the cat sat on the mat...

Or in this case, in a giant Ghana basket on the mat in front of the fire! This is Lily, who belongs to Sue (Greengarlandgirl). Not sure which she liked the most - the roaring fire or the basket - but she was pretty keen on both.

Of course, these aren't intended to be cat baskets, although cats do seem to like them a lot. People keep sending me photos of baskets, bought for knitting, or shopping, or in the garden, which have been commandeered by their cat. Still, as we all know, cats get what they want and are no respecters of persons so too bad if you wanted your basket for something else!

signs of new life...

This week has been warm and wet and nature's put on a spurt. The pussy willow is in bud and here are the first catkins:

In the park, the first snowdrops and crocuses are starting to break through the dead leaves. The camellia in my garden has big fat buds, a welcome sign of life amongst all the things that haven't made it through the winter - the French lavender, the bay tree cuttings. I'm not holding out any hope for the fig tree - it had only been planted a couple of weeks when the snow came. 

But it won't be long before the narcissus and winter jasmine are in flower. And even if winter blows back in and we have more of the cold, cold, cold that we had in December, these buds are a reminder that Spring is on the way.

bright side of the road...

Today was sunny so I went to buy tulips which always remind me of Spring. I put them in my favourite vase, bought in Spain, a reminder of happy holidays with friends.

Having survived December, which turned out to be the coldest on record, I've been feeling in serious need of an uplift. Since New Year, it's been grey, rainy and miserable. So today was great. Clear blue sky, no rain and a whole day when the temperature stayed above freezing!

To capture and preseve this spirit, I'm compiling a playlist of music which reminds me of sunshine. I'm going to play it relentlessly from now until Spring, particularly on days when the clouds are low. Haven't finalised the list yet but here are some of the contenders:

Amadou and Mariam                       Senegal Fast Food 

Jack Johnson                                   Banana pancakes            

The Rascals                                     Groovin'

Bob Marley and the Wailers            Three Little Birds

Mica Paris                                       Like Dreamers Do

JJ Cale                                            They call me the breeze

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss       Gone, gone, gone

Buena Vista Social Club                  Chan Chan

Afro Cubism                                    Jarabi

and of course,

Van Morrison                                  Bright Side of the Road:

'Let's enjoy it while we can

Won't you help me sing my song

From the dark end of the street

To the bright side of the road'

Amen to that!

we wish you a merry christmas....

and a Happy New Year!  

Here's a bit of Christmas exuberance, courtesy of someone who lives nearby:

And here's Jake, the Greenbaskets mascot, having a great time in the snow. He really enjoys it and doesn't appear to notice the cold, unlike the rest of us for whom the novelty has now worn off! Sorry Bing Crosby but I'm not dreaming of a white Christmas - I'm dreaming of warm, balmy days when I can wear only one layer of clothing!

So Happy Christmas to one and all and I hope to see you in the New Year. This is Greenbaskets first year and it's been an absolute pleasure to meet everyone who's come to the markets and fairs.

Hope everything you want is under your tree.

last whiteladies of the year.....

Yesterday was the last Whiteladies market of the year. Here are our very own Charlies Angels, from left to right, chief greengarland elf (Sue from Greengarland), yours truly and Helen from Bordeaux Quay (http://www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk/). Thanks to Wendy from Organic Blooms for being the photographer (organicblooms@ironacton.plus.com).

As you can see, it was a chilly day and we were all wearing as many clothes as is humanly possible while still being able to move! Snow on the ground but the sun came out, the market was busy, there were stalls with beautiful bread, hand made pottery, fresh fish, lovely cheeses and meat, cakes and chutneys, plants and organic wine......oh and Sue's lovely wreaths and my baskets, of course!

So Merry Christmas to you all!

For more information about the market, go to www.sustainableredland.org.uk. 

christmas is a coming.....

Went and bought the tree yesterday and decorated it with all our old, favourite decorations. There are Chinese dragons bought in Hong Kong, papier mache leopards, majestic stags and unicorns, cuddly teddies and furry bears, wooden toys from Italy, jolly santas, stars and hearts and strings of blue fairy lights. The loveliest of all are the ones made by little hands at nursery and ones sent as gifts from loved ones, some of whom are no longer here.

Hanging from the curtain rails we have strings of handmade decorations from India featuring elephants, horses and birds, with dancers and riders in fabulous costumes, all in the brightest of colours. And at the base of the tree there are strings of lights made of paper flowers in red and green and others of dancing blue dragon flies.

So this is Christmas 2010. It might even be a White Christmas.

busy, busy, busy....

Three weeks to Christmas! Horribly behind with my Christmas shopping. No tree, no turkey, no presents.....oh dear! However, I have made a Christmas cake which is a gluten free version of one of Nigel Slater's recipes. I was a little creative with my adaptation so goodness only knows what it'll taste like. I randomly added and omitted various ingredients. I also used the wrong size cake tin. Hmmmm - doesn't sound promising, does it? I'm hoping that if I put enough brandy in it over the next three weeks, noone will notice it's inedible!

It's been a busy week. Fabulous venue and lovely carol singing at Clifton College's Christmas Fayre, complete with the Stig! Followed by a bustling Bishopston Christmas Market where there were friends and good company:

Here's Sue from Greengarland with her lovely wreaths and Christmas decorations:

And then there was a very busy Whiteladies Christmas Market, complete with choir and hot, spiced apple juice (thanks Robin) which helped to combat the cold and damp!

And that was followed by a packed Henleaze Christmas Fair where the choir sang, the children got very excited and everyone played games and drank mulled wine (well, the adults did!). Here's a young volunteer balancing a Bolga basket on his head!

So, off we go. Only three shopping weeks left - here's hoping there's something left in the shops that I want to buy and my nearest and dearest will want to receive!

Hope you're all on top of the situation better than I am!