Made my annual trip to the Botanical gardens yesterday and was most impressed by the outside decorations. Caribou made of natural materials- even some caribou moss, white and spongy, pranced around in front of the main entrance. Yesterday was the opening day of the Christmas exhibit and I was surprised at how few visitors there were. The theme was Christmas sweets and the big main hall was decorated with giant kilo pops and cupcakes. The stars of the show every year are the pointsettias and cyclamens and they are very beautiful. I must admit to being a little disappointed. I remembered spectacular shows in the past like the Mexican Christmas, brilliantly coloured with bougainvillea plants draped over lemon walls. I think a better theme might have been to follow the caribou to a woodland hideaway with and Santa’s cottage. I imagine something dark, illuminated with tiny lights. They’ll have to consult me next year. Things are happening a little early for me this year. The rest of the greenhouses worked their usual magic, of course. Isn’t that pitcher plant wonderful?

Tomorrow my grandchildren will come and decorate the tree, a Christmas custom and I think it’s the earliest I’ve ever done it. I never used to do it before the 16th which is my younger daughter’s birthday. Getting caught up in things already I guess. The tree is still in the car! I tried very hard to buy it at Sun Youth, a charitable organization in town but there was nowhere to park at their sales point! I finally succumbed to Atwater Market where I laughed at a hopeful man in the biggest boots I have ever seen( made me feel like Cinderella and that’s a rare moment) when he asked me for $100 for a Christmas tree. He soon discovered what he was dealing with and trudged me over to “les arbres sauvages” where we haggled our way to a point of mutual satisfaction. The moment of truth will come when it goes up in an hour or so.

Off to fill containers with water. None after 8 am for 8 hours. Not having water is worse than not having electricity I think.