Long Mizzle Garden

 Hello m' piskies, Shhh, not many people know it, but there's  a little fairy colony on the outskirts of Truro (spot the Enchanted trail on the map here ). High up in the trees a wise owl presides over the comings and goings and all is at peace. Wooden trip trap bridges lead beside a stream and the path is edged with fallen branches. The fairies are shy, but the occasional creature can be found. Why are owls deemed to be wise? Although their brains are no bigger than any other birds' (in fact their eyes are so flippin' big, there may not be much room for brains, and they are positively slow compared to the cunning crow) ... they sit silently, watching and listening. Their nocturnal nature and spinning heads make them appear like an omnipresent all seeing eye. The Ancient Greeks believed owls' night vision and stealth flight abilities lent them a mystical inner light. Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and War adopted the owl and was often depicted with one. When to be we...

 Hello m' wishing ribbons,   My Cornish bird neighbour told me no one used to dare trespass on the old Enys Estate for fear of being shot. One cold December, whilst walking round the edge of the woods, heavily pregnant and skint, she pulled off a thick pine branch, seeing its potential as an alternate Christmas tree. This she attempted to drag back home, but would drop it each time she heard a car approaching.  When her midwife passed by chance and repeatedly insisted to give her a lift, she felt she had no option other than openly admit the woody heist. At this point, I can't remember whether the midwife helped with the smuggled operation or looked the other way. The former would make for a funnier story: the image of a midwife in old fashioned uniform and a heavily pregnant woman shadily bundling half a pine tree into a tiny car.  Luckily, these days the Enys Estate opens its gates and warmly welcomes us naughty commoner folk. The gardens are said to be the oldest ...

 Hello m' bees knees, If you garden it, they will come! Here's Bjork and Sia (otherwise known as 'Almond Blossom' and 'Narcissus') caught playing at the bottom of the garden. This is a very rare sighting indeed. These photos mysteriously appeared on my kids' iPad, but the fairies have not revealed themselves in person, and are not likely to. They are from the 1980s afterall, so very much like myself, need to rest themselves for large periods of the year.  The Hornby Flower fairies, inspired by Cisely Mary Barker's drawings,  were produced between 1983 - 1989. I had Apple Blossom (now aka Bjork) when I was little.  One day she just went missing, along with the giant orange space hopper,  and grandad-built non-health-and-safety-compliant scooter. It is so nice to have her back, albeit missing her flower hat and staff. Seems that she has found an acrobatic friend too ('Naricissus', aka Sia). Who knows when we will see them again? Elsewhere in the ga...

Well, seeing as it is Fairy-bruary!!! A rare glimpse into a wee fairy habitat... shhhh, please make sure to be quiet and carefully step this way...   Various succulents are planted in an old casserole dish, wrapped in a blue ribbon. Slate steps lead down from a real fairy door to a shell garden, edged with pebbles and interspersed with driftwood and toadstools (cake decorations).     Baby succulents nestle amongst the beach collected white pebbles.    The compost is free draining and very gritty. As there are no drainage holes, it is sparingly watered.   Strange trippy music emanates from the green potion bottle. The resident fairy Alice contemplates drinking from it  -   One pill makes you larger And one pill makes you small, And the ones that mother gives you Don't do anything at all. Go ask Alice When she's ten feet tall. And if you go chasing rabbits And you know you're going to fall, Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar Has given you the cal...