Collecting Rose Hips and Pine Cones

Morning Bloomers,

Rose hips

We've been busy this morning out and about collecting rosehips and pine cones.  Actually, that should be... I've been collecting rose hips and pine cones, whilst the rest of the team finalise market dates, christmas fairs and the like.

So off I trotted, with buckets and sacks and the dogs for company on my walk around the fields and hedgerows here on the farm.  What a bumper year it is for rose hips.  As we've had our first frost the colour of the hips is a gorgeous bright rosy red (as you can see from the photo.)  

Whilst walking about collecting buckets of these little 'bobbles' of bright red I was starting to think about all things we have to get done and finished here at Brecon Blooms, and on the farm in the next week or so.  The list feels like it's endless!

'The Farmer' is busy ploughing, and sowing seed ready for next year, his ladys (the cows) in the fields are starting to grumble because of the cold wind and wet weather so they need extra feed/hay now that grass growth has slowed down, they also need lots of straw for their bedding.  This adds to the list of daily jobs that become routine on a farm. 

On top of that it's hedge cutting time.  Miles and miles of hedges need their yearly haircut.  Here in this part of the country the farmers are not allowed to start and trim hedges until September - this is to allow the birds and wildlife to raise their young without being disturbed.  Mind you, come September the narrow lanes are even narrower and the usual passing places are smaller than normal.  It makes driving round here quite interesting!  You certainly need to be a dab hand at reversing should you meet someone coming in the opposite direction.  Why is it that you always meet someone at the most narrow point which is the furthest away from a handy field gate to pull into??

On the pine cone front I've collected a good sack full already.  These will be spread out somewhere dry then we'll be using them in our Christmas arrangements and also our boxes of natural Christmas decorations which we will have on the website from the end of November.  With a little imagination you can 'deck the halls' with just natural materials and a few ribbons.  Not a piece of tinsel in sight!  Mind you I think we all secretly like some of the sparkle and twinkle that tinsel and glitter brings over the festive season.

Over the next few weeks I'll be posting more Christmas decoration ideas as we get closer to December.  So watch this space.

Bloom on!

Cathy