I have now created a new section for my “Christmas Selection” miniatures which I will continue to add to.

To show you all things are not always straightforward, I should like to share some of the mini-disasters that have happened to me in the process of crafting these items (and some that have yet to appear for reasons that will become clear).

1) Wooden boards for the mince pie making - believe it or not the first two I used snapped, and this was purely down to a spot too much of brute force on my part. The downside of oiling boards to seal the wood is that the wood itself can warp if you don’t apply the oil evenly to both sides at the same time. So two boards warped, and like an idiot, I tried to straighten them - after I had stuck everything down. Snap. Oops. Start again.

2) Christmas puddings - I put them in the oven accidentally at too low a temperature so they didn’t harden sufficiently. As soon as I got them out of the oven, they crumbled into something resembling cat food. So that’s what they’ve become - all they’re waiting for now is a few splodges of gravy, then they’ll appear under “Miniature Miscellany” in yellow bowls marked “cat”.

3) Santa trays with brandy, a mince pie and a carrot. I am always very careful to get colours and shades right. So for the brandy, I “borrowed” a few drops from a friend, but even so the mixture I finished up with (almost set in the glasses) was slightly too dark. Never mind - brandy I’m told comes in different shades. However, for various reasons (that I’m too embarassed to own up to), the “brandy” also had air bubbles. Now I’ve never come across real fizzy brandy so I tried to pop the air bubbles with a pin. Disaster. Somehow, a slightly dark brandy turned in minutes to something resembling treacle toffee. Oops. I’ll try again. Keep watching!

So now you know!