The "We" of this blog are Margaret and David Pender.  "We" found one another because David's parents took him to Africa when they decided to become missionaries in 1972 and he landed up as a very disgruntled 16 year old who would rather be enjoying the fruits of the student revolution just getting under way in the USA and instead found himself in a backwater village called Fort Victoria in Rhodesia (now called Zimbabwe) with his hair cut short and wearing a school uniform complete with a tie, short pants and knee socks.   However, his misery turned to joy when he met Margaret at Fort Victoria High School and she completely changed his perspective on the situation at hand. 

Margaret grew up on a farm outside of town and, to attend school, used to ride in and out with the daily milk truck.  Besides the dairy, they also grew commercial flowers on the farm, and Margaret's mother and grandmother were expert floral designers and taught little Margaret all the tricks of the trade.  The farm was called "Victoria Park" after the park across the road from the house where Margaret's grandfather was born in London.  Now you know how the florist got it's name.  You will also know why there is a teapot in amongst all the flowers in the photo of Margaret on this page.  Her early life was all tea and flowers and she still loves them both.   After living for over 30 years in Margaret's world, they have decided to move to David's and so here we are in the beautiful, friendly and progressive town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.