Fuzzy Slippers Required

home sweet home

only 50 meters from our back step you can see our amazing view.

with a small wooden bench, warm cuddly housecoats, fuzzy slippers and mugs filled with hot chocolate completes the scene for an early Sunday morning setting but why and stop on a Sunday?

visitors welcome

Flying Woodchips

during the last month or so (okay, more like 3 months and a bit?) while we were out for a walk on a cold and crisp afternoon we were hoping that we might spot a faerie or two but instead to our surprise we came across a tree trunk the must have housed some pretty tasty bugs.

with having three resident woodpecker in the neighbourhood and after comparing their beaks to the size of the hole it was quite easy to figure out that a Pileated woodpecker had come to visit us.

after coming home to a cup of steaming hot cocoa we decided even though there was no hide nor hair of a faerie about, we did have a great afternoon of exercising and bird watching.

note:
woodpecker photos curtesy of Cornell Lad of Ornithology - All About Birds website

where'd the balloon go?

the celebration is over

(well for Faeries, is it really ever over?)

faces are no longer yellow

(but i'm sure that won't last too long)

someone has gone and weeded the garden

(how dare they)

tree trunks are still being used for chairs

(as everything is still way too dizzy and i hear 

that dance classes will begin immediately) 

bandaids and ice cubes are running out of supply

(should of known that when playing with 

the neighbourhood stingers 

pricklilies are bound to find little Faerie bums)

the pretty ribbons are still being found in the weirdest of places but not necessarily in braided Faerie hair but instead they seem to be twisted and intertwined around thorny roses bushes 

(do you know how hard it is to untie a ribbon 

from a rose bush? i have heard that 

more bandaids just might be in order)

singing, yes, singing, yes indeed, singing....

enough said about that

(hmmmmmm, yes, enough said about that)

i'm figuring that the frolicking and chatting away while playing in the mud needs to quiet down a bit as it just might help the Faeries and their friends to stay focused and to help their silly pom poms attached to their acorn hats from fallen off

(this activity needs to be readdressed to include water bottles, snacks and plump cushions 

to relax on along the way)

and lastly but not to be forgotten, what exactly was happening with those socks and shoes?

(that's all i need to know, how can socks be taken off all the while their shoes are still on?)

i can't even imagine what games and shenanigans the Faeries have in store for next year

but i'm hoping that the little girl that lives so close to the garden doesn't go ahead and pick the daisies as then i will need to find another hiding place

thank you for the fun and the giggles

 and tons of things to whisper

oh, and wasn't there something about a balloon?

dandelion face paint

okay, it's the big day!

the faeries are putting on an amazing celebration party

everyone is dancing away to the music

(many a few have had to sit down from being too dizzy)

chasing bumblebees and butterflies

(please note that the butterflies don't sting as much when you get too close)

yellow coloured face painting

(dandelions are the terrible powder to wipe off)

pretty ribbons twisted around the silliest of things

(except for the long curly hair that it was supposed to be twirled around)

socks strewn all about

(strange as it be but somehow they managed to still keep their shoes on)

garden chases where the snails are the ones to beat

(i sure am glad that it wasn't raining or else could you imagine what wet soggy mud would be to crawl through)

it seems that singing off key is the best way to sing

(not too sure if that would be nice to the ears though)

i'm sure that these are just a few of the happenings that i could spot just by peeking around a daisy

(before being spotted)

what a wonderful day

Happy International Faerie Day

oh, and how could i forget...

did you know that faerie dust comes in every colour of the rainbow?

i've seen it myself, yes, in every colour

Oh no! How could I forget? It's just a few hours away.

on the eve of International Faerie Day the nursery seems to be in such a kerfuffle, in such a commotion, in such a bustle, in such a flurry that one can really make no sense of it at all, mind you we are dealing with faeries so who knows

i'm not too sure about you...

but know and not knowing what is going on certainly leaves ones imagination to run wild

A Sparkly Rolling Pin

"Just roll me in fairy dust and call me a unicorn"

Author: Lita Burke,
'Ephraim's Curious Device'

Invisible Lines

it must either be a stab in the dark or possibly a well laid out plan that has gone awry when it comes to the creation of property division lines be it for countries, provinces, cities, townships and then let's not forget to include our own backyard. 

even national parks and reserves seem to have no rhyme or reason as to how they are separated by roads and highways. i wonder if it comes down to the migration of wildlife or possibly the weather might have been taken into equation. for whatever the reason be though, even an odd one, is that these lines are travelled on day in and day out with no one being the wiser.

where the nursery is located we must pass through 10+ road signs informing us that 'you are now entering Wood Buffalo National Park' and then 'you are now leaving 'Wood Buffalo National Park'. strange as it seems though is when you can spot the next sign just down the road from where you are standing right now.

but don't get me wrong though as i do find the information essential to my travels, but at the same time you must admit though that it's quite comical to be entering and leaving (unless of course that there is a surcharge for the comings and goings) that many times when just driving on this one particular stretch of road but actually all i can think about are the people that have had to go out to erect all of those signs just so i can know where i am. 

A fair fight

"It's a sword, not a fairy wand, you know."

Author: John Flanagan,
     'The Outcasts (Brotherband Chronicles, #1)'

Starting from Scratch

when my monsters were old enough to grasp and kinda understand through demonstrations, the world of teaching opened up far beyond their store bought toys. life itself when growing up is all about learning while playing, and in truth the accomplishment of mastering something new is what drives each of us to success today. 

bringing home massive tractor tires and filling them with dirt was the first step in the art of creating life as it's one thing to play in the sandbox or down at the beach with your shovels and pails but when using those same tools for in a different manner is how a garden grows.   

being handed a packet and opening it up to reveal what still looks like specks of dust, planting them with stubby little fingers and then carrying sand pails full of water back and forth from the kitchen sink all to bring the look of awe and amazement when that first little green shoot poked its head above the dirt. after the whole neighbourhood not only heard about all of the goings-on but were given the whole tour of their garden began the process of learning something new, whether it be for gardening or perhaps not, as not everyone has what is called a 'green thumb'.  

looking back upon that time shows us our own growth, as at first one methodically following the instructions written on the back of the seed packet to now, winging it to see what can happen when you experiment while doing something like this or like that. 

this is how my nursery does things as it's hard to play by the rules when there are no rules to be followed. it's something like having a whole handful of seeds, placing them into that same sand pail and then scattering them all across the garden. my guess is that this is how faeries are made.