Winter at Pretty Beach by Polly Babbington (best affordable ebook reader TXT) 📗

it’s fabulous and we will put that right at the front where everyone can see it. It’s so beautiful though, I might have to get you to make me another one for my tree at home when I get it. Do you think you’d be able to do that for me?’ Sallie asked Maggie.

Maggie looked up at Juliette with a questioning look.

‘Of course we can - what a lovely idea.’ Juliette smiled and Maggie beamed taking the bauble back from Sallie and putting it carefully back in her backpack.

‘I don’t think she’ll actually part with it once push comes to shove,’ Juliette whispered to Sallie as she helped her with getting boxes out of the back of the car. Sallie laughed and they followed Maggie down the path to the front door of the Orangery.

They stood waiting for Sallie to find her keys and Holly’s car pulled up and parked outside on the lane.

‘Hi ladies, the troops are here to help!’ Holly said, Xian by her side and carrying a bag of cakes.

Sallie opened the door and the familiar aromatic scent of oranges, warm air, moss and ferns hit them.

‘Mummy, this smells gorgeous!’ Maggie exclaimed as she bounced around the Orangery intrigued by it all.

‘It certainly does sweetheart. Goodness, it smells just like one of the Christmas candles in the shop,’ Juliette said looking over at Sallie.

‘I could try that next - the Orangery Pretty Beach candles,’ Sallie laughed, and put the huge box of baubles she was carrying on the table.

‘It’s better than the smell of my special drink.’ Xian chuckled, taking her tablet out of her bag and making herself comfortable at one of the tables.

‘Okay, so if Maggie stays here with you, I’ll walk back home and get the rolls of ribbon, then we can get going on it all. Shouldn’t take too long,’ Juliette said to them, looking around at the hanging baskets. She pointed through to the fernery, ‘What about in there? What are you doing in there?’

‘Good question! I was hoping for some input from you. To be honest the budget is seriously running out now and I’m needing something thrifty but effective.’

‘My speciality then. I’ll just run back and get the ribbon - Maggie darling stay here with Sallie and Holly, while I go back and get those big rolls of ribbon that we unpacked.’ Maggie engrossed in examining a box of Sallie’s bits and pieces from the charity shop nodded and Juliette headed out the door.

She came back in five minutes later and handed the rolls of wired ribbon to Sallie and passed one to Holly.

‘Goodness, they’re just what I wanted. That’s an amazing price. I saw those online and it was sooooooo expensive!’

‘I know. You have to laugh - it all comes from the same few factories and the same buying fairs in Asia and some brands whack on a huge amount of profit for the very same thing.’

‘Wow, yes - I wouldn’t have been able to do it with those prices, but with this I’ll be able to put lovely big bows all over the place and on the bottoms of the wreaths.’

‘Yep, they’re going to really add some impact. With the colour scheme in here I reckon you went right going with gold and white.’

‘Yeah, I can change it around a bit with some silver and possibly red for different events too as and when I get more budget as long as the basics are quite simple. The fernery though, it’s going to be more of a challenge.’

‘Come on then, let’s go and have a look, get our creative hats on,’ Juliette said taking off her coat and hanging it on an old hook by the door.

They walked into the fernery, the lovely aroma and heat hitting them and stood there looking down at the end to the bar Ben had made from the old tables, the shelves from vintage fruit boxes and the narrow shelving that Sallie presumed had been used for storing preserving cans that ran the whole length of the room.

Juliette stood with her hands on her hips gazing up at it, Holly bent down to have a look at one of the plants and Xian had poured herself a drink from her flask and stayed put where she was at the table.

‘I’m thinking you’ve got to use that shelving - it runs around the whole room, it’s rustic, in fact, it’s gorgeous. You could just place something all the way along it. Something simple. The garlands would be too heavy and costly. Maybe just the ribbon strung along?’ Juliette went back out to the Orangery and came back in with one of the long rolls of white ribbon.

‘Attach it underneath and hang baubles every now and then?’ Sallie wondered, holding it up to try and see what it would look like. She got up on top of a table, attached the wire-edged ribbon to the underneath of the shelves.

They stood back and looked at it, Holly nodding her head. It was nice, good enough, but not doing much wowing.

‘Nah, Sallie, it needs much more than that, much more. That looks like you stood on top of a table and shoved a bit of ribbon on there - which you did! There’s no pop of magic, is there? Nothing that makes you want to stay. I’ve got an idea. Hold that thought. Maggie stay here with Sallie again, I'm popping back to the cottage to go and get something from the Christmas shop.’

She came back in a few minutes later with a long garland of white pompoms and tiny metal Christmas bells and held it up to Sallie and Holly. Sallie’s eyes lit up. Juliette hitched up the ruffles of her dress and stood on the table to attach the garland to the underneath of one of the shelves, one end of it draping down the panes of glass with white pompoms of differing sizes trailing down the wall. Every so often the tiny little bells