Happy winter!

Hello everyone,
It's been a while since I sat down and wrote anything for this blog - I apologise for that! No excuses! But here I am, marvelling at the proximity to Christmas, and wondering where the time has gone.
Here at Ottery Secret Garden we work on half terms in advance! So once our fantastic October half term was over, and we'd packed away our Halloween treasures, consigned the mushy pumpkins to the compost heap (much to the delight of the chickens and birds), and swept up all of the glitter and flour from the kitchen, I had my customary two week 'breather' - where I do absolutely nothing - and then we were suddenly mid way through November. 
Cue the rush of panicked website work, the happy onslaught of bookings and the research for our Christmas activities. And all this has left me feeling rather prematurely Christmassy. My head is full of sparkle and magic as I hunt here and there for inspiration to make this the best Christmas ever for your lovelies!
'Christmas Day' has become fully booked already, and the other days are following suit fast. We are going all out to build on our amazing New Years Eve triumph from last year. We had more comments from parents about our 'Wish scrolls' than any other activity. We even reduced some parents to tears! This year we have an even more incredible activity up our sleeves. There are still spaces on New Years Eve. For now!
So as I sit here, all full of sparkly ideas, imagining the Christmas garden shrouded in mist or glinting with a powder of frost, thinking about the echo of children running through the winter sunshine, and warming tingling little fingers next to the glowing fire, I just want to say thanks. It is because of you and your little ones that I get to wrap myself up in this beautiful traditional Christmas full of wonderful sights, joyful sounds and the aroma of freshly baked treats.
Happy winter everyone! Bring on the Christmas fun!