A Winters Tale

Today was a lovely day, restful, laidback, calm, just like any other day here really. Luscious is oiut at work in the restuarant as they are fully booked and the as the French don't really do christmas we will have our christmas dinner tonight. A nice starter of foie gra, followed by grilled rack of deer with parsnips, brussels etc etc and finish of with christmas pud with custard. Yummy! i thought i would decorate the table with some holly as we have an abundance of it in the fields and the berries will lok nice against the white tablecloth with pictures of snowmen on. HMMMM nice idea but, the blackbirds around here who are all looking remarkably healthy have had other ideas. I cannot find one sprig of holly with a berry on, not one! oh yes, there are plenty of empty stalks but no berries. The birds have stripped the bushes and now i know why they are looking so healthy. It is MY berries they have eaten!
Plan b was to cut some mistletoe, hah! same problem something has eaten that as well. It is not the same having mistletoe hanging up without the berries. The chestnuts on the ground have long gone, the deer, badgers, foxes, wild boar have made sure of that! Lesson learn't is get in early to beat the local wildlife!!!!
A merry christmas to all and a happy new year. I'm off to break out a sherry and to cut up the deer..........