Hail the New Year, Lads and Lasses

(Woodland Nutcracker mice, closeup)

  "Come, Scotland's dearest holiday,

Auld-fashioned, hearty Hogmanay!

How foul or fair the weather be

A kindly welcome waiteth thee;"

William Thom, 1799-1848

Happy New Year to all!

Merry Christmas

Fairy Advent Tree

The fairies' Advent tree, assembled.

A very Merry Christmas to all!

And to all a Good Night

"Sleep in heavenly peace....."

Twenty Fourth day of Advent - Christmas Eve

Twenty Fourth day of Advent

"Rejoice and be Merry"

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Twenty Third day of Advent - Mother and Child

Twenty third day of Advent

"This fairy mother and child wear the traditional crowns 

of holly and mistletoe to welcome the New Year."

The Illustrated Fairy Gazette, A Christmas Celebration

Twenty Second day of Advent - Jack Frost

Twenty Second day of Advent

"As the days grow shorter and colder, Jack Frost arrives one night in a cloud of snowflakes.  He dances in a magical flight, throwing handfuls of snow crystals n the air, which fall in enchanted sparkling patterns on the trees, bushes and window panes." 

Avril Tyrrell, The Illustrated Fairy Gazette, A Christmas Celebration.

Twenty First Day of Advent - Winter Solstice

Twenty First day of Advent
Basil and Rosemary's Open House, The Illustrated Fairy Gazette, Winter Edition

"God bless the master of this house,

Likewise the mistress too;"

The Wassail Song

Twentieth day of Advent - Lantern Light

Twentieth day of Advent

"In dulci jubilo

Let us our homage show;

Our hearts' joy reclineth

In praesepio,

And like a bright star shineth

Matris in gremio

Alpha es et O!"

(O that we were there.....)

Nineteenth Day of Advent - See Amid the Winter's Snow

Nineteenth day of Advent

"Our orchard home is cloaked in the magic of Christmas, veiled in snow and glittering with frost....."

The Illustrated Fairy Gazette, Winter edition

Eighteenth day of Advent - Dashing Through the Snow

Eighteenth day of Advent

Another fairy with happy young sleigh-riders!

From "The Illustrated Fairy Gazette, A Christmas Celebration"

Seventeenth day of Advent - Music

Seventeenth day of Advent

"Come now, a roundel and a fairy song.."

Wm Shakespeare, A Midsummer Nights Dream

Sixteenth day of Advent - Skating

Sixteenth day of Advent

 "This is the season of Goodness, Beauty and Truth,
both in the Peaceful Realms and in the mortal world."
The Illustrated Fairy Gazette, A Christmas Celebration

Fifteenth day of Advent - Visiting

Fifteenth day of Advent

"...fairies flit through the trees and meadows carrying gifts of sweets and desserts to friends and relatives"

The Illustrated Fairy Gazette, A Christmas Celebration

Fourteenth Day of Advent - Snowmen

Fourteenth day of Advent 

Fairy snowmen, with wings!

Thirteenth day of Advent - Sleigh Ride

Thirteenth day of Advent

"We're riding along with a song 

of a wintry fairy land."

(In truth it is cold, we are expecting a heavy snowfall this weekend and perhaps not all will be merry.  But it will be pretty, which I will try to notice through the tunnel of my parka hood between episodes of shoveling snow and scraping ice off the car window.)

Twelfth day of Advent - Letters to Santa

The Twelfth day of Advent

How does Santa get it all done?  With help from the fairies, of course.

The Eleventh Day of Advent - More Bells

Eleventh day of Advent

More bells, with helpers!

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Tenth day of Advent - Bells

Tenth day of Advent

"And all the bells on earth shall ring, on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day..."

(I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In)

 From the "Festivals and Fairs" edition of the Fairy Gazettes, fairies ring in the May festival with a song that Girl Guides may remember: 

"White coral bells upon a slender stalk,

Lilies of the valley line my garden walk.

Oh how I wish  that I could hear them ring,

     That will only happen when the fairies sing." 

Anonymous

Ninth day of Advent - Tiny Dancer

Ninth day of Advent

"The earth has music for those who listen", George Santayana

Another small skating fairy from the Christmas "Fairy Gazette", copies of which are available here.

Eighth Day of Advent - Pudding and Pie

Eighth day of Advent

"Oh, bring us a figgy pudding..."

 (We won't go until we get some)
 "We wish you a Merry Christmas"

Seventh Day of Advent - Dancing

Seventh day of Advent

"Tomorrow shall be my dancing day;

I would my true love did so chance

To see the legend of my play,

To call my true love to my dance."

                   Traditional English Carol

Sixth Day of Advent - Shopping

The Fifth day of Advent

Some fairy gifts:   Laughter, Friendship, Happy Memories and

the gift of a Wish Come True.

From The Illustrated Fairy Gazette

Fifth Day of Advent - The Skaters' Waltz

Fifth Day of Advent

More fairies - on skates! 
The original Christmas edition of the Fairy Gazettes is here in the Etsy shop.

The Fourth Day of Advent - A Bluebird for Happiness

Fourth Day of Advent

Another vignette from the Illustrated Fairy Gazettes , 

"Bluebird Air, travel in grace and comfort through the clouds".

The Third day of Advent - Mermaids

"...And heard a maiden on a dolphin's back"

 Wm Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

The second day of Advent - Sweets

Second day of Advent

"The fairies go visiting from house to house with sweet gifts",

from The Illustrated Gazette,  "A Christmas Celebration". 

Christmas without sweet treats? Perish the thought!

Advent Begins

 First day of Advent

Advent begins, and with it a new Advent tree of fairy baubles.

Watch this space for a gentle countdown to Christmas with things bright and beautiful, good and gladsome - a gift from the fairies in their many disguises.

  

A Posy

Beauty discarded - masses of pansies were upended in a neighbor's green bin, probably to make way for new midsummer flowers from the nursery.  They were still very pretty and I picked a handful to paint,  like this:

the pencil sketch,

 followed by colour blocking and shaping.

More painting instructions from my watercolour classes are over on my watercolour blog, http://francestyrrell.blogspot.ca/.  Both blogs have been quiet of late, but I am here and working on pretty things yet to be displayed.  So many flowers, and summer so short!

"There's pansies, that's for thoughts",

William Shakespeare, Hamlet (Act IV, SceneV)