Moonlight Shadows and Scandinavian Princesses

Oh the Christmas celebrations are well under way. 

On Saturday it was the annual celebration of Carols in the Barn. Over £500 was raised for Farm Africa. My photos are not particularly good but here are a few.

The barn was packed, only a few straw bales going free. Luckily it wasn`t too cold. We walked there and back in moonlight shadows which was quite magical. 

The animals accompanied us joining in every now and then.

The children provided a delightful impromptu nativity and they came in on the two donkeys, Rosie and Alice.

 

At the end there was time to see the animals close to.

 Another lovely tradition gradually becoming a great part of Christmas ..... the carriage ride.

We were so lucky with the weather. It was cold so we were wrapped in blankets.

Anne looked like a Scandinavian princess ....

 

...... I heard Hollie`s giggles before I heard the sound of Willow`s hooves.

Anne had a bag of provisions so along the way we had chocolates, mince pies and almond cookies as well as hot chocolate.

Buddy was on my lap most of the way.

 

This was Paula`s first carriage ride and she was up front for a while.

We had a dicey moment turning in Rectory Close but dear old Willow managed it with Hollie`s expert handling and Katie`s help, in a friend`s drive. All because Paula had a card to deliver!! 

We came back through the village with all lights blazing, the sky darkening and the clouds yellow.

It was all lovely and such a fun thing to do.

Thank you Hollie and Anne.
 

There Were Ten in the Yurt

At last, a really fine day amongst the otherwise grey and miserable weather. We even saw the very welcome sun.

The large yurt was cosy and set up with a huge table. The smell of the Nordic pine was very seasonal. We managed to get some lovely pieces from Harborough Nursery where they are still selling Christmas trees. The pieces were so large they had to be cut in half to fit in the car.

Here they are in the polytunnel.

 

On the Monday, I cut and made six more wreaths as I was a bit worried we wouldn`t have enough. They look so lovely when they are new and I even wove in some red dogwood.

 

This year we had ten people. It was a squeeze but we managed. The greenery went onto the table en masse and what a choice .... Nordic pine, cypress lleylandi, holly, eucalyptus, a fine-leaved bay, a variegated holly and more I could not name. Anyway there was plenty to choose from.

Everyone got stuck into their bases only needing a few reminders.

 

There was Xmas music, teas and coffees, chocs, much encouragement for newbies and generally a lovely atmosphere.

 

Once the bases were completed, the greenery was replaced by boxes of decorations; pine cones, baubles, ribbons, golden acorns, cinnamon sticks, orange slices etc.  There was just so much to choose from. 

The lovely wreaths began to take on a very individual look.

Here is Jane with hers .....

.......and Sally with hers.

Jan and Julie brought delicious soup which was heated up on the camp kitchen stove and eaten on the decking.

 

Then Abbie came with Anne`s grandchildren including new baby Lilia. More wreaths were created after lunch.

Aunty Hollie with Poppy and Lilia.

Alfie and Poppy.

More work on titivating the wreaths.

More teas with lovely mince pies (thanks Paula), chocs and finally the big showtime at the end for photos.

 

And by the evening some wreaths had been hung on doors.

 

Thank you Anne for hosting another great wreath making day. It was a lot of fun and even more people surprised themselves with their creative ability.

Well done all.

 

With hindsight this blog entry should have been two. Sorry its a bit long.

Jobs in the Sunshine

We have had quite heavy colds which have left us with coughs, feeling somewhat drained and keeping us awake at night. 

On top of that, the brakes on our relatively new hybrid car, went wrong and so we have been without a car. Luckily my sister lives nearby. She was able to take us to the recent craft fair thank goodness. 

We had a nice morning, though I did not sell as much as last year. The sun was pouring into the lounge of the Five Villages sheltered flat complex. Anne and Abbie came with new baby Lilia. So it was lovely to meet her for the first time. And there were lots of other people we knew.

We had a lot of Christmasy things so it was a bright and cheerful table. My brother came to play carols as well which gave a good festive feel.

On our last visit to the garden we had to walk, which was fine as it was a beautiful sunny day. We met Hollie exercising Willow and another pony in the lane. Hollie has been making lovely insects from beads and wire. I had a bag of my old jewellery for her in my bag.

The poor dahlias have been literally knocked to the ground with rain, frost and wind. 

The main job for me was to get more cut down and covered over with old carpet. I used the panels we`ve had for a while instead of bricks. This year I will be leaving all the dahlias in the ground.

 

There are still quite a few clumps to do but I am over halfway now. Anne too, has cleared her bed and we are hoping Tim will bring us some manure soon.

It really was a lovely day and we sat outside for our teabreak.

The shadow is wide across the garden as we come up to the shortest day. When it is sunny I only want jobs that keep me in the sunshine.

The hanging sedum pots still provide a bit of colour.

Helichrysum needs to be pulled up.

What a sorry sight.

Still lots to do but we are getting there.

Christmas Worry Worms

Christmas prep comes early for crafters. The house is full of various boxes and trays of Christmasy looking bits and pieces.

Having spent a long weekend in Leicester with my nephew and his family, I spent what little spare time we had, making 14 worry worms. The children wanted to make gingerbread houses and fairies. There were rugby matches to watch, allotments to weed, children to collect from school and babies to cuddle.

 I came home with a cold so I spent today resting and completing the worry worm characters. It has been wet and miserable outside anyway but up in Leicester they woke up to a layer of snow. 

Inspired by gingerbread houses, and an experiment ....

 

..... little elves ....

 

 ....... Santas .....

 

...... snowmen ....

 

....... reindeer.

Coming up at the end of November, is a craft fair, in the next village. I am looking forward to it.

Lots of my Christmas makes will be there.

Here are a few more.

And of course the inevitable fairies.

Recently I saw my five year old great-nephew and he asked me to make something with his favourite old pyjamas, which are covered in tractors.

So I came up with this.

Its a mini-quilt.

And finally I made a pompom dog. We took Rosie for a family walk and I made this one-off tree decoration for his owner, Pauline.
 

I wonder whats next?