Flower Collecting for The Rose Fairy

"When a Rose Fairy sighs, it sounds like seven leaves falling from the old tree next to the house. Bring me down, bring me down, the Rose Fairy is sighing.  And the warm evening breeze will know and bring her down." or perhaps for us it is a cool evening breeze ;)

Juliane at Fröken Skicklig

'Twas a breezy wintry afternoon when two best friends walked home from school together.  The journey was filled with anticipation as Bee was visiting with Ess to play in her home.  Bee noticed something special in the stroller with little Eee and exclaimed, "What's that?".  

Upon explaining that I had brought a flower basket for us to collect flowers on the way home, it was excitedly decided that one would ride the bike and the other would be on the look out for pretty flowers to place in the basket, before swapping roles half way home.  The Rose Fairy was delighted.  She knew that added to the last rose of the season, which had been drying in the basket for some months, would be a collection of beautiful wildflowers selected by the girls themselves.

The walk home was very eventful.  We were very glad The Rose Fairy had come to lend a hand as we were chased up the hill by Sharp Tooth, the big dinosaur.  Fortunately he ran straight through us as the flowers we had collected contained special magic.  The fairies had waved their wands over them allowing the collectors of the pretty flowers to remain invisible and thus safe from undesirable intruders.

Bougainvillea and Potato Vine (Solanum Jasminoides)

Protected and enthused, three little girls set about collecting 7 wildflowers. 

Our goal was easily reached despite the fact it is mid-winter here.  Our basket became fuller and fuller and was all but overflowing by the time we reached home.

Once home we laid the flowers out on a large white board and set about making special labels for them, learning their names and how to write them.    There were Correa Dusky Bells, Wattle, Rosemary, Eremophila, Grevillea, Hardenbergia and Potato Vine flowers.  The girls did not want the flowers to die.   Yet, rather than placing them in a vase, we found alternative ways to enjoy them.

We threaded a necklace of Correa Dusky Bells and placed it in our flower press.  Ooh, what a surprise!  Some little flowers, already dried, were still resting, dreamily, sleepily inside the press.

Little Eee and I also arranged flowers from the potato vine in our flower press to preserve for later viewing.  We were so delighted to find older flowers we had pressed years before still inside the press.  They had been collected on flower-gathering walks Ess and I had enjoyed together.  All are now preserved in the beautiful flower press lovingly handpainted for me by my mother years ago.

Just before Bee left for home, she and Ess created two fairy rings for the fairies to dance in and perhaps leave a special something to say thankyou.

The next day they did leave something very special.  Perhaps you might hear about that later.

The remainder of our flowers are floating in a clear glass bowl on our dinner table, delighting all who come to sit and sup together with us.

For now, Juliane is giving away her little handmade Rose Fairy.  Take a peak!