Tag: trees

How it begins

Two trees landed on the balcony this week – even earlier than usual. We always try to have the house ready for Christmas after the first weekend in December – but there are too many other commitments this year. We realised on Sunday that Monday 27th November was the only slot the grandchildren were free to come and help choose, and they were very keen.

Christmas decorations – and especially tree dressing – are taken pretty seriously round here. There have been wars in the past – including one year when a family member got up in the night, stripped the tree her sisters had done up the day before and completely changed the colour scheme. Another year we reached a compromise – literally a half-and-half set of colours, divided vertically….that was weird. The younger children used to be fobbed off with a small Dog’s Dinner tree of their own upstairs. That one was quite a sight.

This house suits Christmas. It has high ceilings, so it can accommodate a sizeable tree and the fireplace comes into its own – definitely a winter room. Just a question of taking a deep breath and pitching in with the greenery – it does all take time!

Some random photos from previous years, for encouragement. Pity I never got a picture of the half and half tree though….

Blogvember day 8: Drama in the outlines

Not sure where this is all heading (geometric quilts? twisted stitch patterns? more dye bath possibilities?) but the pictures I am taking at the moment, from street scenes to modern art, seem to be full of lines – if not always straight ones!

I had hoped to get some decent autumn shots this year, but between the relentless grey gloom, family events at weekends and finally storm Cieràn seeing off the leaves, it doesn’t seem likely. Sheffield Park (National Trust, about 20 miles away) is probably our closest reliably dramatic woodland -some years it can be spectacular. I took these a few seasons ago.

I think it’s the lake reflections that do the trick! This was actually the photo that inspired the knitwear in the centre of the first set of pictures.

Late December trees – and late again.

This time because it is hard to kick away the props. It was only ever supposed to be a set of 12 months, but I never imagined the role these trees would take on. But enough now. I will be back with pictures of the spring flowers if they ever do their thing – there are definitely some promising signs, and right through December, rather weirdly, there have been patches of violets flowering away in the patch we have appropriated for a memorial. Climate change?

Late October Trees – in a mighty hurry

To get off to France, that is. And anyway, the trees are pretty dull right now – we don’t seem to do much autumn colour in this garden.

Actually, apart from tree 3 which is currently rather elegant, this lot look pretty scruffy.

Flower beds not much better:

But I have designs on flower bed 3 – I have adopted it for 2022 as a one-off (can’t get too carried away!) memorial garden for my daughter. At her event last month we made a start on planting almost 40 kilos of daffodils. Crocus and tulips in the next three weeks….only about 20 kilos to go….We’ll see!

Back soon – maybe without any trees involved.

Late September Trees and a Fitting Memorial

Same five trees, same two flower beds. No-one seems able to identify the rather weird fifth tree. It produces its flowers (first picture, below) in late September and keeps them all winter and right through the spring. Any ideas?

The flower beds are mostly back to green now. I really like the one in the last picture though – it makes me think of fireworks!

The photos were taken early in the morning, just before we set up for my daughter’s memorial event. We were anxious to hold it in these gardens – she spent a lot of time here. We put up a proper marquee, as well as the black film tent, so that the choir wouldn’t be rained off. As it happened, we were really lucky with the weather. We even managed to get people to make a start on planting spring bulbs – we have decided to set up a tulip bed for next year – my daughter was an artist who loved colour!

It was a very moving experience. People had travelled serious distances – several had had to switch to trains because of petrol shortages. Many had brought babies, some were elderly. Tears and laughter all at once. We heard so many stories- many of them quite new to us- and we do feel we have now paid our daughter the tribute that Covid denied her at the time. Overwhelming moments, certainly, but ultimately such a warm and supportive event that it was indeed life-affirming.