I am sitting here in front of our lovely log fire, with our half decorated Christmas tree in the corner twinkling in the corner, with the gentle snoring of the dogs.
At the beginning of November I finished tucking away all of the dahlia tubers and I was very grateful that I was able to complete this whilst the sun was still shining and it was not too cold, believe me this is a miserable job in the cold and rain.
My bulbs finally arrived from the wholesaler - they arrived several weeks late and then they send me another batch in error - I started to panic when the second lot arrived as I wondered what on earth I had been thinking back in May when I had ordered them. Thankfully for once, it was not my error. I plant my bulbs in crates….I started doing this a few years ago and it has been one of my best discoveries yet. No digging trenches to plant the bulbs in and the crates can be moved around as necessary. My ranunculus have been “pre sprouting” in the greenhouse and on Monday they will be planted out.
We created the florals for our last wedding of the year. The wedding was over in Seattle which always makes me a little nervous with the transportation of so many flowers. Sadly these days our ferry system is not what it used to be so I never rely on them to get to Seattle when I need to be somewhere at a certain time, I make the drive South and then head north on I5 to Seattle and pray for light traffic - is there such a thing these days? I am glad to say that everything went smoothly and the flowers looked beautiful.
After I had finished setting up the wedding I headed to another special event. An engagement dinner celebration for my eldest son Will & his how fiancé Sam. I am so excited for them - they have been together for 10 years now - they won’t be getting married for a couple of years as Sam is finishing her Phd. at USC. No prizes for guessing where her wedding flowers will be coming from!
My biggest event of the year is the Christmas Wreath workshop which I collaborate with Kelly Welk from Ciderpress Lane A lot of planning goes into these workshops. I harvest all of the greens locally for this event with my trusty sidekicks Penny & Shannon. I am lucky to have access to a property that used to be a Christmas Tree Farm as well as several properties that surround my farm. I love my job in all of the seasons and even though it can be wet and cold, there is nothing better than being out in the middle of nowhere with no noise and the beautiful smell of evergreens.
In November I also start creating my special order wreaths. I try to make them a little different from your average wreath and include lots of dried elements into the evergreens. Along with the wreaths I have been working on my Christmas Baubles and mini wreaths. People often say to me “this must be a slow time of year for you”. Not a chance…but some slower times are ahead but for the moment I am enjoying this wonderful season that is currently upon me.
I still pinch myself that we are at the end of another year - and it is nothing short of a Christmas Miracle that I have kept up my Monthly Musings for a whole year, and I am actually enjoying writing them - it does not feel like a chore and it gives me chance to reflect on what I have achieved in the past month. Thank you for joining me for the ride, it means a lot to me.
Many of you know that I also try to make a trip home to England at the end of the year. Christmas is going to be spent here in our farmhouse, bustling with dogs, my sons and their girlfriends - which is pretty much perfect. I will then head off to London and Copenhagen for New Years - with my 87 year old English “Uncle” - he has never seen the Christmas lights in London so I am taking him to see those and then we will meet my sister and her family in Copenhagen to see in the New Year. We will of course spend time visiting family too.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas in which ever way you choose to celebrate.
Much love and sparkles,