Sunday, October 30, 2011

SHOW OFF YOUR COTTAGE MONDAY

Pink and white... my favorite colors...

Welcome to "SHOW OFF YOUR COTTAGE MONDAY", a blog party I host at the beginning of each week to celebrate the things we love about our homes and how we live.

The House in the Roses
I wanted to say welcome new party goers as well as say thank you to all my party friends for taking the time to come over and share your wonderful links each week!
THANKS SO MUCH…

Sharing with these lovely gals!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Halloween Party 2011

Sometimes, when stars are twinkling and a new moon shines, there come times when folks are taken to another world by enchanted creatures... Ah yes, I’m certain of this because last night as I was getting ready to put on my nighties and go to bed, the strangest of things happened... I heard a whisper; the sound of little feet scurrying around, and when I looked about the room something truly magical caught my breath away…


Ah yes my friends, the room was aglow! Aglow with the light of some sorts of magical beings; mysterious and cerulean in color... like little wings in flight; like lighting bugs making twinkling stars on walls, on the floors on the roof and all around me!

Perplexed by this, I decided to follow these strange lights; which by the way, took me straight to the garden.

Helped by a round silvery moon, I was finally able to figure out the mystery… they were fairies!—night fairies not much bigger than a firefly with wings the color of sapphire and indigo.

These tiny creatures were extremely agile; they kept flapping their tiny wings around me; hovering all over the garden in almost any direction, including upside down and backwards, and with movement so fast that they looked like a blur to my eyes...


They were certainly trying to tell me something... or show me something, that’s for sure!
When the little fairies understood I knew their intentions, they flew ahead of me towards the back of the garden; over to the hedge where the tall trees stand like ghost amidst the shadows talking strange things between them in some strange language.

That’s when I saw it… amidst the bushes and tall trees—the magic door!!
Yes, I knew that’s where the magic door was… it had always been there. But why would the night fairies bring me here… now, at this time of night?
I hadn’t been to these parts of the garden in a long time. You see, I had lost the magic key to the magic door many a moons ago. Not being able to access the magic door that takes me to mysterious and enchanted worlds, I had stopped coming here. But now the night fairies were trying to tell me something... “Look there”—they seem to be saying. And so I did…
Parting bushes and shrubbery so thick and tight together you would almost thought you were opening yet another door, I was finally able to step onto the back side of the garden… and what do you know! The key! The magic key!
It had been such a long time since I last seen it that it took me a while to realize how lucky I was to have found it. Indeed, the key looked old and scrubby, but still was the magic key!


Did I go visit some interesting and bizarre world through the magic door? At that time of night? You bet I did! You wouldn’t think I could’ve waited till morning, would you? I was way too excited to wait until morning! Besides, earlier that day I was made known by the fairies of some very special celebration going on in some far away land I didn't want to miss...

A yes, a gathering of witches, in some distant land... shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, voices whisper in the trees, shadows are moving, it's that time of year again, when the veil between the seen and unseen is lifted, and alluring darkness takes it's place. When magic fills the air and mystery enters...
Would you like to come with me and see what the witches are doing? Yes? OK then… through the magic door we go, through the trees into the woods…
I’ll walk, but you can fly, hop, or swing if you want over to the place of the witches and visit. I will be stopping by to visit as many as I can this week!
Have fun imagining and creating! And a Happy Halloween to you!

Monday, October 24, 2011

The visit

The witches have been visiting the house in the roses… in disguise, of course. Have I told you that already? Oh I think so, but just in case you didn’t hear the full story, you can click here and read all about it.

Yes, they’ve been here—the witches. The other day while I was outside enjoying the most lovely autumnal afternoon I happened to see them again—not just one, but an entire flock of witches… yes sir!

They landed without a sound right on top of my neighbor’s house; on their roof, just across from my garden where I was sitting on the settee drinking a nice hot cup of chocolate...

I froze up—my cup of chocolate half way to my mouth… slowly, very slowly as not to make the slightest sound, I put the cup down on the table and remained very still; no sound, eyes fixated on my neighbor’s roof…

The witches' eerie, whistling call resonated throughout the garden... it sounded truly enchanting to me, I must confess. I’m sure the very wicked witch of the West would had turn green with jealousy if she had seen the lovely witchy outfit they had on, and they all wore the most peculiar witch’s hat… with a topknot that looked like a crest of feathers… I’m sure their intention was not to stay, or maybe some of them did, because I saw them talking among themselves, as if discussing something very important. They all must have arrived at an agreeable conclusion I’m sure, because just as unpredictably and out of nowhere as they came, they took position and flew away…

Luckily for me, I was able to snap some photographs before they flew away… now let me ask you: Have you seen this (or a similar) covey of witches around your neighborhood; perhaps in your own garden? Oh I so want to see them come back here again!

Here’s a pic of when they landed… blurry

Some more blurry pic taken by a shaky hand… you must understand, I was really excited! ;)

Getting better

And finally, I was able to capture a somewhat perfect picture of the witches just moments before they flew away...

Don’t worry… I’m not losing touch with reality… at least not yet ;) Reality leaves a lot to the imagination, me thinks… if you put a fantasist and a writer together, this is what you get! ;) I can only hope you enjoy reading my silly stories as much as I enjoy writing them. See you super soon!

I don’t have enough words to describe October and the thrill it evokes in me... Magical October! To me, the most delightfully enchanting month of all...

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

I clipped the last of the roses this evening. I like to think of roses in early autumn as jewels in the necklace of some tired giant—the somnolent garden. I’m going to miss my roses; miss seeing them around my house embellishing rooms and kitchen in pretty vases and simple jars… they give so much joy. But at least I’d be able can catch a glimpse of them through my old photographs. They will serve as a memory during the long winter days… a memory of lovely summer days and a reminder that I will enjoy them again.

Hello to you! And welcome to another "SHOW OFF YOUR COTTAGE MONDAY", a blog party I host at the beginning of each week to celebrate the things we love about our homes and how we live. If you're new here, thanks for stopping by and if you've visited before, thanks for returning!
The House in the Roses
Rules: Link your post, not the main page of your blog. Please include a link to the party or the party's button in your post. Celebrate life and see how others celebrate theirs by visiting!

Friday, October 21, 2011

The mingling of seasons

The longer nights, the days breaking long after the first songs of birds; and in the air this nippy crispiness reminiscent of bare trees, leaves the color red amber brown yellow orange, bonfires and tawny skies. It is indubitable—autumn has arrived. Yet, to my amazement, some roses are still clinging on bushes; making the air extra sweet and the garden looking strange and captivating under this spellbound combination of crimsoned colors and petals.

Does it happen to you too? I mean, are you enchanted by this mystery too? Because, I’m sure it’s a mystery—this encountering and mingling of seasons, one trailing after the other, almost tumbling upon each other; holding hands; softly kissing at the bend of some lethargic garden, as one fades into nothingness while the other establishes itself in everything there is to see and touch and smell and feel. Like the passing of the torch in some sorts of a magical game.

I find it enthralling—this fleeting transition from summer to autumn. Environment changes during winter-spring transition hold less of a fascination to me than changes going on during this time of year. My sense of wonder increases and there is this tingle of magic and astonishment…

But time it’s so fleeting; like water in the palm of my hand it cannot be retained. Nature exudes changes; Nature undresses herself to enchant us again under new garments. The transformation is almost instantaneous—it seems. Changes happen almost unnoticed from one day to the next, and if you are not paying close attention to the magic unfolding around you, you’ll miss it…

Look around you, open your eyes—really open them. Pay attention to your surroundings. It’s marvelous what you can see when you open your eyes….

"Each one is a gift, no doubt, mysteriously placed in your waking hand or set upon your forehead, moments before you open your eyes…" William Collins

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

This and that...

Last night at midnight, I was up reading a book when suddenly I heard a strange rustling noise outside my window. I closed the book and waited very quietly; attentively to every noise outside the window, but all the sounds were the usual sounds and every shadow the usual shadow. Not too long after that the same noise again; I was sure I heard footsteps outside my window this time. Quietly, I peeked outside and what I saw made me gasp… A silhouette walking away from the window!! Ah yes, I’m sure someone was there… and I’m almost certain who was it too!

Is the Candy Witch coming to your house this year? Have you seen her wandering around in your neighborhood already? Oh, I hope you get all your Halloween candies soon! Witches are already desperate for sweets I can tell! Ah yes, we best be secretly on the lookout for witches, even as we pretend not to believe in them! ;)

The nights are getting really cool around here. I hadn't realized how cool until we decided to sleep in our favorite guess room on the second floor last night and almost froze to death… so I’ve been fluffing up the nest before the long winter with new covers and beddings.

I must say. My bed feels soft and floppy. The colors are very fresh and I love the cottage feel to it; it’s like sleeping in a patch of vintage roses in a charming English country garden. I don't much like muddy, earthy colors for my beddings. I like different shades of pale pink together. There are so many shades of pink, and they all look beautiful together, to me.

Twilight is coming earlier to the back yard these days...
It's very obvious. Fall is in the air.
Sometimes, when stars are twinkling and a new moon shines, there come times when folks are taken to another world by enchanted creatures... Ah yes, I’m certain of this because last night as I was getting ready to put on my nighties and go to bed, the strangest of things happened... I heard a whisper; the sound of little feet scurrying around... I saw the dimmed cerulean light of little wings in flight, and decided to follow it...

Oh but wait! Would you like to hear more? I don't have time to finish the story tonight, but if you'd like to read more, you can check out my e-book, Hollow Woods by clicking on the image below! For those of you who have already bought the book, you're welcome to download the new version now available… as I'm continuously adding new stories to it!

May the wonderful magical swirls of fall dance around you.