Surplus food from Aldi is going to the needy in Reading this Christmas
from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/reading-supermarkets-donate-christmas-eve-14000709
Wednesday, 6 December 2017
Police officer and elderly woman die after A4 crash in Hare Hatch
PC James Dixon and a 91-year-old woman have sadly died following the incident
from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/police-officer-elderly-woman-die-13998237
from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/police-officer-elderly-woman-die-13998237
Reading bikers deliver toys to children and more fun things to do this weekend
It's the annual Reading Toy Run this weekend, get ready for a hoard of biking Santa's
from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/reading-bikers-deliver-toys-children-13983778
from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/reading-bikers-deliver-toys-children-13983778
Monday, 4 December 2017
Watch hundreds of Father Christmases run through Reading town centre
More than 1,000 people braved the drizzle to take part in the annual charity event
from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/watch-hundreds-father-christmases-run-13991964
from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/watch-hundreds-father-christmases-run-13991964
Reading could see snow this weekend as cold snap heads south
Forecasters at The Weather Channel are predicting a covering of snow at low levels in the south by the weekend
from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-could-see-snow-weekend-13990537
from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-could-see-snow-weekend-13990537
Sunday, 3 December 2017
3 December
What an amazing #wildflowerhour we’ve had this week. The weather outside may be frightful, and there may be Christmas shopping to do, but so many of you are still getting out there and finding a delightful number of wild plants in bloom across Britain and Ireland.
This week’s star image comes from @barbus59. Highlights below – and they’re really good.
Red Campion, Silene dioica, Lower Higham, 031217 for #wildflowerhour #thewinterten pic.twitter.com/XWC9lK9ONX
— Kingfisher (@Barbus59) December 3, 2017
Don’t forget that we are running a competition at the moment to have your favourite wild flower find from this year turned into an original botanical illustration. More information here.
And the wonderful people at Plantlife have generously offered all #wildflowerhour members a 50% discount on annual membership: just use the code WFHOUR when you check out here.
Finally, our latest podcast is live! In this episode, Isabel Hardman interviews Zoe Devlin on her new book, gets a lesson from Kevin Widdowson on identifying wild flowers by their fruits, and 22 year old botanist Joshua Styles on his mission to save rare plants in the North West from extinction.
Here are some highlights from this week:
And off we go! Enjoy sharing your pictures of the wild flowers you found in Britain and Ireland this week!
A reminder of our rules for those who've joined:
- We're about wild flowers in Britain and Ireland.
- No garden flowers please, they're lovely but there are other groups for this.
- Post pictures and ask for IDs any time.
- We are a non-profit group running to support the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, Plantlife and the Wildlife Trusts. Therefore this isn't a group for selling things.
Other than that, please enjoy the planty party that is #wildflowerhour!
I am looking for a melancholy thistle. Culpepper says that if you add it to wine, it will make man merry as a cricket.
Thanks for accepting me in the group, I've been following and contributing to wildflower hour for some time on Twitter. This is easier.
Why post only on Sunday from 8 to 9 pm? Why not at other times?
WANTED!!
Hibernating ladybird sightings. Research is being undertaken on ladybirds in Cork by UCC and Fota Wildlife Park. We are particularly looking for hibernation sites in cork. If you have any in your house or shed please email ladybird@fotawildlife.ie asap with details and photograph. Please can you share.There is also an Irish ladybird fb page if you are interested. Thank you.
from #wildflowerhour http://www.wildflowerhour.co.uk/blog/2017/12/03/3-december/
Christmas ideas – a white Christmas tablescape
The phrase ‘Christmas tablescape’ has emerged from Pinterest, along with ‘Christmas mantelscapes.’
This Christmas tablescape is on the piano in the hall. It looks so effective because there’s a strong repeated theme throughout – silver birch, pussy willow and berries.
A Christmas tablescape isn’t always about decorating a dining table. It’s a Christmas still life, on a coffee table, a hall table, or even the top of a piano or bookcase.
Faversham florist, Charlotte May, of Lotty’s Flowers, has decorated Denise and Adrian Riggs’ house with tablescapes and a mantelscape. Denise started it off by collecting her favourite ideas on Pinterest, to show Charlotte, and she also specified the colour theme, which was white.
The same theme echoed on the mantelpiece or ‘mantelscape’ as Pinterest would call it…
Denise wanted to be able to re-use some elements, such as stars and fake berries, from year to year. Others are fresh – such as the holly, eucalpytus and pussy willow – and can be varied to create different effects in other years.
A new way with holly
The red berries in this vase are holly branches stripped of their leaves. You can buy them like this in florists’ or you could, possibly, strip your own holly branches of leaves.
The branches are in a clear glass vase with ‘water pearls’ at the base.
Water pearls are tiny dehydrated beads which swell when you drop them into water. They have a silky, slippery texture, when fully expanded. Use them with water in clear glass vases to hydrate fresh flowers or twigs.You can buy them at a florist – Lotty’s Flowers sells them, for example. You can also buy them as ‘water beads’ online from Amazon (where I’m an affiliate so if you buy, I may get a small fee but it won’t affect the price you pay.) Water beads are also available in a range of colours.
Water pearls re-hydrating
The practical side of a Christmas tablescape
If you put a Christmas tablescape on a side table or a coffee table, the arrangement may be moved around by people using the table. So Charlotte used trays to anchor the display (see below). When arranging the objects, think in triangles – an overall triangle shape usually works well in still life.
Coffee table ‘Christmas tablescape’ on trays – keeps it all together.
By the way, if you like the white birch twig tea light holder, you can adapt the techniques in this Jam Jar Christmas post to make it yourself.
I love the pussy willow twig wreath. Check out this post on how to make a twig wreath for tips.
Charlotte May does wedding flowers as well as floral decorations for homes, and her florist shop in Faversham is a delight.
Lotty’s Flowers in Faversham
Join me on #vlogmas…
‘Vlogmas’ is a YouTube challenge. I’m joining the challenge by uploading a short Christmas or winter gardening video every day to YouTube, so do please come and cheer me on. My aim is to find people with inspiring ideas and tips, and then to film them. I’d love to hear all comments and suggestions. You can watch ‘#vlogmas 3 – what to do with your lawn moss for Christmas’ below, and subscribe to The Middlesized Garden YouTube channel to follow along. Thank you!
Pin for reference:
The post Christmas ideas – a white Christmas tablescape appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.
from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/christmas-ideas-a-white-christmas-tablescape-and-mantelscape/
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