The Best of Days and the Worst of Days

Saturday saw me in Tetsworth Village Hall for my Willow Weaving Course. Just one day of willow weaving, lovely food and most importantly lots of fun.

Caroline one of the girls from the Farmers Markets that I do, runs a nursery/gardening business and had been on a course to weave willow wreaths in time for Christmas last year and so she imparted her knowledge to us in time for us to do something similar this year.

Obviously I can't compete with my teacher at the Farmers Markets so all my lovely creations are for personal use at the moment. First we learnt how to make the willow more supple so it bends rather than snaps, very hard on your thumbs that one! Then she showed us how to bend and weave our wreaths into shape, building up layer after layer of willow.

We were allowed free rein to decorate our creations with any of the lovely ribbons, baubles and natural greenery and berries that were on show. And boy did we all go to town. I like things rustic and simple, some liked them glittery and sparkly, some liked to completey cover the wreath, but I love twigs and wood so I always left some on show. No two creations were even similar but all were just as we wanted them.

Then she showed us stars, some got this and some didn't, I didn't and preferred to go off on a tangent and switched to hearts instead. I have a thing about hearts as our house will testify, they are everywhere!!

Finally I made a twiggy bundle to go on our mantlepiece to replace the hops that usually reside there. Shown here on the sofa.

It was a brilliant day and as I loaded the car with my creations I felt the first stirrings of Christmas, this will be our first Christmas here on the farm and I hope in some small way my home made decorations will set the scene for a homely, warm and cosy Christmas. Christmas decorations are going up at the end of this week as we have something rather special to celebrate!

And the worst of days? Yesterday was spent at Henley Farmers Christmas Market in the worst of weather. Gale force winds and driving rain on and off all day. In the few bright spells there were lots of folks buying and if the weather had been on our side it would have been a brilliant day financially. As it was, we got wet, the poor dog got wet and worst for me the stock got wet. We spent a large part of the afternoon holding down the gazebo (or catching it as it made a bid for freedom).

And here is the stock now, drying on the bed in the spare room. Yuk, yuk, yuk is the only way to describe the day. I will be busy this afternoon seeing what I can salvage and sorting it all out. I hate packing away in a rush everything is higgledy, piggledy and gets squished.

So a busy, but (mostly) enjoyable weekend and now it's time to start planning next weekend. I am at a Craft Fair in the village of Wheatley. It's indoors, warm and dry, and with as many cups of free coffee as you can drink....now that's more like it!!

Sue xx