The Tenbury Mistletoe Ball is full to bursting this year, we’ve had to take over the bar area (shame!) as well. 94 guests, mostly local, but including some mistletoe enthusiasts from far afield – Rod and Ruth Chapman from Norfolk, and Willem and Karin from Utrecht.
Dinner is dominated, on our table, by some oneupmanship between me, Rod and Willem on our mistletoe growing prowess. Rod has been growing it out of its normal range in Norfolk, I’ve been growing American species in the back garden – but I think Willem wins, as he’s been growing it on bonsai trees (!) AND he has some garden specimens of the European Dwarf Mistletoe Arceuthobium oxycedri on Juniper. I must try harder…
The Ball itself? Well, we had a good dinner, a short speech from me and then there was some dancing. But I couldn’t help daydreaming about Arceuthobium oxycedri on Juniper all evening.
These Mistletoe Balls are becoming popular – there’s one in London tonight organised by Cancer Research UK – possibly a deliberate nod to mistletoe’s use in complementary cancer treatment but more likely a coincidence. And tomorrow, in Newcastle-on-Tyne, the Percy Hedley Foundation, a charity providing specialist services for disabled people are having their first Mistletoe Ball. Ours is also for a medical charity – the League of Friends for Tenbury Community Hospital.