Tuesday 30 June 2009

Beautiful things and beautiful people!

I know that I am very lucky to live in a wonderful place and be surrounded by both beautiful people and beautiful things! My family and friends are very dear to me and hold a special place in my heart, but I also consider many bloggers to be amongst my friends too.

One such blogger friend is Carolynn at A Glowing Ember. Back in early May I got an email from her saying that she was sending me a belated birthday present (I think I'd been having a moan about feeling old - must have been a Monday morning after overdoing the gardening!!!) The present was coming by sea, so I knew it'd be a couple of months, but the excitement mounted in the Gnome household as the weeks progressed .......with first-Born and Last-Born being as bad as me but with Himself maintaining his usual cool, calm manner about our giddyness!

At last the day came when I arrived home from work to be greeted by two teenage tornados bellowing "it's here mum, it's arrived, open it, open it!!". Carefully tearing open the parcel I found a lovely card and the most gorgeous little faerie door I've ever seen! Carolynn reckons that every garden should have its own resident faerie - and who am I to argue with that?!

The problem now is where to put it to attract the faeries to this wonderous portal?
I've had a wander round the garden and looked at many likely places, but would value your opinions on the best site!

1. The pine tree?


2. In the wood pile with the giant? (I'm really not sure if faeries and giants get on that well....!)


3. On the Norwegian Spruce amongst the ivy?


(This is our faerie ring up in the copse - it'll make the next photo more understandable!)


4. Under the faerie ring table?

Or
5. On the blast wall? (this is left over from the 2nd World War, when our 'potting shed' was an air raid shelter for two families. The blast wall protected the door. Nowadays there's a flower bed on the far side of it and teenagers climb onto the blast wall to jump onto the trampoline!!! - I know, I know.... Health and Safety would have a field day, but I just don't look any more!)
What do you think? Where should it be placed to best attract the faeries?
So..... Carolynn officially classes as one of the beautiful people because she so kindly and generously sent me this lovely, lovely gift totally out of the blue (- and I just adore suprise presents!) just because she saw it and thought I'd like it. That woman is a star. I LOVE it! Thanks you SO much Carolynn, me and the faeries will treasure it!
One of my other beautiful people is Last-Born Gnomelet!
She has just turned 16, has finished all her GCSE exams and, last Friday night, had her school Prom. Proms didn't exist in the UK when I left school - we got a 'leavers disco', which was exactly the same as all the other school discos I ever went to! I would have LOVED to have gone to a Prom when I was 16!
Anyway, I got to go vicariously through Last-Born and we did the whole, dress, taira, shoes, bag shopping bit and I helped her get ready for her big night!
Here she is in all her 16 year old beauty and glory!

Last-Born, her 3 best friends and the lads they shared the Limo with!

Last-Born and her Prom Date - Jamie. Don't they look sweet?! (she'll kill me for saying that, but .....hey, they do!)
Last-Born enjoying "the best night of my life!"

She fair brought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat!

22 comments:

Rob (ourfrenchgarden) said...

Hi Liz

About placing this faerie door, I think it needs to be under the faerie ring table.

Off topic, we're in the midst of a heatwave here at the moment. 37 C today, tooooooo hot!

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi Rob,
thanks for that - I liked it there too, But First-Born said we needed to separate the door and the ring (that's all begining to sound a bit 'Lord of the Rings' there!)

37C - ooh, a bit warm then?! I'm not sure I want it QUITE that warm when we come to see you....30C would do!

Laura Marie said...

Mum i'm thinking either the ring or the wall... :)

And thankyou for what you said... you repaid the 'bringing a tear to my eye' favour...

Love you

Second-Born Gnomelet

<3

O.I.M said...

that is a super cute fairy door. I like it best against the pine tree or against the wall...in both locations it looks very natural...as if it was always there.

ah prom!!! such an exciting night. Looks like a fun time was had by all.

cheers
irena

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

The fairy door definitely should go with the pine tree (and I'm a bit of an expert on that, LOL!). I didn't realize proms were an English custom, too. Last Born looks very nice!

Nutty Gnome said...

Loobie my gnomelet - I love you too!

Irena - thanks for that. I definately want the door to end up looking like it's always been there too. As for the Prom - she had a wonderful time. I think they finally got to bed about 5am!

Monica - I remember your post about your faerie door! You're a real expert!!!

Proms didn't used to be an English custom - we've pinched them from you! It's really only these last few years that they've taken off, but it is such a lovely way to end school life for them.

Carolynn Anctil said...

Hey, what a sweetie you are. I've been a bit preoccupied over here with my furbabies, the last little while.

I think that where ever you decide to place the door, you'll have faeries lining up to move in. Thank you for bestowing such glowing words on me....hey, I just realized, what I said. ;o)

Your daughter looks gorgeous. I DID go to my senior prom, but I had the mumps. Caught them from some kids I'd been babysitting a few days before. I was SO sick, but I wasn't missing it for the world. :ol

Christina said...

Lovely blog. I dont know anything about fairies or the best place to put their door but that is a neat idea. Me thinks I am going to get a fairy door too.

Louise | Italy said...

The pine tree. Has to be. Don't know why, but it just looks right!

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi Carolynn - everything I said was true and heartly felt! Mumps at the Prom - poor you, that must have been a bit grim! Hope the furbabies are feeling better. :)

Christina - welcome!I'm glad you like the blog and I hope you get a faerie door too, they're so sweet.

Louise - nice to see you again. I'm warming to the pine tree as it does look right there. It's going to be a tough choice! Hope your house guests have settled in!

Thomas said...

Hello Ms. Nutty Gnome! Thank you so much for the kinds words! I am indeed very excited to start digging. I'm hoping to get in just in time to start the fall crops.

I'm with you on the veggies AND FRUITS! I mean, one can't live on veggies alone.

Take care!
Thomas
www.agrowingtradition.com

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi Thomas and welcome to my blog. I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventures developing that fabulous space for lots of scrummy food!

Shady Gardener said...

What a wonderful surprise! I really like the idea of placing it under the Fairie Ring table. :-)

Your daughter is beautiful and she and her friends must have enjoyed a wonderful time.

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi Shady - the faerie ring table does seem to be edging ahead :)

Thank you - both she and First-Born are gorgeous and I'm SO proud of the pair of them. Last-Born had the time of her life and finally got to bed about 5am! That's just how it should be for a prom!

Gordon Mason said...

Definitely the pine tree!! I'm almost tempted to believe.

Nutty Gnome said...

Thanks Woody - I'm really struggling now with all the choices!!

RURAL said...

You might be on to something, even if you did read the post title wrong. I wonder if washing powder can rid petunias of aphids?

Jen

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi Jen, it's worth a try. Do you think eco-friendly stuff would work?!

Garden Lily said...

I like it under the faerie ring table. Definitely not the wood pile. Or build a house around it. I built a sort of fairy house myself.

Nutty Gnome said...

Hello Garden Lily - and welcome! The faerie ring table does seem to be winning the vote so far!

I love your faerie house, it's really sweet.

Thank for popping in :)

Anna said...

My vote goes for under the fairie ring table. Your daughter and friends look most smart and full of happiness. A prom seems to be a lovely way of celebrating an end to a chapter in their lives. I think we had a sixth formers dinner but it was that long ago that I've forgotten :)

Nutty Gnome said...

Hi Anna - I think under the faerie ring table is the winner!
I would have loved a prom at 16, but they just didn't happen way back then! :)