Toadstoolery and Gardening on the Inside

It's been a tad wet here this past week.
It happens like that in winter sometimes.

I'm not very good a at being stuck inside. So as soon as the toadstools arrived by fairy mail on Wednesday & there was a break in the raindrops, I was off out the back door chasing the man who was determined to join in with the fairy gardening & take full responsibility for toadstool positioning.

I found the wee swan in an op shop for 50c.
It needed a kindly home...it's had a broken neck.
I'm sure the fairies will look after him & bring him thimbles of honey dew in acorns for mending & strength.

  I love these toadstools...they're perfect aren't they!

I'm not entirely sure that I want to attract too many gnomes, however.

They're kind of funny & wrinkly & I'm not sure if I can trust them terribly.

You might like to pop in & see Sophie's grand efforts in creating fairy accommodation this week. Ooh they are so lucky those fairies in Fading Grace land! her post is entitled 

"WANTED...DESirable RESidence, good solid walls, no leaks, and floral curtains........"

Isn't that so cute!!
The Lord of Rushie River & Simon the Swan.Have you ever read these two books?
They're both written by Mary Cicely Barker....you know the wonderful flower fairy illustrator.
You can see some of her fairies here.

This is Susan, the Baker's little daughter.

 And "The attentive swans".

Such lovely stories. I'll tell you a little more about them next week.

I came across a marvelous old wire "frog" this week that fits this wide vase perfectly.
It's always hopeless when you go to put flowers in a wide vase & they all just flip up & hurl themselves out while you're trying to arrange them nicely.

I also found this charming magazine holder a week or two ago.

There's just something sturdy & friendly about old white cane, perhaps it's the dependability factor of the old cane pram.

There is a very short street out in Havelock North where the grass verge has been planted with these glorious blossom trees. I stopped on my way home to take some pictures for you. I knew if I didn't that I would miss the opportunity...they will probably be nearly over after next week.

I went to post a parcel yesterday & the lady mentioned something about old world grace & charm.
When I got home I thought...mmm I guess that is quite a lot of floral all together isn't it!

I have to confess I have become sidetracked from my original crochet project.
I came across a German blog with the prettiest jam jar covers.

 Blowed if I can find the blog again to link to it but here are the ones that I have managed to make so far.

Each one still seems to come out a little differently. Not sure what I am doing wrong! Maybe it's trying to follow the tricky old chart & not a worded pattern.

When I finally figure out a good pattern I'll let you know in case you'd like to make some too.

Since I couldn't do much gardening outside I made a garden inside.
Kaitiaki chose blue & yellow colours for me to make a brooch for his mum's birthday next week. He was a little perturbed about having to keep a secret..apparently that's a bad thing ; )

I have been a garden fairy for a long time now & especially so for my dear friend Sue.

We both share a passion for colour & beauty & she has recently started a lovely business called Style Me Vintage. You can find her here on Facebook if you'd like to visit or you're looking to hire pure loveliness for a wedding or special occasion. 

We sat down for a cup of tea at this table the other day..isn't it glorious!

It's such a delight to see you.

With friendship &

MUCH

 ♥♥♥♥♥

The Fairy Garden and the Grumpy Socks

 Being a garden fairy, as I am, I tend to notice things like blossom trees in full precocious bloom outside the library.

And I am naturally attracted to all that is colourful & fanciful & seasonal & interesting.

These earth gems just utterly fascinate me & I love that they arrive on the scene, in the dead of winter, like jewels of the earth that come to brighten up our meals & palates, while we hang on a little longer waiting for the refreshing offerings of spring.

 The mid-winter fruit that utterly delights me is about as difficult to come by as the earth gems..these white sapote taste like a sweet tangy avocado & are sometimes know as the icecream fruit.

 My tamarillos have ripened & have just dropped in to a soft bed of leaves this week.
(Not actually on to the cake plate itself!)

My crochet project is coming along nicely.

My approach to using wool is singularly seasonal.

 I just never seem to have the inspiration to knit or crochet during the warmer months.

Being  a "Katie" is really nice.

I just have to be me & the boys don't expect anything else.

(They are both a little older now!)

It's the best way to be really...just yourself.

I find myself utterly enchanted by the fairy house that the girls made in

 "A Fairy Tale, the true story"

I decided that it was the right time to make a fairy garden.

Under the shelter of our incredibly gnarly & ancient plum tree seemed like a perfect spot.

There has been a problem with the toadstools..I couldn't find any anywhere!

But I have found some little sweeties, at last, they should be arriving soon.

 I love the soft downy green of moss.
I don't think that it's very nice of it to fill up our whole front lawn but it's perfect in a fairy garden.

Fairies like to be near water as you can tell from this dear, dear Margaret Tarrant picture.

 So I have given them a paua shell pool. There is a slight problem with the excellent drainage just presently, however, fairies are highly resourceful creatures so I feel sure that they will devise a remedy.

The pathway is a little uneven but fairies mostly fly so it should work out ok.

Kaitiaki came to play today.

Firstly, we went to the Farmer's Market.

There was a distinctive stinky boy smell in the car..Kaitiaki said it was his "grumpy socks" : )

Later, we quietly crept down the back under the feijoa tree so that he could meet Flitty & Flirty.

Of course they were right there waiting.

 You can see over the fence to the neighbours from the top of the feijoa tree...
I didn't know that!

 I've learnt quite a lot about fairies from this op-shop book find recently.

 Of course...they like walnut shell beds!

 Since Kaitiaki & I also cracked some walnuts for Margaret down the road, we had just the right material on hand.

 "Envelopes of folded leaves are sent by airmail through the trees...
Whenever loving fairies meet, their eyelash kisses are so sweet."
I love eyelash kisses...they tickle & make you giggle.

Some people say that you can't see fairies, but I'm not entirely sure about that....

by Molly Brett

Have you ever made a fairy garden?

They can be big or small, I really don't think fairies mind at all.

Thank you so much for popping in..I am so delighted that you did!!

MUCH

 ♥♥♥♥♥