The Princess and the Garden

To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted.  ~George Kneller

I have found that sites which I am drawn to again and again are those which inspire creativity in me.  They encourage me to see the everyday things I am doing in a new light and urge me to act according to my own creative spirit.  One such site is dear Juliane's Fröken Skicklig.  She is having a giveaway this month which propels you to undertake a very special task which will warm the heart of at least one of those special people around you.

Feeling heartened on an otherwise lethargic day I decided to surprise my eldest princess Ess.  While she watched a movie with Daddy indoors I ventured outside to the garden to pick her a bouquet of flowers.

The bouquet contained petunias and a rose, basil flowers, garlic chive flowers and mint.  Its fragrance was beautiful.

I then placed it on her pillow and proceeded to write her a little story, that was coming to mind, in a tiny homemade book.

It is the story of the Princess and the Garden.  It was to be a short little story for her to read and illustrate.  It turned into quite a long fairytale of nearly 1000 words so I may not publish it here.  Let me know if you'd like to read it however, as I may change my mind.  We'll see!

Later that afternoon Ess ran to me calling out, "Mummy, mummy, you've got to see my bed.  It's amazing!  Who did that?"  (I am certain she was convinced the fairies had been in her room again.  I didn't say anything to the contrary but somehow I think she came to realise who the real life fairy was).  "Let me read the story" she cried.  And so we spent the late afternoon and evening reading the story over a few times so Daddy could enjoy it too.

The story commenced thus...There was once a gardener who longed to find a Princess to enjoy her pretty garden with her.  Only a true princess would know all the flowers and herbs and how to care for them.  So the gardener called on the Fairies of the Garden to find her a princess, a true Princess.

“My dear fairies”, she said longingly, “I long for a sweet princess to share my garden with me, to delight in the blossoms, to dance amongst the plants, to enjoy the fragrance and delicious flavour of all my herbs.  Please find the sweetest, kindest, brightest Princess who would love to share this garden.”

And so the fairies set off.  They had seen many sweet girls in their travels from Fairyland, yet they knew the one who’d meet the Gardener’s desires would be a most particular one.  She would be able to see them, those delicate tiny fairies, as they rested contentedly, yet with eager anticipation, in the flowers by which the girl passed.  The girl who saw the fairies would be immediately recognised as a Princess.

The fairies came to rest in various flowers and waited for the little girl to pass as she came out to play.  Patiently, they waited....

The creativity inspired by Juliane's little set task went further as the following day was filled with lots of drawing in our backyard.  Ess enjoyed illustrating the first couple of pages of the fairytale which I had to print out for her.

Later my darling could be heard saying "Thankyou for my present."

Even later she said, "I love my present. Thankyou so much!"

Her gratitude is absolutely thanks enough for me.