Snowdrops and festive preparations

We’ve hit December with frosty mornings and snow on the mountain tops. The nights are cold and clear with breathtaking shows of the stars and the Milky Way.

This is the point at which I normally decorate the house for Christmas.

I’ve asked Hugh if he can reach the boxes containing the Christmas tree and decorations. He thinks he can get to them through the labyrinth of book boxes and furniture that we haven’t yet brought indoors, so I’m hopeful we may have some festive cheer in place before the week is out.

In the meantime I’ve broken into my first pot of cranberry mincemeat and I’ve made my first batch of cranberry frangipane mince pies.

They were supposed to be for the freezer but the test pie was so delicious that we couldn’t resist. A few made it in there.

A few friends arrived unexpectedly in the afternoon and we polished off the remainder of the tray over cups of tea.

I’ve also been potting up snowdrops in terracotta containers, for us and for gifts for friends.

They’re just starting to push their tips up through the compost so even though they won’t be in flower for Christmas Day they’ll hold promise for the dark days of January.

I hope.