PESKY PIXIES

Pesky Pixies in the garden

 

I often post about Fairies and Pixies, they have been a fascination and inspiration all of my life. Once upon a time I thought I was growing out of them, they retreated to the shadows, behind day to day life, but they remained.

My childhood was spent in a series of uninteresting mass produced houses with white interiors and a constantly changing selection of modern furniture and objects.

My imagination was freed by the old china and books which were left forgotten on my Great Grandmother's display stand which had somehow managed to end up in a dark corner of our house. It's gnarled wood and chipped paint with it's 'one of a kind' bits and pieces had a terrific pull for a small curious child. Convinced as I was that the Fairies at the bottom of the garden had put it there just for me, I kept my passion for it secret. Those objects created a lifelong fascination for vintage items and later gave me a career. 

Our houses were devoid of personality but the gardens were always enchanted and full of wildlife. Father had green fingers and loved all living things, and they loved him back. Each time we moved he would begin again the process of planting trees for the birds, flowers for the Bees, Butterflies and Moths, vegetables for us and a pond which would magically become inhabited by insects, newts and Fairy Folk. He worked in a sawmill and had a bond with anything wooden. When I was 7 he built me a play house complete with running water. It was my own cottage in the woods of our back garden in suburbia. We had no money but Fairies really did live at the bottom of the garden, there was a white Wolf in the Woods, and the Pesky Pixies caused all kinds of havoc but would upon occasion agree to help with household and garden chores.



This enchanting image is from Here:

 

Grandparents lived in old houses filled with china, dark wood and paint colours, patterned carpets and overstuffed upholstered sofas and armchairs. When I visited I slept on a velvet drop arm sofa under antique handmade quilts.

It is funny how our past forms our future and makes us who we are today. I thank the teacher who gave me a great love for books, and those in my family who showed me that treasure can come from unexpected sources, and does not always have to cost a fortune.

As for those Fairies and Pesky Pixies ...... they are still with me, on china and at the bottom of the garden.

postcard by Lorna Steele published by Salmon Ltd England