Wednesday, October 21, 2020

WHAT WE'RE WRITING: RHYS CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS

 RHYS BOWEN: I wonder if there is anybody in America who is not feeling tense and nervous right now. We have had our nerves frayed with the pandemic (not to mention murder hornets, deadly caterpillars, fires and hurricanes) and now with the election looming the tension has risen to unbearable levels.

So I'm grateful at the moment to be writing about Christmas. And not only that, Christmas suitably long ago and far away with Lady Georgie. After THE TWELVE CLUES OF CHRISTMAS did very well my publisher asked me to write another Christmas book. And I readily agreed. After all, who doesn't like to spend time vicariously in the holiday spirit?

Writing about Christmas allows me to relive my childhood memories: mince pies, carol singers, hot punch, holly and ivy, crackers (the type that explode, not dry biscuits) and silly party games. All part of the Christmases I remember from childhood and have tried to recreate with my family.

So writing about this at this moment is in many ways bitter-sweet. Because it's unlikely that we'll be able to have any kind of family Christmas this year. Or Thanksgiving. The oldest grandchildren will be coming home from college. The younger two are back in school full time. We have three teachers in the family and a son-in-law who works at the veteran's home. So the only contact we could have would be outside, at distance. And Christmas is likely to be cold and rainy in Northern California.

That's why I'm enjoying escaping to a country house in England every day and watching the cook bring in the flaming Christmas pudding!  Of course it's not all fun and games and happy days in my books. They are mysteries, after all. There is bound to be a body or two. Of the most tasteful sort, naturally!

But here is a snippet from the beginning of the book, and the first days of preparation for the big event.

And the title? GOD REST YE ROYAL GENTLEMEN. (Which might hint that a few famous characters are going to be part of this story)


I addressed the envelopes, put on stamps and had just deposited them on the tray in the front hall for the postman to collect when Mrs. Hollbrook appeared.
     “Oh, there you are, my lady,” she said. “I wonder if you’d come down to the kitchen for a moment.” Alarm bells sounded in my head.
     “Oh dear. Nothing’s wrong, is it?” 
     “Not at all, my lady. It’s just that it’s pudding day.” 
    “Pudding day?”     
    “Yes, November twenty-fifth. A month before Christmas. Always been pudding day in this house. The day the Christmas puddings are made. And it’s always traditional for the lord or lady of the house to come and give a stir for good luck.”
     “Oh, right. “ I gave a sigh of relief. Not a disaster at all. “I’ll get Mr. O’Mara. Perhaps he’d like to be part of this.” 
     I hurried back to the study. Darcy looked up, a trifle impatiently this time. “What is it, Georgie?” 
     “Mrs. Holbrook has invited us to come and stir the pudding.” “What?” 
     “It’s pudding day, apparently and the lord and lady of the house are supposed to give the puddings a stir for good luck.”
     “I really need to get this stuff off to the post,” he said. “Do I have to be present to ensure good luck?”     “I suppose not…” He saw my face and pushed back his chair. 
    “Of course I can spare a few minutes. We have to make sure we have good luck next year, don’t we?” And he put his arm around my shoulders, steering me out of the room. He really is a nice man, I thought with a little glow of happiness.

     Down the hallway we walked, past the dining room, through the baize door that led to the servant’s part of the house and down a flight of steps to the cavernous kitchen. On rainy days I expect it could be rather gloomy unless the electric lights were shining. Today the windows, high in the south wall, sent shafts of sunlight onto the scrubbed tables. Queenie was standing at one of them, her hands in a huge mixing bowl. She looked up, giving us a look of pure terror as we came in.
     “Hello Queenie, we’ve come to stir the pudding,” I said. 
     “Oh yeah. Bobs yer uncle, missus.” She sounded distracted. I noted she now called me ‘missus’ instead of ‘miss’. I suppose it was a small step forward. After several years she had never learned to call me ‘my lady’. Or perhaps she knew very well and was just being bolshie about it. I sometimes suspected Queenie wasn’t quite as clueless as we imagined. 
     “Is something wrong?” I asked.
     “Wrong?” Her voice sounded higher than usual. I walked toward the pudding bowl, with Darcy a step behind me. Inside was a big sticky mass of dough and fruit. It looked the way puddings were supposed to look, from my limited experience. 
     “It’s just that you had both hands in the bowl when we came in. Doesn’t one usually stir with a spoon?”     “What? Oh yes, right.” Her face had now gone red. “It’s just I was looking for something.” 
    “Looking for something?” Darcy sounded puzzled but then he hadn’t had close contact with Queenie for as long as I had.
     Her face was now beet-red. “It’s like this, you see. A button was loose on my uniform again. I meant to sew it on but I forgot and I I was giving the pudding a bloody great stir when all of a sudden—ping—it popped clean off and went flying into the pudding mixture and I can’t for the life of me find it again.”             “Queenie!” I exclaimed. I knew I should be firm with her and scold her for not keeping her uniform up to snuff, but it really was rather funny. 
    “What exactly is this button made of?” Darcy asked. “It’s not celluloid or something that might melt when it’s cooked, is it?”
     “Oh no, sir. It’s like these others.” She pointed at the front of her uniform dress, where there was now a gaping hole revealing a ratty red flannel vest. “I think it’s bone.” 
    “Well in that case nothing to worry about,” Darcy said breezily. “If someone finds it—well people are supposed to find charms in puddings, aren’t they?”
     “Silver charms,” I pointed out. 
     “We’ll tell them it’s a tradition of the house, going back to the middle ages,” Darcy said. “It’s a button made from the bone of a stag that was shot on Christmas Day.” 
    “Darcy, you’re brilliant.” I had to laugh. “Just as long as someone doesn’t swallow it or break a tooth. Please keep trying to find it, Queenie, only use a fork and not your fingers.” 
    “Would you ladyship like to stir now?” Mrs. Holbrook asked, handing me the big spoon. I took it and stirred.
     “You’re supposed to wish, my lady,” Mrs. Holbrook reminded. “Oh, of course.” I stirred and you can probably guess what I wished for.
     Then Darcy stirred and I wondered if he was wishing for the same thing. Mrs. Holbrook opened a little leather box and handed us the silver charms. “You’ll want to drop these into the pudding,” she said.
     “Oh yes. What fun.” We dropped them in, one by one: the boot, the pig, the ring and silver threepences.     
    “And the bachelor button,” Darcy said, dropping in a silver button and giving me a grin. 
    “Thank you, sir. Thank you, my lady,” Mrs. Holbrook said. “I’ll help Queenie look for the unfortunate button, don’t you worry. We’ll find it between us.” 
    
As we came up the stairs from the kitchen Darcy put a hand on my shoulder. “Now do you agree that we need to get a proper cook before Christmas?”  

And because we all need a good chuckle right now. This is the sort of family photos we sometimes take!
 

66 comments:

  1. Thanks so much, Rhys . . . reading about Christmas is a perfect spirit-lifter!

    I enjoyed all the pudding preparations this snippet, although I noted a hint of a trouble brewing moment with Darcy suggesting they need to get a proper cook. Now I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the story . . . .

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  2. What fun, Rhys - but poor Queenie!

    Alas, I fear we're in the same boat for the holidays, unless Thanksgiving promises to be at least sunny and a little warm so we can sit outdoors. Better to stay alive, though, right?

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    1. That's what I think. One small slip up might be all it takes. Look at Chris Christie--7 months of wearing his mask. 4 days with Trump and he nearly dies.

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  3. Still laughing about the button, hoping no one breaks a tooth on Christmas Day! My dad and I made fruit cake every Thanksgiving weekend, stirring candied fruit into the stiff dough. The completed loaves would sit on top of the refrigerator until Christmas, liberally basted every few days with brandy. Instead of fruit cake, I make a Dundee cake for the holidays.

    We'll be alone for Thanksgiving and are still discussing a socially-distanced Christmas with the kids. The girls are all fired up to bake cookies and do some scrapbooking.

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    1. My mum used to put lots of brandy in her fruit cake (and do brandied fruits too--so delicious) Not being able to bake for everyone will be so hard this year too

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  4. It'll be a small Thanksgiving for us. The Boy leaves college the day before, but he is staying in New York for the last week of the semester so he can finish without the distractions of being at home. The Girl will come to eat dinner. Not sure what our Christmas plans will be, but probably just the four of us again. Of course it's been that way for years, so not much different. Sometimes we get visitors, but not often.

    That last sentence sounds a bit ominous for Mrs. Holbrook and Queenie.

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  5. With our first snow fall outside overnight here in the heart of the Canadian prairie, this excerpt seems right on point with our weather. I do wonder what is being cooked up in this story -- something is bound to happen, and likely more than just a broken tooth. What fun for us readers, Rhys.

    No puddings or cakes baked in this house for the holidays, but I sometimes rise to making my mother's shortbread recipe. Given how butter seems in perennially short supply in the local shops, I'd better get organized and plan ahead...

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    1. I'm not ready for the first snow, I'll have my winter tires only next week.
      But the first snow is certainly prettier ( almost magical sometimes) than the heavy rain we are having now.

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    2. Amanda, I freeze butter and it is perfect for baking when it defrosts. So, stock up slowly over the next month and keep the extras in your freezer.

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    3. Don’t tell me we have to start stocking up! Not the toilet paper saga again

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    4. Not the toilet paper! You can order from “who gives a crap” – I love their bamboo toilet paper!

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    5. You can send the rain my way. Really could use some right now.

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  6. What a delightful excerpt, Rhys! It makes me long for holidays gone by.

    My husband is from a large family and I am not, so for most of our 33 years of marriage holidays have been focused around his family's celebrations. We have already cancelled the Thanksgiving gathering. But we all fear his 92-year-old mother may not accept the cancellation of the Christmas one without a huge fight. So we're watching and waiting to make a late decision about how to proceed.

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    1. It’s such a hard decision My daughter hope that instant test kits may change everything. Everyone gets tested before the celebration

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  7. You are so adorable! It defies description. Bolshevik! I burst out laughing. The pudding. You can imagine what I wished for! You are brilliant Rhys, absolutely completely and totally.
    And the photograph is a treasure! Who is the boy on your lap?

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    1. My grandson TJ. He’s the twin of the girl on John’s lap. They are now 17 and very grown up

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    2. OH! I wrote "bolshie," and autocorrect corrected it! WHoa. SInister.

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  8. Thank you Rhys. I'm so looking forward to read this story. Does it come out this Christmas or next year ?
    I love Christmas stories and I may need a lot of them to go through the holidays this year.

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    1. Oh no, that’s too long to wait! I love this excerpt so much for these times XOX

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  9. Thank you, Rhys, something to look forward to in the coming year. Great excerpt. I am a huge fan of Georgie and the Royal Spyness series.

    I just love The Twelve Clues of Christmas. That book was the first time that Georgie and Darcy were together for an extended period without any pretense, and confirmed where their relationship was heading. Darcy is such a wonderful character and in some books we just get glimpses of him. I do hope that he gets to stick around in this one and that he doesn't break a tooth on that button.

    We are going to chance Thanksgiving with family. The kids will all get tested before we get together. We do know that it is not ideal, but we are sure that with the testing and some additional cautions, we'll be okay.

    The tough thing is Halloween. We always go out and this year, if we do, we'll have to sit outside. I am not ready for the risk of inside dining. I told Irwin that we could always wear snow suits and dress up like skiers. Anyway, we still have a week to watch weather reports and figure it out.

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    1. I think The Twelve Clues of Christmas is my favorite Georgie book. I may have to reread it this year while waiting impatiently for next year's book!

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  10. Queenie is so funny, thank you for sharing her with the world, Rhys! Comic relief--like that goofy photo--is much appreciated these days.

    I'm an emotional wreck right now, and the impending holidays is part of the reason. Our youngest daughter works for the State Department, and she is leaving for a three-year assignment in Kenya the weekend after Thanksgiving. If we don't get to see them before they leave we may not see them again for a long, long time, depending on what happens with the pandemic. Also, this happens to be the daughter I'm in touch with the most. They live in Virginia, but she calls me at least twice a week, and sends me photos of her garden and her cooking efforts. Nairobi has a 12-hour time difference, as you might know.

    I'm sure (or hoping like mad) it will all work out, but in the meantime I can't stop welling up at odd moments. Sorry for the melodrama, but it feels big right now.

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    1. This is hard, Karen. Can you drive down to Virginia to see them? The weather might be mild enough to do things outside there. There are rapid tests available now. Splurge and get some

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    2. Oh Karen... I can only imagine . Africa!! Welling up here just thinking about it

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    3. We are going to try to do that, test, and then all get together. It's also my oldest daughter's 50th that same week. But it's all so up in the air, and knowing I won't be able to hug her is a bummer.

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    4. Karen, do not apologize for welling up or the melodrama! It isn't--it's hard for even the toughest soul to get through these times. Hugs! Hope you to get to see your daughter!

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    5. Karen, so hoping it all works out for you and your kiddos!

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    6. Oh, Karen. So sorry to hear about the new assignment. What should be joyful these days is just not. I do hope you get to see her before she leaves.

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    7. Thanks, everyone.

      Judy, you're so right. The assignment is something she has wanted. The timing is horrible.

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  11. So sorry about this Karen. I can see why you were feeling sad! I hope you figure out a way to see her before she leaves. I hate this pandemic and what it’s doing to all of our lives and families!

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    1. Thanks, I know we are all in the same boat, but it's hard not to be a bit down.

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  12. “Christmas won’t be Christmas...” and Thanksgiving won’t be Thanksgiving either.. but this delightful book will be just what we need! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Anything to escape to a saner, safer time and place, right?

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  13. I absolutely loved The Twelve Clues of Christmas - I read it this summer and was instantly transported to England at Christmas time with all its wonderful traditions. I'm going to read it again in December to really get me in the holiday mood.

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  14. Rhys who’s the handsome’tea sipper” in the front row?

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    1. Grandson Sam, who is now 21 and very handsome (and a senior engineering major at Santa Clara)

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  15. How I wish the book were coming out this year. I've already gone to Amazon to order it for Julie for Christmas, but no such luck. Maybe we will resurrect THE TWELVE CLUES OF CHRISTMAS instead.

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  16. Rhys, I love this snippet! Think I must have missed The Twelve Clues of Christmas--but that means I'll have something fun to look forward to this Christmas!

    And love the photo--those 'silly' photos are treasured in our family!

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  17. You already have me yearning for a time and place I never lived in and a holiday I don't celebrate! Perfect for what we need right now. Did you ever see the delightful movie, The Man Who Invented Christmas? A fantasy-touched story about the writing of A Christmas Carol, with Dan Stevens as young Dickens, desperate for another hit, and Christopher Plummer as...ah, that would be a spoiler.

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    1. I haven't seen that, Triss. Will have to look up!

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    2. I meant to see that when it was in theaters. I'll check on Netflix. And I think we all need our version of holidays right now

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    3. Oh, this is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES! And, coincidentally, I just wrote an article for BookTrib that features it! I will send you the link.

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  18. Such fun, Rhys! I've been humming "We Need a Little Christmas" to myself for days. I think I'm envisioning Christmas as a time of peace, with the election over and life on the road back to normal. I love escaping into Christmas novels. If the Reds can't wait for this one to come out, they can always go back to re-read the "Twelve Clues" or maybe Jenn's "The Christmas Keeper." It's not too early to start playing "The Nutcracker Suite," I promise!

    The Dallas Winds' board voted to go ahead with plans for a limited attendance/socially distanced Christmas concert this year, and now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that infections don't spike, and the authorities keep the concert halls open. If we get to do it, I'll let you all know how you can listen in!

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    1. Thanks a lot, Gigi, guess what is stuck in my head now!

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    2. Gigi, I'm just praying for some degree of normality by Christmas. A small miracle, please!

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  19. Love, love, love! I'm ready to join Georgie for Christmas, thank you very much. And, Queenie, I just love her. Fabulous family portrait, Rhys! Definitely frame worthy.

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  20. This year Thanksgiving was supposed to be me alone in California and then a week in Oregon starting on Christmas Day. I have the time off already. My sister safely flew here during the summer but summer has better weather and the ability to be outside, separately. Since we can't do anything, we would be isolated in her home. I haven't purchased tickets and, if I go, it may be that I drive on Christmas day..... or I just sit at home.....

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    1. And you can all bring out the holidays based books, I'm ready for them all. Can't wait for Georgie's next adventure.

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    2. It's such a puzzle, debating what to do for the best, isn't it? I'm in the same boat.

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  21. Rhys,

    Thank you for sharing your Christmas photos.

    Looks like Thanksgiving and Christmas will be different this year for many of us. I loved, loved, loved THE TWELVE CLUES OF CHRISTMAS and I have been giving copies of that book as Christmas gifts.

    Surprised that Queenie, who is excellent at baking and cooking, would mess up in that area. Wonder if something major happened to Queenie that worried her or distracted her? A bogeyman at the window? We will find out when we read your new book :)

    Chuckling at the thought of the Walrus (whenever I read Wallis, I read it as Walrus - LOL) biting into the button that Queenie dropped into the pudding. LOL.

    Diana

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  22. This is absolutely just what we needed. Rhys, your book cannot come out a minute too soon. I miss reading about Georgie's antics.

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  23. Rhys, I LOVED this snippet and I hate that I have to wait a year for the book! Poor Queenie! I do hope you manage to keep Darcy at home for this one, however!

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    1. Oh definitely. He wouldn't dare desert Georgie at Christmas!

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  24. I look forward to that book, Rhys! I have a pretty good idea what Georgie wished for. I will have to reread The Twelve Clues of Christmas just for the pleasure of it. Your family picture is a hoot and reminds me of too many of ours. Usually our son would be making a goofy face, messing up the portrait for every one. I haven't been baking at all, what with our granddaughter living with us while she learns to be pastry chef. She'll be here for Thanksgiving, but not Christmas. So maybe I'll pull out the recipes then. My sister is leaving a bucket of pecans for me this week on her daughter's porch. I'll be shelling them and ruining my nails, but will have some good pecans to use in my baking!

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    1. Ooh! A granddaughter pastry chef! Our oldest plans to be a dentist

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  25. I love that there will be another Georgie Christmas book! The snippet is wonderful, and I can't wait to read the whole book. Your family photo shows how much fun and good humor your family possess. So funny.

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  26. Rhys, I've been thinking about Christmas and Thanksgiving, too. I figure it's best to make a plan to keep everyone safe right now, than to make decisions in a wave of sentiment at the time. Youngest will be in an apartment by then; I have to see if she wants to come home, as usual, or stay up near university - and what should I do if she wants to bring the roommates home? (I'm thinking one day Covid tests, which are readily available in Maine now.

    Anyway, I love the excerpt and agree with everyone who can't wait to read it right now! It is lovely to escape into the past for a jolly, old-fashioned Christmas, isn't it. I have a feeling I'm going to have the Hallmark Christmas movies on repeat this season...

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  27. Oh, well done with the family picture!
    It's picture perfect!

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  28. I love Georgie, but I love Molly too. I don't want to pick favorites. I am looking forward to your book for next Christmas.

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  29. Oh, I love Georgie! Can't wait to read this.

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  30. Strawberry plants like to spread via runners. But for the best fruit production, limit the runners to just a few plants and prune the rest. blackmoor.co.uk

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