Wells and a Wreath Repair

Yesterday was another glorious, bright, chilly Saturday. We had some Christmas shopping to do, so headed off to Wells for the afternoon. We arrived in the late afternoon as the sun was setting and I took a couple of rather blurry photos from the car as we drove over the Mendips. The landscape at this time of year is breath-taking on a clear, cold day.

At 2.45pm the low setting sun cast shadows across the landscape, highlighting the contours of the fields.

We have been coming to Wells on a Saturday afternoon for over 20 years now, and I love it just as much now as I did when we first came. The market was already in shadow, but the cathedral's mellow limestone was caught by the sun's rays and positively glowed.

The Penniless Porch was as striking as ever, with a busker playing carols underneath it. 

Some of the shops' Christmas displays were so pretty; this one must have taken ages to put up.

As I wandered around the market I came across my favourite farm stall which sells seasonal fruit, vegetables and plants. I was so busy chatting to the lovely lady who runs it I forgot to take a photo, but I noticed that she had some small pieces of mistletoe left and some wonderfully bright branches of red crab apples for sale. 

As soon as I saw them I knew what I'd do with them. the wreath which I made in this post was starting to look a little wilted on the front door - these lovely branches would really bring it to life. They are so wonderfully bright, like large cherries with a tiny bit of orangey-yellow in them.

This morning I took out the wilted pieces of purple sage and replaced them with bunches of crab apples and sprigs of mistletoe, tied everything securely in place, and hung it back on the front door.

I must say I like it better than ever now. It's bright and festive but has cost me under £2 to make, as most of the materials are from the garden.

The red apples and purple berries bring the wreath to life.

And the variegated holly leaves are reflective and glossy.

I'm very pleased with my repaired wreath. Fingers crossed, it'll last till Christmas now.