel. Air-conditioned environments are not weather-sensitive. If you are going to exotic climates check when is the rainy season; likewise, do not go to Australia expecting a white Christmas. Do your homework.

Cities are great for Christmas shopping and short weekend breaks, while it would be rude to do the wilds of the Tuscan countryside in anything less than a week.

Once you have chosen the location, you have to decide on where to stay. This is budget, as well as holiday dependent. It will also help you decide who your travel companion is and how long you will be away. Decide if you want self-catering or catered, to be able to do it yourself, or simply be able to dial up room service. Be honest, sometimes the whole ‘rustic’ thing is really exhausting.