Fairy Fruits and Flowers

 I have a few more fairies that are keen to be seen  ... Black Cherry was happy to come in from the garden and pose on her plinth. Her cherry goes everywhere with her and we hope to invite her sister Cherry Ripe to stay with us soon.

 Also caught running through the lavender this morning was Raspberry Ripple  ...

 She insisted on showing you her summer wings ( they turn darker in winter )

 And here she is giving us a twirl so we can see her vintage lace skirt.

 Also seen in the Cotoneaster  bush was this little mauve fairy - I haven't managed to catch her yet or find out her name.

 The fairy below is called Gertrude after the roses in the vase . I planted Gertrude Jekyll last year as a bare root rose and was so happy to find these first two blooms on her and this little creature alongside her.

 She scampered away over the rock garden after her photo was taken but I think she will be back when I serve up the rose scented shortbread I've promised the fairies for tea.

Recipe for Fairy Rose Shortbread ; 
First make rose sugar by picking two heads of scented roses , preferably red or pink and free from pesky pesticides . Leave the upside down for a while for any little creatures to crawl out and leave in an airing cupboard or warm place overnight  to semi dry out.

Next day spread 4oz caster sugar on a baking tray with the separated petals and dry out in a very low oven for about half an hour - crush the petals into the sugar into small fragments once cool.

Beat 2oz of this sugar with 4oz of butter until smooth. Stir in 6oz of plain flour and add a few drops of rose essence if you have any. Turn this paste like mixture onto a work surface and roll out until half an inch thick. Cut out into rounds, hearts or fairy wing shapes. bake on  a tray at 375F / gas 5 for 15-20 minutes until pale golden like Gertrude's hair. Once out of the oven sprinkle with a little more of the sugar - keep the rest for fairy porridge.

 Before I go Little Plum wanted to show you her  new ruff

 And her new fairy wings ...

By the way , all our fairy wings round here are feeling the heat - revive by spraying with lavender scented water and drink plenty of fresh mint tea.

New Species Discovered !

 Dear Fairy Lovers , I am excited to announce that I have discovered a whole new species of fairy !
They are slightly larger , standing at 15cms tall on average , they have bigger heads ( I wonder if this makes them more intelligent ? I must run some tests. ) They also seem a lot bolder and happy to be photographed.

I first noticed them in the fruit beds of the garden and was delighted to discover this strawberry boy , for as you know the male of the species is very hard to find.

 I then went further afield to see if there were any others to be found and came across these two ladies with their shopping bags ( out early to collect fallen rose petals for her bath , this one told me , who is called Constance by the way.  )

 Miss Lobelia was in a hurry to find some empty snail shells which make handy storage jars for fairy larders ( they seal them with moss to keep them air tight. )

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After some discussion and many cups of chamomile tea my new friends agreed to pose on these little plinths and said they would be happy to appear on my web site in the near future. They were all delighted to wear the new clothes I have been making from my natural dyes ( see earlier post. )

Rosetta was the first to climb up ...

 Then came Sea - Spray , so called because her dress has a painted sea scape on it and she is holding a white china bird. She ran off in a hurry but will be back in a minute ...

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 Next up to pose was Moon Fairy  - a mysterious creature who dreams of her days in the circus  ...

 Bunny takes her soft toy rabbit with her everywhere ...

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 And here is Sea - Spray again , ready now for her face - on shot.

 Little Miss Calico is proud of her new pink shoes - she tells me she only eats white blossoms , which obviously gives her this pale appearance - I tested her for anemia with my fairy first aid kit , but she is fine and in the pink !
I hope to bring you more new discoveries next month - now I must go and write up my notes in a very scientific way ...