my photo

do you believe in fairies ...

I would like you to meet 'Amy in the pale pink dress' and 'Wine in the dark pink dress'. These two lovely fairies were made by my very talented sister-in-law Stella, and I was given these accompanied by other goodies for Christmas, along with the message that their hairdos reminded her and my niece of Amy Winehouse. Now you see where I got their names from!

There has been talk of fairies in two other blogs I have visited recently, first Lucy Bloom was blessed with the power of a thrift fairy, who has been hovering close to Marlborough in Wiltshire, and Shadows and Clouds who recently revisited a local haunt from her childhood, where she believed fairies may have been taking up residence. Do visit both of these blogs, who knows that special fairy dust might just settle over you?

I have always been captivated by fairies and I wonder when this fascination would have started. Maybe from my early years of having been visited by the tooth fairy, can't remember what she would have left, possible an old penny, thruppence or even sixpence?

by Cicely Mary Barker ... her first book Flower Fairies of the Spring was published in 1923 bringing her international acclaim, and her many beautifully illustrated books which followed have become classics with children and adults alike.

Click on Flower Fairies to visit the official website, for lots of fairy fun.

I recently discovered that Cicely Mary Barker first found inspiration for her Flower Fairies Journal whilst staying in Storrington in West Sussex, a village we know very well, as J and his family were brought up and still live there to this day. Click on Flower Fairy Journal for a more in-depth account.

by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite ... was the first children's book illustrator in Australia to have her work printed in lavish full-colour editions and to establish an international career. She was hailed as one of the most significant new illustrators in England post World War One. She wrote and illustrated more than sixty children's books, most of which were published by Angus & Robertson in Australia and A & C Black in the United Kingdom.

Ida's exquisite watercolours and fine pen and ink drawings have recently enjoyed a widespread revival of interest.