Greetings on All Hallows Eve.....

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Just a 'flying' visit to wish you all a magical Halloween. Enjoy....

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Jack-o-lantern, Jack-o-lantern,
You are such a funny sight.
As you sit there by the window,
Looking out into the night.
You were once a sturdy pumpkin,
growing on a curly vine.
Now you are a Jack-o-lantern,
See your night lights shine.

The Hag is astride,

This night for to ride;

The Devill and shee together:

Through thick, and through thin,

Now out, and then in,

Though ne’r so foule be the weather.

~ Robert Herrick (1648) ~

Midsummer Wishes and Happy Fairy Day

Greetings from a sunny Cornwall on Fairy Day.....

I cannot believe that I have not posted here since Easter but sometimes life gets in the way. I did manage however to take time out to welcome Midsummer. Sadly I was not able to attend any organized celebrations, some of which were held here in Cornwall over the weekend. The lighting of bonfires is still practised here at appropriate high points around the county. But one event I would have loved to have attended was The 3 Wishes Faery Fest held over the 19th, 20th and 21st June at Colliford Lake Park on Bodmin Moor, hopefully next year........

Dozmary Pool, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall

In the northern end of Colliford Lake lies Dozmary Pool, a small lake like any other. Yet according to legend it was here that King Arthur rowed out to receive the sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. The sword was later returned to the Lady by Bedivere as Arthur lay dying after the Battle of Camlann. Prior to moving to Cornwall I had the opportunity to visit the lake. Images portrayed on film came to mind, mist over water, a leafy glade and silence. However as we turned into the field leading to Dozmary Pool we were greeted by a herd of cows mooing!!! Although my expectations of the Lake was slightly shattered and a rustic farm house lay to the side instead of a leafy glade I enjoyed my visit and still sensed a magical feel about the place........

Bedivere

But back to Midsummer....Although celebrated over this last weekend Midsummer Eve was traditionally held on June 24th and celebrations date back to pre-Christian times. Midsummer, the Summer Solstice, is seen as the time when magical powers are at their peak and the walls between this world and the next became thinner. It is also believed that Midsummer is a time when fairies may be seen in such places as dancing round fairy rings, near water or in the woods....

Night of the Fairy Goddess
~ Edward Hughes ~


A Fairy Ring

A fairy ring is seen where there is a circle of dark green grass. It is said that these circles appear wherever fairies have been dancing. If you come across a fairy ring on the night of the full moon then dance around it nine times and you may hear fairies laughing and talking. But take heed, you must remember to run clockwise or the little folk will have you in their power.....

Tales of Midsummer have been told over the centuries. None so famous however than the play A Midsummer Summer Night’s Dream penned by William Shakespeare, a magical tale about Titania queen of the fairies and her consort Oberon......

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows

Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows

Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine

With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine

There sleeps Titania some time of the night

Lull’d in these flowers with dances and delight
And there the snake throws her enamell’d skin
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in

Oberon, Titania and Puck Dancing with Fairies
~ William Blake ~


And let us not forget Puck. Known as Robin Goodfellow in 16th century England, Puck was supposedly the son of Oberon and a country woman. His father did grant Puck special powers but said that he could only use them to help honest people. Not always keeping to this resulted in Puck playing mischievous tricks.......

Puck and the Fairies

I like to believe that fairies are always there, just not seen......until next time, take care...lol...

Happy Easter From The Easter Bunny.......

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Easter Blessings from a sunny Cornwall. We had glorious sunshine on Friday, a rare site these days. Hopefully it will last for the Easter break so people on holiday can enjoy their stay here. I am lucky that I am not far from a beach, which is a beautiful place to walk about and explore. There are interesting coves and rock pools but like most of the Cornish coastline can be hazardous if you forget about the fast incoming tide. A walk back across the sand dunes is then called for and on a clear day you can look across the ocean and see St. Ives.......

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Vintage postcard of part of the beach near where I live

A view from the Towans


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I wonder if the Easter Bunny will be hopping about the Towans on the night before Easter, carrying a basket filled with colourful eggs, toys and candy for children to find when they wake in the morning. Along with Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy to name but a few, the Easter Bunny is part of the magic of childhood......


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The origin of the Easter Bunny tale appears to have begun in Germany in the 1600’s and it was not until the 1800’s that the first edible Easter Bunnies were made, also in Germany. The bunnies at this time were made of pastry and sugar and not chocolate as some are seen today.......

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The tale of the Easter Bunny travelled to America with German settlers in the 1700’s, where it was passed on and is now known world-wide. However, in Northwest European folklore the "Easter Bunny" is in fact a hare, not a rabbit.... According to the tradition, children would build brightly colored nests, often out of caps and bonnets, and hide them in secluded areas of their homes. Children would wait in anticipation the night before Easter morning before discovering what treats had been left in their nests. Very similar to Christmas Eve, many a disturbed sleep must have been had by both parents and child........

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Along with the Easter rabbit the egg is also seen as a tradition at this time. In early spring birds lay eggs and rabbits and hares have large litters. This was seen as symbols of the rising fertility of the earth, so this may explain why the rabbit and eggs became an Easter tradition....

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Another tradition associated with Easter is the good old Easter Egg Hunt when decorated eggs, either real hard-boiled ones or artificial, or made of chocolate, of various sizes, are hidden in various places for children to find. Traditionally the eggs were seen as a symbol of the rebirth of the earth in Pagan celebrations. I remember my friends and I organizing egg hunts for our children and still finding some weeks later. I may just start it again when my grandchildren are a little older...lol......


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'Oh look, some brightly coloured eggs'
(Photo curtsy of Wikipedia)

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Looks like this rabbit may have found some of the eggs left behind...hehe...I hope you have a lovely Easter. Due to hubby working I will be at home for most of it apart from Sunday afternoon when I will visit my baby grandson in hospital, who we hope will be home soon. He is doing really well despite being seven weeks premature. These little ones are tough. I will also spend some time with his darling older sister. And if the sun shines today or even if it stays dry then I may just take a walk on that beach...until next time...lol.......


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Happy Mothering Sunday.....

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Mothers are the place that we call home.

On them we rest our heads and close our eyes.

There's no one else who grants the same soft peace,

Happiness, contentment, sweet release,

Erasing nighttime tears with lullabies,

Restoring the bright sun that makes us bloom.
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Greetings from Cornwall on Mothering Sunday, I hope you enjoyed your day. I had a busy day myself but had a lovely text message from my son, who was working, and the card seen below......

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'Kitchen Rules'

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I also received a gift inscribed with the words:

Kitchen Rules

1. If you eat out of it, wash it

2. If you use it, put it away

3. If you turn it on, turn it off

4. If you spill it, wipe it

5. If you break it, repair it

6. If it’s a mess, tidy it

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It’s a pity he didn’t read something like this when he lived at home!! Obviously being a parent himself now he appreciates the sentiments......lol...

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It is an unusual gift for my son to buy me, I usually receive a book or cd or a cuddly toy (sounds like a game show....hehe...) so I think my daughter-in-law may have helped choose this gift. Being a mother herself she will understand and it may have been a subtle hint to my son!!.....

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Enjoy your week and take care....until next time...lol...

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'The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness.'
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~ Honoré de Balzac ~

'A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories.'
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~ Honoré de Balzac ~

Happy St. Patrick's Day and the 'Gift of the Blarney'......

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St. Patrick's Day

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Leprechauns peeking,
Around a willow tree,
Pussy willows waking,
Longing to be free.
Colleens and shamrocks
And castles old and gray,
Put them all together
To make St. Patrick's Day.

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A Happy St. Patrick’s Day Greeting to you all and thanks for dropping by. Being the daughter of a true Irishman today holds a special meaning for me, although now-a-days I usually spend this day quietly at home. Sadly my father is no longer alive but I remember many a St. Patrick’s Day when my father returned home singing an Irish tune. Along with the songs my father had the ‘Gift of the Blarney’ for he would try and charm my mother after he had returned home late and in a very merry state...lol.........

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Speaking of ‘the Blarney’, how many of you have kissed the Blarney Stone? I hope to go to Blarney one day but will be content with just visiting the castle judging by the position of the Blarney Stone.......To be able to kiss the stone itself you will require a very loyal and trustworthy companion, for he would have to hold your ankles while you lean back and downwards to grasp the iron rails, and if you’re lucky be able to kiss the stone. Being only 5ft 3ins tall with short legs I doubt even in my younger days I would have been able to achieve this difficult feat...hehe........

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View of the Blarney Stone from the ground
(Photograph by Srleffler)

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The Blarney Stone is set within the castle of Blarney village, a few miles from the small City of Cork, Ireland. The castle seen today was built in 1446 after a fire destroyed the original building, which was built two centuries before........

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Blarney Castle
(Photograph by Urban Hafner)

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The origins of the stone is shrouded in mystery but legend states that it was a magical stone from the beginning....There are many explanations for the Stone’s origins, many of a biblical nature. It is also said that the stone was possibly removed from Ireland and taken to Scotland and then returned to Ireland in 1314. The theory behind this statement is that the stone was originally half of the Stone of Scone and was presented to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce in recognition of his support in the Battle of Bannockburn. McCarthy then installed the stone at Blarney Castle, where it became known as the Blarney Stone.
However, others say that it was the Lia Fáil—a magical stone upon which Irish kings were crowned....Regardless of the whys and what for’s, there is no disguising the fact that the Blarney Stone has a magical air about it.....

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'Tis there's the stone that whoever kisses
He never misses to grow eloquent;
'Tis he may clamber to a lady's chamber,
Or become a member of Parliament.
"A noble spouter he'll sure turn out, or
An out and outer to be let alone;
Don't try to hinder him, or to bewilder him,
For he is a pilgrim from the Blarney stone."

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~ Francis Sylvester Mahony ~


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The custom of kissing the Blarney Stone also has many theories for why it began and for how long it has been practiced. Why should kissing the stone give you ‘the Gift of the Gab’? One local legend claims that ‘an old women, saved from drowning by a king of Munster, rewarded him with a spell, that if he would kiss a stone on the castle's top, he would gain a speech that would win all to him’. What is known however is when the word Blarney became part of the English language. It is claimed that on a visit by Queen Elizabeth I to Cormac Teige McCarthy, Lord of Blarney, she requested an oath of loyalty to retain occupancy of land. McCarthy apparently responded with ‘subtle diplomacy’ and the Queen is said to have proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her "(a lot of) Blarney", meaning ‘to placate with soft talk or to deceive without offending’........

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The custom of ‘Kissing the Blarney Stone’ is known throughout the world, a stone on a castle’s parapet not that dissimilar to other stones in the area. A stone that is said ‘to endow whoever kisses it with the eternal gift of eloquence (in Irish 'solabharthact') - the 'Gift of the Gab'’. Many of us have never seen the Stone and most likely never will, yet we use this expression in our everyday lives and believe in its magic. That can’t be a bad thing in this day and age.......Hope you enjoyed the day. Until next time...lol.......


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My Grandson Arrives Early and How Precious is He.....

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Greetings from a proud nana. Please welcome my grandson Dylan Riley Edsel Doyle who decided to arrive seven weeks early on February 26 2009. Weighing in at 4lb 2ozs, this sweet little babe may be small but he is a tough little man. Thankfully he is breathing unaided and looks quite relaxed in his new home, the incubator. We were hoping he would stay snug in the womb for a few weeks longer but he was determined to be born. It is early days but he is in the best possible place, the nurses of the neonatal unit at the Treliske Hospital, Truro, are wonderful. I will be visiting Dylan again tomorrow and can’t wait.......And my darling little granddaughter will also be visiting her baby brother again. Korenza gave her sibling a beautiful smile when she first saw him but at aged 14 months old couldn’t understand why she couldn’t go play with him.......

My bed now beckons but I will be back soon with pictures of this precious gift, my grandson....Until next time...lol......

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Baby's First Day
Wonder of all wonderment!

Momentous moment when small form

First feels life in itself.

When new eyes open wide

On old, old world.

When tiny hands handle air;

Touch tenderness and love.

When ears first wake to sound

And silent lips find voice and food.

Soon newly wakened baby wearies.

World will keep.

Being born is quite enough

For one short day.

Baby hands rest;

Baby mouth yawns;

Baby eyes close in sleep.
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~ Mary Dawson Hughes ~

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Happy Valentine's Day.....

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Happy Valentine’s Day.....Today has a special meaning to me as I have more than one reason to celebrate this day. Not only is it a day for romance but it is also my birthday and 13th wedding anniversary. Have you noticed I have not mentioned which birthday it is? Why spoil a lovely day and evening by reminding myself how old I am...hehe....

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I hope you enjoyed today as much as I have. Did you have a secret Valentine card? I wonder how many of these vintage valentines were sent to a sweetheart.....

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Talking of secret Valentines, some years ago a friend of mine received an unsigned card. We had an idea who it may be from so we decided to return the favour. I penned the following verse. I am no poet and it was just for fun. We never knew if he received the card or in fact if this specific person had sent my friend the card but it was fun anyway.......

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I had a Card by Post Today
From Who it was It Didn’t Say
The Words Inside Seemed Warm and True
And so I Thought, it Must be You.

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The Writing then I did Compare
To Find Different Letters, It wasn’t Fair
I Guessed, I pondered, Who Could it Be
Who Would Write Words of Love to Me.

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I Smiled, I Frowned, I looked Again
To See the Kisses that I Could Claim
And so if You’re not the Sender True

My Valentine May as Well be You

~ Chrissy February 14 1990 ~

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Until next time, take care.....lol....

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