Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Have you been missing too?

This has been one crazy month. Now you have to understand, this wee Faerie, well she doesn't usually get toooooo worked up over a bit of sporadic nuttiness (now, did you catch that...it's almost into December, the month of when 'nuts' (okay fine, Nut - 1. a a fruit consisting of a hard or tough shell around an edible kernel. * the hard kernel of a nut. courtesy of my iMac Dictionary) get to be in the forefront and be honoured to be within the same candy dish with some of the more traditional types of snacky things that are put out for guests, mind you, that isn't quite true in this household (being vegetarian and everything)...so for those of us that this above 'nutty' commentary doesn't apply to....well, then shall we all continue on with the whole crazy month topic. (ps, has anyone but myself notice how easy it is for me to go off topic. It's like it's a natural type of phenomenal event {okay...it isn't quite a phenomenal event as it isn't just a one time type of event} that I find myself trying to explain myself to you....[okay....I'm trying to make sense of the whole thing myself and then trying to describe what I'm trying to say])....Wowzers (is that even a word...back to the iMac Dictionary....hmmmm this is what I found...hmmm there is just WAY to much for me to type out...so here is a screen shot....{ohhhh something technical...hold onto your hats here...you never now what I blow up this time. {yes, unfortunately there have been numerous times, well that even my son ((who is the Mac guru)) hasn't even been able to help me}...so, according to my iMac Dictionary, I will have to say that sadly 'Wowzers' is not a word...sigh.

Now were was I...(thank goodness I had an interruption otherwise I think I would have almost gone the record {well a record to me}...[hmmm wonder if I should go back on my blogs to find out]...do I have time to do that today??. Okay, so let's say it was a new record (although I highly doubt it), mind you, it just might be a new record??

Okay...I can do this...I can keep on topic...honestly I can (does anyone need the definition of the word 'honestly' as I can get it for you real quickly as I have a tendency to keep up my iMac Dictionary at all times just to get me through writing blogs...it's just a thing I do...{you know...to make it look like I speaks real good English}...man would my teacher's been real upset with me for that comment lol [please, all of my teachers please do not take offence to this previous comment...I just love to use bigger words, words that perhaps could be classified as my word-of-the-day], ((okay, fine...this/these words cannot be considered my word-of-the-day as thankfully, I don't punish you with blogs everyday of the week)) {{mind you, I don't know exactly if it would be a punishment for you more than it would be for me}} [[honestly here, how many new words can a person take in a day]]).

Okay...I'm trying so hard to show you what all I have managed to do so far in this blog....I have managed to use (in the same sentence!! {yes, in the same sentence} [wonder if I could classify this as a phenomenal event??])...I have been able to use all of my brackets....like all of them....in possibly the correct order (mind you, probably in the correct instances) {hey, don't be so critical there....} [I know it's you...you who is by now laughing or could that be crying??]. I have used...
You know the references of Dictionary 'bracket' noun 1. each of a pair of marks [] used to enclose words or figures so as to separate them from the context....Thesaurus 'bracket' noun 2. put the words in brackets: Parenthesis, square bracket... (again, thank you so much iMac Dictionary/Thesaurus).

Okay. how come the sizing of these screen shots ended up to be display in different sizes? Weird, and I mean weird in this instance! Oh well, we will just have to work with it the way it is. I am sooooo impressed with me...I am. (ps....Blogger isn't too happy with me using the word 'sooooo' either...it seems like it likes to auto-correct it to 'sooner'...too bad it 'sooner' just wouldn't fit into the conversation so I didn't upset my whole auto-corrector. Hmmmmph....lol that turned into hmm mph (miles per hour??).

So after the whole explanation of the 'bracket' theme, yes, this has been a very 'crazy' past few weeks. But in order to not upset the applecart (so to speak {please do not make me look up that groupiing words either}, I could you know...yuppers I could [I wonder when the word yuppers will be appointed a place into the dictionary...we all ((well, I do))).

I just LOVE craziness unless it is outside the realm of the Fae (well some of it had to do with the craft fair so, technically) {oh, and I did do some shopping for the nursery as well} really throws me for a loop.

So to recap....my month was insanely busy, I do not like the craziness of such insanely business, I love using brackets in my writing, I love doing screen shots to visibly display my definitions, and I love to shop. Oh, and how could I forget the whole 'nut' thing.

Hmmmmm, wonder what will happen between now and my next blog. I can't wait to see (well, in your case...read) find out.

p.s. Bet you didn't know that I copy and paste these whole write-ups as I go along as wouldn't it be absolutely a catastrophic event that I lose my train-of-thought and have to start all over from the beginning.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Ewwwwww?

So okay, I have been awfully quiet these past few days, okay fine, the past couple of weeks?

Ooooopppps...off topic...did you see that insane graphic quote I posted today? Not only was the topic quite gross...but the colour of the background...was that not the LOUDEST colour scheme you have EVER seen!!

For those of you that do follow our Facebook page and for those of you that don't (sure would be nice if you dropped on by...was that a please...perhaps it was), I had noted that hubby and I did an impromptu holiday for about a week.

Oh course, this leaving all of a sudden sure does put a monkey wrench into trying to keep my wee company on the 'map of the internet'.

As soon as I got home (okay, yes, that was a definitely exaggeration of my timeline...but I'm a faerie...so all aspects of time (to you anyways) is certainly not on my schedule) I hurriedly tried to get posted on here, Facebook /// Facebook pages (yes, that was a plural for pages...), Pinterest and Flickr (man, that sure is spreading the 'word'....did you get that one? I really meant 'quote', maybe a 'graphic').

As noted in many posts, I do not add any 'Thought of the Day' messages over the weekend...this allowed me time to unpack all of the new goodies for the nursery (and, ummmm, as normal...there are still plenty of bags still on the worktable calling to me...as I write this blog posting...shush now....all of you!!).

So, I am once again starting to feel under the gun here on trying to get myself ready...yes, it is the time of craft fairs, getting ready for the gift giving season, the time of 'the rush'. As with EVERY year, you promise yourself that THIS will be the year that you are ready!!

Here are a few of the things to do...a few of the reasons why these 'said' things have not been done...

Jewellery....I had over the summer purchased a few (okay, does about a hundred still classify as a few??) of those floating memory lockets. I have now filled them all with the shiny wee faceted gemstones and they are now in their pretty white/sheer organza bags (these ones have pretty silvery butterflies on them...nice!!). I am now waiting impatiently for the fuzzy black felted display cases that have all of those wee square compartments for the speciality charms that you can put into the lockets. Next, I still need to make another one of those flowered display chalkboards that will list the prices.

Faerie Dolls....yes, these are not my Faeries that I make but ones that I had purchased really early on in the year. They have pretty coloured blue, purple, green and yellow hair along with matching wings. They all have wee dresses on them as well...they really are quite adorable. I have attached one of the faerie necklaces that I had made, oh probably for the Trade Show that was in April. They too have been placed into pretty organza bags...these ones are almost a shade of sea green...please do not ask me what this colour really looks like...I just know that it is pretty. These also need a flowered display chalkboard price sign made up.

Faeries...yes, these are the ones that I make....I have enough the Northern Line ready to go....now here is the hiccup...the New Line (if you remembered, the wire was just a bit toooooo off on the size that I required (insert here...I really wished that they would regulate an actual sizing chart) to make them. My goal is still to have at least 5 of each ready to go. That entails layering all of the flower petals, making the heads (with hair), having the wee stands numbered and painted (remember, the nursery uses only environmentally safe products) and there are probably tons of things that I need to do in the hopes that the replacement wire gets here in time.

Now, here is the problem....I have to go out of town again this weekend onto late next week....and you ask what is the problem with that....well....the biggest of our two craft fairs happens on Saturday, November 22! Yes, sure...I can get all of this done prior to leaving! Sure I can...yuppers!!

Monday, November 3, 2014

The Thoughts and The Photos

For the week of October 27 -31, 2014

Authors this week include:

Lois Lowry, J. Maarten Froost, Jostein Gaarder, John Flanagan and Luna Lindsay.

The topics this week were all about how fairy tales will hold us all together no matter what life throws at us.

The full explanation about how a plane really stays afloat in the great sea of the clouds (and I always believed that aerodynamics had absolutely no place in this), how some people really try to debunk the fact that fairy tales are real, the truth of what defines a sword and finally a whole conversation about the more predominately known 6 courts of Fae (yes there was a graphic but then a full blog posting!!).

The week started with how the world itself can destroy itself (hmmm wonder if that word really words both ways?) but the truth about faeries tales will always remain the same.

I love the description of air travel. I know that ever since I was little and as we all did/do ask but how does the plane stay up in the sky (p.s. I still ask this question as I have NEVER been satisfied on the answer that I have been given). I truly believe that I know exactly how the magic works.

As I do not live in the world of 'truth', or at least the truth that is widely accepted and even acknowledged world wide...but I live in one that embraces wonderment, magic, fairy dust, shiny things, rocks (you always have to have rocks), and really just the whole enchantment that I choose to surround myself in. It really doesn't matter what other people think or for that matter, what they say. Once you can get yourself above all of that nonsense, life becomes a much happier place. A place that sometimes stays aloof and for many they never find that silly way for the rest of their lives. This life, this lifestyle, the need to question is one that people forget once they lose their childhood. One that when they believed in the magic of the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and even the Easter Bunny. One that people strive to once again accept that life doesn't have to be this mechanical, law abiding (okay, well there are still some 'rules' that you have to keep applied to life), boring and disappointing....it doesn't take much to turn it off, to let your feelings replace that 'chip on your shoulder' and that staunch feeling in your belly that you must confirm to the rest of the worlds viewpoint. Who wants to live that way anyways?

The sword and the fairy wand reminds me of the laughter of seeing children playing, those that want/desire to be the hero and those that want to be locked away and rescued. Now, these roles are definitely not defined by gender even though throughout the evolution of life, these roles really have been predestined and even fated for young boys and girls. Is it possible that those that change this viewpoint are they the ones that continue to see the beautiful and sparkly side of life? If they are, I sure hope that their journey is never interrupted by the standards of others. And who knows perhaps swords really are fairy wands.

And as above, this weeks final quote and graphic...I really did go into great explanation of the different types of courts... lol

The Photo

What a wonderful time of year. The end of the harvest season. The time of celebration and the time of argh....the winter and snow is coming.

The wee birds have been busy feasting away on pre-purchased black oiled sunflower seeds and then the natural ones that have been dried from last seasons crop. I just love how a picked over sunflower looks just like a honey comb. It is quite funny how during the summer there is no one to be seen. We fill the bird feeders possibly once a month and yet now they are pretty well empty once a week. Having a natural treed lot (yes, even in a residential area) allows all types of birds to eat, groom and well just sing along in a protected and safe area.

The amazement of a day that has been ceremonially celebration from the very early of times, through to the abduction of symbolism and ritual practices through the power of religion (this is not an attack on the church, no matter what nature of belief that anyone holds dearly), to the adaptation of today's Mardi Gras, Trick and Treating, costumes and lively get-togethers. How time sure does go around and around. Perhaps not in the exact way but through the natural repetition and regurgitation of history.

And our final note for this week is the reminder that 'The Thought' will be back here on Monday, November 10...even wee faeries need some down time as well.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

When the Future Becomes the Past

Today is when this moment of the future stands still to become the past.

Today is when even countries become divided within themselves.

Today is when the world goes from up to down.

Today is when yesterday becomes the new now.

Today is when the bottom and the top work side by side.

Today is when the sun shines for one more working hour.

Today is the when the seasons welcome the next.

Today is when autumn wards off winter.

Today is when spring lets the summer come earlier (antithetical of today).

Today is when the hands of a clock are dictated by the spinning of a globe.

This day (or to be exact, within a week or so) is unique, well, twice a year it is unique. Today is known as Daylight Saving Time. This is when time falls back and subsequently when time springs forward late March (or to be exact, within a week or so).

This time change is known as Daylight Saving Time. Working hand in hand with both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres of the world, today exchanges one full hour into either the past or the future.

Known as the way to make better use of the natural daylight by setting your clocks back by one hour in the fall and by setting your clocks forward by one hour in the spring. Please note that it does not actually ADD an hour of daylight to the day but it gives a more usable hour of daylight. Thusly the saying of 'spring ahead and fall back'.

Daylight Saving Time originated in Germany, well, Germany was first to implement this unparalleled change to time. It was actually first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 but it wasn't until George Vernon Hudson from New Zealand in the year 1895 when today's modern Daylight Saving Time become the norm. It took another 21 years for the first country to implement this amazing shift of time. On April 30, 1916 the hands of a clock was set forward at 11:00 pm (23:00).

The one hour time change was never set in stone throughout the ages. There has been a full gamut of documented shift changes from 20 minutes all the way up to 2 hours.

Those countries that participate in this remarkable phenomenal jump can be divided by the strangest standards. Even different sections of these countries do not recognize this change of time.
In Australia, Canada and the United States, uses a different name for these special hours in today's society. The DST - Daylight Saving Time is ofter referred to Savings with an 's'. It is perceived that this extra 's' became the norm as it is a common expression in our vocabulary, for example - a savings account. In the United Kingdom these hours are commonly referred to BST, British Summer Time, or 'Summer Time'. They term Winter Time, is used for standard time, or the time without DST. The term Summer Time can even be seen in various bills and Acts, including 'Summer Time Act of 1916, the Summer Time Act of 1925 and the Summer Time Act of 1972.

There are approximately 70 countries that utilize Daylight Saving Time. Japan, India and China of the major industrialized countries do not observe some form of the DST. In China itself, they had in place a single time zone until 1980, when they adopted DST during the years of 1986 to 1991. They once again returned to the single time zone that is used today. 'Sommerzeit' is the term used for 'Summer Time' in Germany. April 1916, the German Federal Council decreed the DST be instituted as a wartime measure.

The countries nearest to the equator or tropical countries do not generally exercise this change of time. Since the hours of actual sunlight cannot be observed to change dramatically between seasons there is really no advantage to moving the hands of a clock.

The use of DST can be dissolved even within a country itself. In Canada for example, the province of Saskatchewan established The Time Act of 1966. Even though this province is located within the Mountain Standard Time (MST) that runs between the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan to Manitoba. Previously the question of 'time' was the responsibility of each municipality under the Cities Act and the Towns Act of the day. This new Time Act of 1966 brought together all of the uses of MST, CST and DST into one time. The time of Central Standard Time which does not recognize any changes of time itself. Now if you were to look to the province of Manitoba, even though it is within the Central Time Zone, it acknowledges the use of CST and CDT, Central Standard Time and Central Daylight Time.

When looking at an actual chart from all of the countries world wide, some do not only observe DST but they have adopted different dates, even months of when these changes take place. Making DST a unique change of time worldwide.

So if you live in a country, a state, a province that uses the time unit of Daylight Saving Time...I hope you celebrate that one full extra hour of useable sunlight, even if it is that nice feeling of being able to snooze in bed before your alarm goes off when you have to start your day.

As the Night Takes Over

A bit of history for night of October 31st.

A bit of history...The Spelling...Halloween; Hallow's Eve; Hallowe'en; All Hallows; All Hallows Eve; All Hallows Even; Hallowed Evening...

A bit of history...The Name....All Saints' Day (derived from the Catholic Church); All Soul's Day (again derived from the Catholic Church); Samhain (derived from the Celtic Islands); The Festival of the Dead (derived from the Celtic tribes); The Feast of Samhain (derived from the celebrations of witches); All Hallows (derived from the Catholic to honour all the saints); All Hallows Even (derived from the Irish Catholic peasants)....

A bit of history...The Samhain (pronounced say-wen).... comes from the Irish Gaelic word samhuinn, meaning 'summer's end' and was recognized as the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year.

A bit of history....The Hallowed.....sanctified or holy.

A bit of history...The 'All Hallows'.....in Ireland was a time for fairies to dance.

A bit of history....The Otherworld....was the time of the end of the harvest, the summer's end, the time with the veil to the 'otherworld' is at its thinest allowing fairies, banshees, puka and other spirits to roam freely upon the earth.

A bit of history...The Mumming.....stemmed from the dressing up to represent demons and dreadful creatures as if the souls of the dead. These creatures would then roam around and perform antics in order to offered food and drink.

A bit of history...The Costume.....can be traced back to this mumming ritual which is still celebrated world wide by the Druids. The dress of the demons are now represented through costumes such as witches, ghosts and skeletons.

A bit of history...The Bonfire....was named after the sacrifices of animal and humans and the ashes and bones could be found once the fire died down, hence the reference from the name 'bone fires' or the 'fire of the bones'. This is now where people wear costumes, ugly masks and disguises in order to confuse and ward off evil spirits.

A bit of history....The Hawthorn or Whitethorn bush....were the favourited place to set out offerings in an attempt to appease bad spirits and fairies.

A bit of history...The Mardi Gras....is the adults version of today's Halloween celebration that is practiced by children. This day involves magnificent masquerade balls.

A bit of history....The Dead...the celebration of the Day of the Dead by the Celts.

A bit of history....The Druid...the wearing of costumes that would keep these people safe from the spirits.

A bit of history...The Jack-o'-Lantern....become a pumpkin in the late 1800's when it was originally a turnip that had been made into lamps. These lamps were placed in windows to help guide the spirits along their journeys. The carving of scary faces on turnips and placing them near the entry of the home was again a way to ward off evil spirits.

A bit of history...The Embers....these were the embers that were carried home from the great bonfire, usually in a carved out turnip that wore a face in order to scare away evil sprites, to which they were to relight the hearth fire for good luck.

A bit of history...The Ashes....from the bonfires were spread across the fields to protect them against the spirits who would cause the next season's crops to fail.

A bit of history...The Offerings....were actually food, drinks or even gifts that were placed out a part of the ritual to remember and honour the dead. Today, these offerings are the candy that is handed out.

A bit of history....The Centrepiece....here fruit, apples and nuts are set out as a representation of the end of the harvest.

So between the myths, the legends, the practices, the meanings, the spellings, the 'bits of history'.... the celebration from the past through to today....

But in my wee world....my mew mew, Lady Isabella has her own way to celebrate posing with the candles that are left out in the window (and yes, these are the lighted candles and the wax burning ones...but can you see in the candles...that even today...the ghost, the ghouls, the fairies, the souls of the dead still rise to roam free for the evening. May they pass by to ward off the evil spirits.