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Sunday 22 July 2012

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
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
 ♥♥♥♥♥

13 comments:

  1. I really must make a fairy garden one day. So sweet.

    Love the colours of the wool.

    xxx
    Alisa

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  2. Hello Catherine,

    What a sweet post. My Sister made a fairy garden for a friend, she and a friend visited someone and they weren't home so they got to and made a fairy garden from things found in the back yard. The friend was so happy.

    Happy days.
    Bev.xoxo

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  3. OH how beautiful your fairy garden is - I so want one too! eyelash kisses! haven't had any of those since I was little. I think you most definitely have fairies in your garden, once the toadstools arrive and they have somewhere to sit I think you will notice them often. You have found the most delightful book, walnut shell beds sound very practical, being round they will float if you get heavy rains so fairies are safe whilst sleeping.

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  4. Your fairy garden is gorgeous, little gardens are always so sweet. We had a fairy garden when the girls were little. They loved it.
    Anne xx

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  5. Last time we went to the library I took out a fairy book- boys most disgusted a that Mummy could take out a children's book and b that it was all pink and girly and full of fairies- I must dog it out tomorrow and forward the details. I love this garden. This can join my list of things to do now that we are home from holiday- infinitely nicer than everything on tomorrow's list. So horrible and busy a day is it that I haven't been able to actually write the list. I'll do it now and put Start fairy garden somewhere in the ressuring middle. Nice break at some stage! Such lovely photos of you- tres bohemian and cosy and friendly and easy and nice. Your sofa has joined Pom Pom's on places I'd like to sit. Some lists are definitely nicer than others! Crochet looks fabulous?

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  6. Catherine, visiting you is always a balm in Gilead to my soul. Today, especially so and my heart thanks and blesses you.

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  7. Hello there Catherine - a lovely inspiring post (as always) - makes me want to start a fairy garden hidden somewhere in my wilderness that is called a garden. LOVE the vintage china you have used in it - also LOVE your crochet colours - that looks an "interesting" project you are working on.
    Your little Op Shop book was again a great find. Hope you are staying dry - its pouring bucketloads here. Love & friendship, Julie X x x

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  8. Dear Catherine, I think on the top of my list of important things to do I will write...'make a fairy garden' it really is so gorgeous, and I know that they will love it, do you think they will leave you little gifts as a thank you? I have just scoured my bookshelf for a book i know you will love...

    Betty Bibs Fairy Field Guide, The illustrated handbook of fairies and their Habitats....it has a velvet spine and is the most lovely book :-)
    Anyway my lovely, the sun is shining here for the second day running and it is the first day of the school holidays, I'm thinking today may be a good day to begin my important things to do list...just need to persuade a hormonal 12 year old that she does infact still believe in fairies...wish me luck x
    Much love and thank you for the inspiration

    Sophie xx

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  9. Dear, lovely, 'how-I-would-like-to-live-close-by' Catherine,

    Yes, yes to Fading Grace's reference to Betty Bib's books. She has a lovely website too; just type in Betty Bib on Google or whichever search engine you favour.

    Fairy gardens. Sigh of pleasure. The last time I intended to make one with my children I fell prey to awful morning sickness which, quite simply, erased all desire to make something so pretty and delicate and, let's be honest, absolutely essential for the welfare of gardens faires. Unfortunately at the time I was focusing on the needs of my future Angélique. Poor fairies ;-) Fortunately, however, Angélique is clearly very much in love with fairies; she is, as I write flitting about with lilac-coloured wings on her back chasing round and round in circles trying her best to catch them.

    Catherine, I love that picture of you surrounded by balls of beautiful yarn. Storybook material for sure.

    Hang on a little longer; your spring is on its way. We are relishing pure summer at present. Oh Heaven.

    Stephanie

    ps I cannot believe my luck: I opened my Etsy shop yesterday and sold all my hares. Lucky, lucky me.

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  10. Hi Gathering Katie!
    Oh, your crochet is wonderful!! The basket of colors in that picture is a visual feast.
    Fairy gardens! Such fun! I love that book you found! Oh, everything here is delicious! I adore your posts.

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  11. What a sweet post.
    Your blog is magic-adorable!!!

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  12. I'd love a fairy garden. I'd love to sneak out one night and create one to surprise the kids with. I think the magic of that would certainly be one memory they'd keep forever! Of course it would help if we had a decent garden on this property. Unfortunately I never inherited my mums green fingers (or is it a green thumb? idk) and I'm just as likely to keep the weeds and garden out the flowers. Like that big scottish thistle we had in the scrap of corner garden that I really wanted to keep! It was the only thing that was really growing...

    Those fruit are amazing! Okay, I'm allergic to tamarillos (so I found out in form 2 when we made Tamarillo Crunch in Home Ec and I spent the entire afternoon throwing up in the toilets next to class afterwards) but the other fruit - I've never heard of them before! Is it because I'm from Jafa-ville? I feel a bit ripped about that. There's half a dozen little fruit and vege shops around here (where suburban AK meets the lovely rural outskirts) but none of them have anything startling. I guess I should try the Farmers Markets on a super-early Sunday morning..?

    My son is captivated by your blog btw. I've actually had your page open for the last hour trying to elbow him out of the way, because he just wants me to go back up the page so he can count the "apples" (your icecream fruit)!!

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  13. I'm completely smitten with your fairy garde. I've never thought about one or heard about one. Here in Germany wew have the deepest winter but I want to make a fairy garden when spring begins here, at least a tiny little fairy garden. What an inspiring idea!!!

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So lovely of you to leave a comment. Thank you!! So sorry if you've tried to leave one & it hasn't worked. You are welcome to email me at catherine@sunshinevintage.nz instead, if you'd like to, much love Catherine♥

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