The Fairies' House

What happens to fairies when wintry winds blow?
Who cares for the darlings, and where do they go
When the trees drop their leaves touched with crimson and gold -
When flowers have faded and sunsets are cold?
What happens to the fairies when summer days die?
Where do they wander, and where do they fly?

Taking their bedding of rose-leaves and down,
They hurry away at the back of the town -
Away from the winter. They leave in a trice,
With everything packed on the backs of mice.
They flutter and follow through the hollows and bends
Down to the forest, where birds are their friends,
Down where the berries grow safe they will be,
Hidden away in a house in a tree.

Windows they have there, and carpets a score,
A knocker and bell on the stout little door,
Saucepans and dishes and food till the spring;
The sweet little creatures won't want for a thing,
The baker, a goblin, will call there with bread,
And the pixie-folk sell to them apples of red,

And dear little rabbits, with small furry tails,
Bring lots of thick honey in tiny brown pails.
The spider will weave for them shawls thick and warm,
And a bull-dog ant see that they come to no harm.
then, when it's night-time and fierce the wind blows,
A possum will sleep with his tail on their toes.

from The Pixie O'Harris Fairy Book

The following are little snippets of The Natives Conversations as we went out Fairy Tracking early Wednesday morning:

'Look at the dew... cobwebs... spiders... the fairies have already painted the flowers...

It's prickly... soft... sticky... I like this flower better, this other one doesn't smell nice...

Hey! There's seeds on the underside of this!...

This will make them (the fairies) a nice warm blanket... make jackets for winter... shelves for their home...

Putting these sticks together like this make a strong shape...'

They said so much more and our whole day disappeared in a blur of creativity and exploration. Please visit Eileen at Little Acorn Learning and explore her guides, they are beautiful and magical and have been a delightful addition to our home life.

Psst! During March, Eileen is giving away a week of her March Enrichment Guide so you can get a little taste of the creativity she has waiting for our children.

he he... blogger is determined to be stuck on italics tonight so I shall give in and let it be.

Now it's getting Difficult

Last nights rehearsal was late.

Kookaburra went to bed extremely late.

Nearly 11pm.

Ridiculous!

It will be the same again tomorrow night and Friday night. There is rehearsal for the musical scheduled for Sunday and then the three nights again next week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then we jump into the two weeks of solid rehearsal of every evening. Right now, looking down the barrel of crazy late nights with my nine year old son I'm asking myself why we decided to commit to such an intense activity. Well, and I say this with a very tired sigh, I believe in exposure and opportunity through and through. It's my policy I suppose. Get us out there experiencing real life and real people and I guess real difficulties and the huge joys of real life. When we're done I'll rein us back in for a bit. Cushion us for a while and hide out at home once more finding a good rhythm again. We are going to need it desperately.

Life is so laughable and I'm really here forever as it's student. I spent three long evenings last week poring over materials and planning meticulously what I and my boys would like achieved this week and mapping it out and preparing right down to the the materials organised neatly in their baskets. I shouldn't have. I should have known. In my heart I did, but my dumb old head was in denial. The truth of our situation is that we need to take a break from our lessons. More than anything my boys and I and Dada over this busy time, we are going to need to connect richly and as much as we can.

We need siesta's!

And our great books.

And lots of crafting.

The Native's want to keep going with their lapbooks and I'll try to continue with their book studies , but everything else can happen naturally. And it really does, if I'm willing to let it - which is so very difficult for this brain washed old school girl.


So what has happened today was a fine lesson in doing too much - and it's fall out. The too much wasn't from planned lessons either, it came simply from failing to relax and replacing our lessons with busyness. Late this arvo I was spectacularly Bad! It still amazes me how I can still be rabbiting on at my little boys while a little part of me has stepped aside to watch the car wreck I'm inflicting upon us. But, I'll leave it there because my lesson has been learnt, my apologies made, tears wiped! And instead I'll move on to dwell on the great because the rest truly was.

This morning was brilliant! Relaxed and fun. So very natural and wonderfully happy. I should have kept on as I had begun and we would have been fine. Apart from their jobs and breakfast I let our boys do as they please while I figured out what to do with us - which obviously means clicking on the latest blog posts of crafty peeps. The Magic Onions latest post was about making an Easter Basket from felt. I sigh. I've been wanting to felt forever but it just isn't in my budget. But Marvelous Donni suggests using an old pure wool or cashmere sweater for felting and gave great simple instructions which sounded completely doable. Lacking such an item immediately on hand my boys and I, Kookaburra was particularly inspired by this project, headed to the op shops in search of such items. We wandered for a while in the thrift shop to no avail until Joy! as we headed upstairs our eyes alighted on a high shelf full of PURE WOOL BLANKETS - $1!!!!!! We're yet to begin the felting as we still need golf balls for the process, but it makes complete sense that felting old wool blankets is a frugal alternative and will open up this wonderful craft to us (me!).


The thing is though, I just need to reclaim those wool blankets :)




I'm a big fan of A Magical Childhood. So during my inspiration clicking this morning I popped over there for some fresh ideas on how to make today magical. Well number 2 was a great option:

'2. Let each child pick out something brand new to try at the grocery store. Look in the international foods and produce section for particularly fun and unique items.'


Too easy!


Hello Marble Marmor Dan Cake from Norway!

My boys incredulously stood there in the prepackaged baking ailse with lopsided grins across their faces asking if they really could choose this and eat it - numbers, preservatives and sugar laden horror :D! And Mumma said 'Yes' :D! It's nice to relax a little.

Today we had a stand still memorable moment.

Standing in the dairy aisle playing a clapping game I played as a school girl, with my little sons.

Did you play this too?

A sailor went to sea, sea, sea
(clap your own hands, clap right hands together, clap your own hands, clap left hands together, clap your own hands, clap your hands and your partners together straight on three times)
To see what he could see, see, see,
But all that he could see, see, see,
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.



I found this chant and clap game in my great library find Let's Play - Traditional Games of Childhood. A beautiful book with easy and quick ideas for simple play.

Okay, so I'm learning, as always, that less is more. Quality versus quantity. For now I need to let a few things go so we can enjoy this special time while we get to be a part of something awesome.

We have a little saying we call to each other as we leave our home for work or play:

Nice Words, Gentle Hands, and Shining Face (be happy!)

I think this may be a wise mantra for me to bring into our home with a good focus on me as well as for my children :)

The Summer Solstice Ball

On Summer Solstice evening, the prospect of a Ball was whispered among the Faeries. They knew the children would leave out their most special of treasures to adorn the Faerie folks dresses and coats. The Faeries especially love anything that glitters and sparkles under the moons pale light.

The children carefully laid out their gifts and arranged them precisely, talking excitedly about the faerie folk and their special night.

An evening escapade to traverse the pier had been planned by the childrens' parents. When it came time to leave, the little boys cast wondering looks back at their offerings placed under the largest trees in the garden. They desperately hoped that their little guests would be pleased by what they would find.

Hand in hand they walked with Mother and Father over the beach and began the long way out along the pier over the darkened ocean.

It seemed that many others were out celebrating this night. Summer Solstice and a Lunar Eclipse is a special time to behold. Out on the beach men, women and children wove and spun and played with fire, celebrating the event in their own way. They were even bravely jumping a flaming skipping rope. The flames mesmerised the onlookers drawing gasps of awe and admiration.

Father gently drew his little sons on, holding their small hands in his, he led them further along the pier.

Mother is warmed by the sight and hurries to catch her little crew. She is embraced tightly by one of her beautiful small sons.

The little family lingers a while on the pier. The wind whips round them but fails to disturb the peacefulness that is upon this night. Fervent wishes are silently cast to the stars. If only they could climb the path the moon has cast upon the water and tread that silver staircase leading to heaven.

All too soon it's time to leave. The children remember that they must be abed before the midnight hour, the time of the Faeries Summer Solstice Ball. They know all too well how shy the little folk are and although they have tried, they have never seen one in the flesh. But they have seen their evidence apparent each morning as the flowers and butterflies are painted afresh, adorned in the most beautiful colours created by God himself.

Once home, the little boys are tucked up warmly, snug and safe in their beds. Dreams of faerie folk, moonlight and dancing play in their heads as they drift off to sleep.

As morning light dawns the children hurry outside to see if the Faerie Folk accepted their little gifts.

As hoped, things have been moved and show signs of use. New to the tiny scene is a shell containing the remains of a midnight bonfire. Cold ashes blacken the once clean shell.

One boy admires the bright blue flowers left as a thank you message from, he thinks, the King of the Faerie folk. Golden faerie dust glistens in the morning sunlight revealing where the little folk passed their merry time.

The other little lad discovers the tiny chair he left, lying askew and the iron work table laid with new items. His goblet also holds a gift of little blue flowers.

Satisfied with what they have seen, the children excitedly chatter and eagerly plan their next opportunity for a near encounter with the faerie folk.