Bring Me Sunshine...Witch Hazel Style

This morning, instead of the usual magic of Kew Gardens, it felt like I had been transported to the closing scenes of a Stephen King novel.  There is something quite sinister about a fairground organ playing Silent Night, especially when it is in the grey morning mist and you can’t actually see the rides.  I could hear frantic rustling noises emanating from the nearby  Skimmia bushes, which with their own incongruous, pungent curry aroma only added to the feeling I was somehow in the twilight zone.  Fortunately, the noise turned out to be a rather cheeky squirrel, which scurried passed doing a pretty impressive Tommy Cooper “just like that” impersonation en route.  Alas, my lens cover was safely secured to my camera so no chance of me recording his antics, superimposing a fez onto the shot and making a fortune in the novelty greetings card market!    I was about to abort trip and return when I almost literally stumbled upon a witch – thankfully not the Blair Witch, but Witch Hazel or Hamamelis virginiana to be all Latin and posh.. camera lens safely removed and shots taken, although there really was no danger of the plant scuttling away:

  
Witch Hazel absorbs sunlight throughout the spring and summer, but does not release any of the collected energy at this time.  It is only in the winter months with the blossoming of the star-shaped flowers, that it opens itself to the world, delivering the entire concentrated power of the sun in a burst of brightness.  It is one of the key plants in Dr.Hauschka Skin Care;  essences from the leaves and bark are used in one of my favourite products - Blackthorn Body Wash - as well as in almost all face care products (think glorious Facial Toner), use these products and let sunshine flood into your life, whatever the season:

 In terms of Strictly this all brought to mind Lisa’s Quick Step from Week 9, to the tune of Bring me Sunshine (this is exactly what the Witch Hazel did for me this morning and Dr.Hauschka products do on a daily basis!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC3e3H_eEVs

Lisa was definitely the contestant who brought sunshine into Strictly 2012 and I, like many others, was sad to see her exit the competition last Sunday evening ; (