Busy, Busy, Busy...!

Whilst most people are winding down to an (isolated) and quiet Christmas, Emma and I have been busier than ever these last few weeks. We’ve just upgraded all the gardening equipment ready for next year and have been clearing out and organising the garage so we can work in a much more organised way when the busy season comes around again.

Personally, I’ve been tasked with creating a willow wreath and a wooden reindeer, (which you can see below, or on Instagram if you prefer) as Emma took a fancy to getting both of these for our Christmas outdoor decorations and I would much rather spend a morning foraging for the materials and an afternoon putting them together than I would spending the cash on a ready made one! Emma is however more like most of you and would be just as happy clicking ‘Buy Now’ – as long as the result is the same!

I’ve managed to keep up with some of my volunteering, however had to miss some earlier in the month due to one of our girl’s classmates having been in contact with a Covid positive case and playing it safe by missing a day at Belsay and another at Higher Ground. It’s been a bit claggy recently mind so I’d not be entirely honest if I didn’t admit to a little relief at the break, but having said that I still find myself annoyed at 4pm when I have to pack up for the day because of the encroaching darkness, so it’s not like I’ve been sat in the house instead!

Emma has an advent calendar and the remaining closed doors indicate how many days are left until Christmas. I have a poinsettia and the remaining leaves tell me how many days are left until Christmas. They have to be one of the most capricious and uncooperative plants I’ve ever come across. Not too hot, not too cold. Not too wet, not too dry. Not too light, not too dark. And the margin of error is minute. I managed to keep last year’s alive until March but honestly, I treat them as I would a bunch of cut flowers and expect to buy one for Christmas and throw it out after 6 weeks at the most. Not the best admission for a gardener I know, but I know some much more experienced gardeners than myself who can’t keep a houseplant alive for toffee!

Hope you all have as Happy a Christmas as possible, and let me know your thoughts on seasonal planting.

Adam