Christmas Cheer

Endless rain has not dampened the spirits in the Artful Garden but it has washed off the shine on the holly berries.
Charlie Barley loves his head boppers new for this year.

Groovy on down

Looby Loo wants you to notice her garter but not her tights which do not match her outfit.

Has anyone seen my hair straightners?

Crazy Maizie was complaining of the cold so had to be wrapped up in a spare pair of Santa trousers.

Do you like my earrings?

The Easter chicken like a bit of glitz.

Cluck, cluck, I'm no duck

Not to be outdone the pheasant also is displaying some tinsel.

A pheasant in disguise

Uno Recyclo was going to go on holiday until he found there was a spare Santa suit just a tad too big but who cares.

It's hard to pedal in this outfit

I have been decorating the church for Christmas.
A arrangement in the church porch.

A chance to add a bit of sparkle

St Josephs altar.

Red poinsettia and bright red berries

The poinsettia were donated by Marks and Spencers and we were able to make a festive display.

Green and red classic Christmas colours

Happy Christmas to all my readers. 

Countdown to Christmas

Not long to go now until Christmas. I have been busy preparing my Christmas decorations.
I have made three door wreaths.

For my front door.

Fir cones, holly and ivy

For my back door.

Cinnamon sticks, holly and fir cones

For the gate into the Artful Garden.

There's something fishy going on here

I have made a display along the wall by the gate.

Can you see the giant cracker?

I have made four different designs for my Christmas cards this year.
A Christmas tree made from my own dyed papers.

Shiny and bright

A Santa suit.

Dainty in red

A Christmas pudding.

A plump pudding

A Christmas scene.

A little red house

There is some wonderful yarn bombing in St Andrews churchyard in Penrith.

Knit one, purl one, repeat and repeat and repeat

Colourful

Festive bark.

Warm and cosy

.

The crochet look.

Pick a square, any square

Wooly bunting.

Bouncing snowman

Boozy Floosy has been on the bottle and we wonder if she will stay sober until Christmas day. Already she is banned from the pubs in Kirkoswald.

Hic, hic, hic

Bobby Barley has indulged in too many pre Christmas dinners. 

Check out the chicken

 Another funky chicken.

Groovy

I saw this lego man at the entrance to Beales in Hexham.

How many lego bricks

Anyone fancy an ice cream?

A giant cone

I love the way people decorate their houses with Christmas lights.

Not a lot of wall space left

Christmas Cometh

What a terrible week it has been for Cumbria with the extensive flooding in many areas of the county. The river Eden burst its banks in many places including at Lazonby.

The flood water rose so high that part of the bridge's supporting wall was washed away

The power of the water has to be respected.

Look at the height of the flotsam and jetsam

A landslip in a field caused by the flooding.

Mind the gap

On a recent visit to London I visited the iconic Liberty's store. The shop is located in Regent Street and the building is unique.

Stunning

They had on display some amazing paper flowers made from Liberty fabric designs. 

So beautiful

A fushia.

What an lovely creation

Pretty in pink.

Pink power

In the shop were dazzling chandeliers.

It reminds me of a flappers gown

Circles of light

A decorative stained glass window.

Lovely Autumnal colours

London has some lovely Christmas themed windows.

Balloons in a box.

Surprise, surprise

The Statue of Liberty.

Taking a liberty

The world goes round and round.

Globe dancer

This polar bear is a long way from home.

Bear with me

I saw this shoe shop in Rugby.

A boot for a giant

Cobbler, cobbler mend my shoe.

No job too small or too large

"A new suit Sir? Just let me take a few vital statistics."

Does Sir want a top hat to go with the tails?

Daventry Days

We have had strong gales and endless rain so there has been no opportunity to garden.

I spent a few days away and visited Canons Ashby near Daventry. It is a lovely house set in beautiful grounds.

Excellent proportions

This is the family coat of arms and motto.

A lion and a unicorn

I particularly liked the library where the owner not only loved books but also gardening. He kept his gardening clothes and tools in cupboards below the bookshelves in the library.

The chain was used as a measurement 1 chain = 22 yards> There are 10 chains to a furlong 

There was a mystery to the house and the door symbols are part of that. 

What strange meetings took place in the house if only the door could speak

I was fascinated by this cardboard cutout. It was thought to have been used as a deterrent to invaders.

Stop who goes there?

A statute of a shepherd boy is in the grounds.

The statue was made in 1713 and honours the actions of the shepherds during the Civil War skirmish at Canons Ashby

I love these red berries, such an intense colour.

Milky red

Why be boring when you can be creative.

A face off

Look at the shape of this toadstool.

I do not think that the toadstool been nibbled

I visited the Country Living show in Glasgow and became hungry when I saw this.

Supersize

How many fruits can you see on this deer?

Let's get fruity