Light Fantastic!

Last year when I came to take out my Christmas lights ( and I have five sets just for the tree alone ), I found to my dismay that two of them had gone kaput.

I bought another set but found that, when they came, they were rather short and were really only fit for the very top of the tree.
So this year, I am being prepared and am buying early for Christmas....I'm concerned you see, that the best lights ( those I inevitably want ) will sell out and I'll be left high and...well... dark.

I've ordered some sweet little red berry lights from my friend's shop and have ordered these from John Lewis to be delivered to my local Waitrose store...how convenient is THAT!

I thought they looked rather like real cones.

Blow me...this year I looked at my lights ( I shan't be caught out twice I can tell you....) and ANOTHER set has gone. This is the beautiful set of complex lights that look like mini chandeliers - the set everyone comments on when they walk in my sitting room as I string them up along the mantelpiece.

It's a conspiracy!
These lights I had from Linda Barker only 5 years ago and they weren't cheap I can tell you! Luckily my very handy husband made them work again but still a few at the very end remain unlit. There is nothing we can do, he says.

My mantelpiece with the lovely chandelier drops...working

We are being encouraged to be green and to go for LED lights as they burn less energy. They are however much more expensive than the old fashioned - "look for the white bulb, take it out and swap yer bulb and bingo! they work again type". It's possible to buy this kind of set for £3.99, LED sets are £15.00 upwards.

Are we being LED up the garden path do you think < sorry >?


So, I shall bite the bullet and buy. But I won't be happy if they too go kaput in five years time!



I rather like these too!

Rather like little violets I think.

The tree with five sets of working lights.

I stumbled upon these...oh how I would love to add them to my collection of old Christmas decorations.....but they are all the way over in America...and would probably cost a packet to ship.

They're little foil light reflectors. I have a set of late 19th century metal candle holders for the tree rather like them. They would be good tree fellows I think? But no.....

A garland from Cothele house in Cornwall 20, 000 dried flowers.......

Now if was really pulling out the stops! THIS is what I'd do.....

A garland made from flowers with hanging lights. Apparently it takes three men to get them in place!

Cothele...a National Trust House in Cornwall.

I don't have three men and I don't have a house as fine as Cothele!
We'd be doing more than just gathering rosebuds! Phew!