Ho! Ho! Ho! Here comes the holiday season. Amid all the fun and jollity of the holiday season, over the years, we have experienced some epic highs and lows; the birth of one of our grandsons, the arrival of my Mum & Dad from England and the wedding of our eldest daughter last year were some of our happier moments, countered by the time said daughter had her car broken into while visiting and all the Christmas presents in the trunk stolen, same daughter having four wisdom teeth removed the day before she was due to host dinner resulting in the quick transfer of an enormous turkey to our house and finding the oven too small to cope with it, an exploding apple pie that sent shards of glass all over the kitchen (a story for another day) and countless times when the toilet malfunctioned while the house was filled with guests liberally supplied with soda and alcoholic beverages. Which leads me to this year’s debacle.
As I mentioned to a fellow blogger the other day, the only interaction we’ve had with anyone outside the family for most of this year, other than the grocery store cashier, has been with the guys who came to replace our wall oven and cook top, the chaps who put in a new furnace last month and the plumbers who showed up to mend a leaking water pipe in the basement three days ago. While we had them on the spot, we asked them if they would rod out the main sewer line and lo and behold they discovered 20ft of broken pipe.
We had already resigned ourselves to the fact that, because of COVID, we would be spending this Christmas on our own, something unheard of in the history of our family, but the idea that a large section of the garden, that I had worked hard to maintain throughout the year was about to be destroyed was the last straw.
I have to commend the plumbing company for their promptness. They were out here first thing yesterday morning, tearing everything out with a backhoe while I was still in my pajamas. I had hoped to nip out there and see if there was anything I could rescue before they started, but no chance. A beautiful mock orange shrub, whose roots were probably the cause of the trouble, was wrenched out of the ground along with hydrangeas, peonies, irises, daylilies, poppies and dozens of other perennials including next spring’s daffodils and tulips. I told myself I wouldn’t even look out of the window while all this was going on, but I did, and deeply regretted it.
On the bright side, everything in the house is functioning properly, and we can now well and truly say that, at least for us, this year has officially been flushed down the toilet!
Wishing everyone happy and healthy Seasons Greetings and an even brighter New Year. Goodness knows, we could use both!
Hopefully no such problems in 2021!
That is my hope too. Thank you for stopping by. Wishing you all the best for 2021
Oh No! I’m so sorry to read about the destruction of your beautiful garden and plants especially at Christmas time! Good news though that your loos are working. Nature is a wonderful healer and I’m sure that in no time once the border has been put to bed your plants will start establishing themselves again…maybe not in the correct places or the right order but hopefully they’ll flower profusely and give you pleasure again. 2021 will be interesting to see how your border flourishes…more opportunities for lovely photos! Happy Christmas .
Thank you so much, Marianne! I’m looking forward to making the necessary adjustments in the garden this coming Spring. It will be interesting to see just what survived, although I know that some things are definitely gone. We’ll miss the mock orange which made a nice privacy screen for our back yard. I’ll have to come up with another plan (something with less invasive roots.) Wishing you a very Merry Christmas (despite all the virus restrictions) and an even brighter New Year.
Thank you very much for your Christmas greetings. Enjoy sourcing a new plant instead of the mock orange. Going to a nursery to root around all the plants will be something lovely and positive to do when restrictions are lifted…in the meantime enjoy looking through all your gardening books. That’s what I’m going to do! Roll on the vaccine!
Well, it seems you’ve managed to keep your sense of humor. Best wishes to you.
Thank you! Sometimes, finding humor in a stressful situation is the best way of coping with it. As we always say, “Things could have been worse.”
Yes!
Oh my…I would have cried some tears for all that garden beauty – even if it will come back again. This was the funniest (?) post for the challenge, I can assure you – you must be extremely good humoured! What an asset. I really envy you that one…but surely 2021 cannot be as bad as 2020. Wishing you a calm and wholesome holiday season – no more debacles now!
Thanks so much, Ann-Christine! I have to admit, I did burst into tears when I looked out and saw all the damage but after that, I felt rather better about things and I’m now looking forward to working on some garden restoration in the Spring. Wishing you and your family all the best for the Holiday Season and the New Year.
Garden restoration will be rewarding I am sure! All the best for the New Year!
What a series of unfortunate events. I hope that next year will bring some improvement all round.
Thanks, Tom! What’s that saying about making lemonade out of lemons. I’m already planning to try out some plants that I didn’t previously have room for. Wishing you and Mrs. T all the best for Christmas and the New Year.
And we return those good wishes to you and hope that things get better all round next year.
Oh No…. your garden! I love your wonderful sense of humor, Sue.
The house is functioning properly, what a relief!
Thanks, Amy! As we always say, “Things could have been worse.”
Ouch! that’s tough. Despite it all I wish you a Merry Christmas and a much better year in 2021.
Many thanks, Liz!
That’s the best possible conclusion to the year. Hope the next one is better and safer.
Thank you so much! Wishing you all the best for 2021.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your friends and babies, Sue. How heartbreaking for you, all the more since at times they must have seemed like the one shining light during this terrible year. I would completely understand if you feel the need to shed a few tears. The only consolation is that this happened before Christmas Day.
Thank you, Tracy! Yes, keeping busy in the garden was one of the few bright spots in a miserable year, but at least now I have a whole new challenge for 2021. Wishing you all the best for the New Year.
I look forward to seeing your garden progress, Sue.
Excellent post, Sue! Your garden will spring back to life again!
Stay safe and enjoy!
Thank you, Indira! Nature is very resilient and hopefully some of the plants that were on the outskirts of the work will pull through and make an appearance next year.
Good photos.
Thanks, John.
Those plants and flowers gave many blooms to admire and love. The new garden spot is loaded with opportunities for new plants and flowers to admire and love, and how wonderful that the house is leak-free and you have new appliances in the kitchen! 2021 is going to be better!
You’re right, Deborah. There’s a silver lining to every cloud. Wishing you all the best for 2021.
😀
Oh I was feeling SO bad for you and then I came to your closing sentence and jut had to laugh. I suppose at times like that it’s the only option vs crying so good for you! There are those who might say losing your garden is far better than losing your home, but that doesn’t make one feel much better does it? Thank goodness you have such beautiful images of the garden before it was destroyed. Now you can look forward to creating a new masterpiece in 2021!
Thank you, Tina! Agreed, it’s not always easy to look on the positive side but sometimes finding the humor in a situation helps. And we are always mindful of the people who are experiencing far more difficult and tragic circumstances, especially at this time. Let’s hope the New Year will be a lot brighter for everyone. Wishing you and your family all the best for 2021.
Just dropping by to wish you a peaceful Christmastime Sue. After reading your story of the loss of your beautiful garden, it sounds as though you need it. Now you can plant a new garden, a fresh start with new beginnings. Happy Christmas!!
Thank you so much! We are looking forward to a whole new challenge this coming year. Wishing you all the best for 2021.
Thank you, Sue.
What a great attitude. May the new year be much better. 😊
Thanks, Irene! Wishing you all the best for 2021
And to you as well, Sue. 😊
Oh no! Your beautiful garden. 😔Hopefully it won’t take too long to reestablish. Best wishes for 2021!