Branching!

Hello guys! Sorry for the delay in my update but I had been busy this week. I thought I would tell you today about an exciting Nova Scotian activity. I don't know about you, but I get really excited about Christmas (maybe because I never celebrated Christmas as a child).

Over here in Nova Scotia, during the last 3 weeks of November each year, any person is allowed to take part in an activity called 'Branching'.

This is what it's all about:


A couple of Sundays ago after church, I went with a couple from church to a place in the woods for a few hours where there were loads of fur trees. We picked loads of branches from the fur trees and made piles which we later stacked on long wooden poles to make huge bundles (one bundle weighing about a 100 pounds). Then we carried the heavy bundles back to the truck. This was an activity called 'branching'. The idea is that, you then take these bundles to a Christmas shop, and sell them. The shop will buy them off you for 25 cents a pound, so one bundle weighing 100 pounds would get you $25.



I personally only managed to get one bundle on Sunday as it was a new experience for me (I got paid $20 for it). It took me a while to figure out the difference between fur and spruce branches - they looked the same to me at first. We got 6 bundles that day and I rode in the back of the truck with the bundles. Riding in the back of the truck was quite fun as we were driving at 80 km/h. Branching was a truly FUN Nova Scotian experience for me.


This couple though, didn't sell their bundles. They took them home, and then made Chritsmas wreaths from the fur branches. Then they took the wreaths to the Christmas shop and sold those. The shop paid them $2.15 per wreath, so they made more money that way. I managed to make a visit to the Christmas shop on Saturday, and I had a go at learning how to make a wreath.



First, I had to break up the fur branches in smaller sections, and then place them on a circular piece of wire and I wound wire around the branches to hold them in place on the circular wire. I did this from both sides all along the circular wire, and ta da, I had my very first wreath. It took me 25 minutes to do and I was impressed with myself, as the people there, told me it would take an hour to do my first one! I really loved making it. I was so excited, I asked if they could show me how to decorate it and they did.



So I got to decorate my own wreath and this is what it looked like. I'm sorry that the photo quality isn't great, but never mind! The lady then put a price tag on it for $14 dollars and was going to sell it in the shop, but I cheekily asked if I could take it home instead. She very kindly allowed me to.







So in return, I decorated another one for her, which is now up for sale in the Christmas shop :)