Finding a Way Forward Towards the Festivities

You may have noticed .............. or not that I haven't been blogging frequently recently. It's been a busy, out of kilter, out of routine, upsetting, holiday, mad, heartbreaking time over the past month or so. Keeping it together on a day to day basis has been tricky, never mind putting thought to blogs, etc. So I'm going to try and do a mega round up here in this post and see how we go.

A big bowl of porridge to keep me going at the
Whitmuir Christmas Fair today

What a great success the Whitmuir Christmas fair was on the 18th of November, not only was the weather amazing (despite being very cold) but the car park was full all day. We had lots of lovely customers keeping us busy all day at the fair, the cafe was heaving and Santa did two walks up the The Whitmuir Fairy Walk. It was lovely to catch up with customers, fellow stall holders and friends. I think I've just about thawed out! Big thanks to everyone who organised the day, especially Val and all the team at Whitmuir the Organic Place

Santa's frozen helper

Our table at the Whitmuir Christmas Fair

Sunset at the end of the Christmas Fair

Unfortunately being out in the freezing cold on Saturday didn't help my cold so Sunday was spent keeping warm in the house and pottering about. I did create a seasonal candle decoration using some hawthorn berries I gathered on our dog walk in the morning. It's really easy to make using two jars that fit one inside the other, a candle and some berries. It cost me nothing as I had everything already.

A seasonal candle decoration

Brrrrrrr, frosty leaves

My hippeastrum is growing for a third year!
I wonder how many flowers it will have this year

You can read about growing Hippeastrums on my blog here, they make a great seasonal indoor plant with their huge flowers.

In other news  the weather has been wet, windy, snowy and freezing, then rainy, dry but frozen. Brrrrrrrrrr. So I've been making the most of the weather and getting on with lots of indoor jobs at home. I've made the christmas cake, mincemeat, blitzed almost all the rooms in the house, clearing out, deep cleaning and sorting out. I've done christmas planning and lots of paperwork and updating of the database and website for the nursery. I finally decided not to pay so much money to get my camera fixed but to invest in a new one! I really haven't had a chance to play with it yet, with everything that's been happening, hopefully soon.

Mincemeat ingredients

Mincemeat ready to seal up

Starting to make the christmas cake

New to me vintage candle holders for an idea I'm working on

Crab apples at the nursery

After our fabulous holiday touring around England and eating lots of lovely food, we started a healthy eating plan when we came home. Not a diet, just eating less, eating better and more healthy, so far so good and I've lost 5 pounds, we feel better and are enjoying our food. 

A snack bowl on my desk

We've either had wet, dull, dismal days or frozen, bright, blue sky days, neither of which are great for getting work down outside at the nursery. Now that the forecast looks a bit better for the coming week, David and I have been struck down with a terrible cold!

A lovely frosty day for a dog walk to the nearest village and back

Early winter sunset over Tinto

Bracken walking into the sunset

The birds haven't quite finished off the berries yet

I've collected together some French antique miniature saucepans and vintage candle holders to make a centre piece for the coffee table this christmas.

As some of you may know, my sister Mhairi has been in her own words living with cancer for two years. Her diagnosis of breast cancer was treated with a lumpectomy, chemo and radiotherapy from 2015 into 2016. At christmas 2016 she was admitted to hospital with suspected gall bladder problems only to be told the cancer was back, this time in her abdomen. A further course of chemo was then undertaken along with various other drugs to try to minimise the cancer and extend my sisters life that she might see her children grow up some more. In amongst all this she had problems with her vision in one eye and this too turned out to be the cancer. Finally a lot of pain and numbness in her left hip joint was revealed also to be the cancer. Two months ago she was given the news that none of the treatments were working and there was nothing else could be done. She was 45 with a devoted husband and three children, 10, 12 and 14. Tell where the fairness is in that? Now all she wanted was to go home and be with her family for what ever time she had left. The doctors said six weeks, she had six weeks, spending it doing things with the kids and family, sorting out everything she wanted to take care of and being in the midst of her family. David and I went down to Birmingham to visit for what we thought would be our last time together, but we were blessed that we got another day together when we travelled back from our road trip down south. Now the memories and photos of us all together at David and I's wedding in August are even more special (it was touch and go whether she'd make it on the day).

On Friday just there we buried my sister, my wee sister, a woman who had so much to give her family, her community, the world. I’ve spent the last 24 hours reflecting & grieving as many of us have done over the past days and weeks, and will do for a long time to come. Mhairi chose to be buried in a natural burial ground just south of Birmingham on the side of a hill over looking a valley. Surrounded by trees and native plants it is a beautiful peaceful place where her committal was simple and peaceful followed by a service of celebration in her church in Birmingham. 

Her thanksgiving service was truly a celebration of her life and everything she was to so many people. There were many tears, some laughter and a coming together of people from all over the country and community yesterday. She was truly an inspiration in her depth of care, love and faith. It was lovely to hear all the amazing stories people had to share of her, to meet so many people for the first time who were so caring to come and say hello to me even though they have lost a very dear friend and are hurting deeply themselves. 

We lose sight of so much in the day to day of life and sometimes we need to pause more often, breath, appreciate, care, give and love. No husband should have to bury his 45 year old wife, no children should have to stand at their mothers grave at such a young age, no parent should have to bury their child no matter their child’s age. Hug your loved ones close, tell them you love them, and if you care to support a charity, let it be a cancer one so that fewer families in the future have to go through this heart break. 

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