Vesna Armstrong Photography

It was the first of December, the day Christmas season officially starts for me, and I was in my favourite place in the world - Haworth, Bronte Country. Yes, of course, there is so many places I have not been to, and there always will be, but it is highly unlikely any other place would ever grip me with so much charm, feeling, meaning and intrigue. On this particular occasion I came here to do some Christmas shopping as I love to support the wonderful independent shops on Main Street as much as I can. And, as usual, I couldn't possibly not take a few pics before I left. I feel no need to accompany these photos with text; I'll let the photos speak for themselves; I'll let the magic weave its way wordlessly. ~Merry Christmas and Happy New Year To All My Readers~

Every year in the past few years I tried to create a classic tabletop Christmas still life. This year I thought I'd do something slightly different for a change and simply work on a shot of my kitchen window instead. My kitchen window sill is somewhere I like to express my love for seasons. Here I make regular arrangements consisting of current fruits of nature. Come first of December, Christmas time starts for me, and my window changes from autumn to winter/Christmas. I like traditional, Victorian Christmas, so I choose things the Victorians used in their celebrations. For a floral part there is a living poinsettia which I placed in a brass pot. I love the red of its leaves; red is the essential colour of Christmas and always has to be dominant for me. Next, there is a silver bowl that I filled with natural festive things, some of which smell gorgeous: holy sprigs with their red berries, pine cones, cinnamon sticks, dried oranges (sliced and whole), pomander (orange studded wi...