My lifelong habit of buying flowers

Simple joy: sunny orange ranunculus and mimosa to brighten up a dull morning. Photograph: Allan Jenkins

From the first time I had my own place, I have always bought cut flowers. Aged 18, living in a squat near London’s Portobello, I would shop near the end of a Friday or Saturday market to stock up on fresh fruit and veg. But the trip wasn’t complete without a few bunches from the flower stall outside Westbourne Park station.

At 19 I worked at a posh plant nursery, but it was cut flowers sold from stalls where I was happiest