Summer Whooshed By So Fast

Well summer. Whooshed by so fast this year and  with so much going on , while Awaiting for a new Bionic Hip for myself , I scuttled around my garden  as best I could , Almost like a demented ferret, planting all manner of Wonderus Plants and Vegetables, 

Hoping I wouldn't run out of time, before the  big day of  my Hip Operation .

 Oh the joy of being able to make up my hanging Baskets too , Beans Entwined Around their poles Tomatoes in their beds too.

How Wonderful indeed everything looked in our Garden.

A Botanical Outing at kew Gardens

A wonderous day out at Kew Gardens, looking for inspiration for new designs. Always plenty to see and although it was quite windy, the sun was shining and there was a hint of spring in the air and a feeling it may be just around the corner!

While mooching in the bookshop, I came across a very interesting book - a real botanical cabinet of plant curiosities! Wicked Plants, by Amy Stewart is an A - Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate and otherwise offend ;) if you have an mother in law living at the top of your house in the old attic that you wish you were rid of - you should not read this book - as a measure of bad medicine would surely be found! It comes with a warning on the back - "BEWARE! The sordid lives of plants behaving badly"

MANDRAKE - May not be the worst thing in the night shade family, but has a fearsome reputation! But the source of the mandrake's power lies underground. Its long pointed root can grow up to four foot and Romans believed mandrake could kill demonic possession. Flavius Josephus a 1st century Jewish historian described one method for surviving the mandrakes horrible screams when being tugged from the ground: A dog would be tied to the base of the plant with a rope, the owner could then retreat to a safe distance, then when the dog would run away. Even if the screams killed the dog, a person could pick up the root and use it! What a poisonous plant it is! Mandrake was slipped into wine to make it a powerful sedative.

"The rose in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To paly ashes They eyes windows fall Like death when he shuts up the day of life"

A Winter's Tale

And here is another New Year! Jack Frost scratching against our door again with the biggest icicles galore. Looking back at the end of last year, remembering The Faery event at Avalon and catching up with good friends. A wonderous time was had by all!

And then in November, the exhibition at the PM Gallery in Ealing where I displayed my wonderous watercolours! Met lots of like-minded arty folk at the private view, drank plenty of fine wine and scoffed lots of lovely canapes.

Tick-tock goes the clock, Christmas is knocking at our door!

After the frantic mayhem of Christmas shopping, wrapping, cooking, eating, drinking and general merriment.

**Out and About in The Fall!**

Summer's flown by too fast! And now we're coming into the most magical season of all - Autumn, or as our American friends say, the Fall ;) Loving all the vibrant colours, visiting local farmers markets and allotments and collecting an abundance of Mother Nature's wonderful Harvest. I also managed to find time to start doing some studies and paintings of toadstools and other fungi friends which will being featuring in a local exhibition next month. Watch this space for the finished masterpieces!

Mother Nature's cabinet of curiosities:

Any day now I'll by flying down the A303 with my fairy wings on full throttle passing sacred sights on my way to Avalon to take part in the October (Samhein) Fairy Festival! The festival is held in the Glastonbury Town Hall - come and visit me if you're in the area :)

Here's some of my Fairy Trinkets and Elfin Treasures that will be on display and for sale:

Dragonflies flicker, Jewels glow, Cobwebs shimmer, And everything mystically flows, Into jewel encrusted caskets, mirrors, frames and journals.

***HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!***

On a frosty morning I managed to beat Jack Frost down to my studio. With a bit of Alchemy and Magic I started to create more Faery boxes.

Here is one for you to see....

Here's a Faery box for you all to see sitting in Mr Spider's jug. You know its his by the golden web. He leaves his gossimer trail behind.

My how Faery time has flown! Yule/ Christmas has been and gone. All the Faery boxes have magically found their way into Christmas stockings large and small.