Summer Solstice and a Fairy Festival

"International Fairy Day is June 24. What is a fairy to wear?"

This weekend at the Guelph Fairy Festival a range of fairy-tale attire was to be seen,

on water sprites and wood nymphs,

on fairy godmothers and dragon tamers,

even knights of old and their attendants.

It was a perfect day for gathering in a green glade

and we managed to blend in and slip through the gates for a day of fun and inspiration.

Back on the home front I am preparing for the upcoming art show, putting new art into frames and making lists and labels. The latest edition of Faerie Magazine has arrived, another beautiful production from editor Kim Cross.

This issue includes a new article by Avril about the seeking and finding of fairy paths, in particular the legendary One Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence River (with photos by Ian Coristine).

"Travelling through the region in 1848, years before development arrived, England's Rev. James Dixon described the islands as "...the most perfect fairy scene in the world." Situated in Ontario on a stretch of the St. Lawrence River, this piece of fairy land is only a few hours drive away and we are planning a trip there later this summer.

Further into Faerie Magazine is my latest "Posy's Fairy Wardrobe" spread, more fashions for summer days.

For now I am surrounded by frames and pictures, with my spiffy new framer's point-driver to facilitate the process. In 10 days it will all be hung and ready. "Children and fairies welcome, wings may be worn."

Woodland Christmas - Special Delivery and a Give Away

Here's a nice surprise in the mail box. My Woodland Christmas, first published in 1995, has been repackaged with a CD and the publishers have kindly forwarded my complimentary copies. I think this calls for a little celebration and further down this post are details of my give-away.

Woodland Christmas is the well-known Twelve Days of Christmas, but with all of the characters interpreted as Canadian wildlife: One gray partridge, Two rock doves, Three ruffed grouse, Four common loons, Five river otters,

Six Canada geese,

Seven whistling swans, Eight raccoons (maids a milking became eight raccoons gathering stars from the milky way),Nine red foxes (ladies dancing - remember Botticelli's three graces?), Ten moose-a-leaping (you can tell they are lords by their chains of office. One of them - look closely- is a knight of the garter),

Eleven red squirrels piping and (drumroll) Twelve beavers slapping the water with their tails. The courting couple are black bears and their courtship


is told in vignettes throughout the pages, concluding with a skating wedding party for all.The publishers have put together a charming CD with the song and music, very user-friendly for classroom use in teaching the carol. The book and CD are packaged together in a recloseable sleeve and will be distributed in China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.

My baby was on the way when I started work on this in '94 and I finished it up with him in a cot beside me. He was a useful model for the cherub bear on the title page!


Now about that give-away: Peaceable Kingdom Press published a selection of the images as Christmas cards, large and small, and I am putting together a package of them.

Leave a comment to enter and on Friday, June 18, the winner's name will be drawn.

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June 18, shaking the names in a hat....

And the winner of the Woodland Christmas card Give Away is:
Frances of City Views, Country Dreams.
Congratulations! The bears will soon be on their way to New York.
Very best wishes to all who entered.