​staying awake is a natural thing that we all have to deal with but how about when you need to not be yawning? 
here are a few iron clad methods to help you with the long and tedious drive to the nursery.

~~~ try to stay focused on the surroundings out the window by counting trees, birds and perhaps the telephone poles as they flash by. 
~~~ the blast of cold from the air conditioner while on high or better yet rolling down the wind and sticking your head out with the hopes of not swallowing a bug. 
~~~ do yoga arm stretches that won't knock-out the passenger or break the rearview mirror off. 
~~~ count the burnt-out headlights as you pass an on-coming vehicle or for a bonus point count them as they approach in your rearview mirror. 
~~~ whistle in tune with the snoring coming from the seat beside you. 
~~~ listen to a book-on-tape where ***Chewbacca actually talks. 
~~~ sing out loud to songs from 1980's. 

and my all time favourite --- the tipping of your hat, curtseying, kneeling, and well even just the act of nodding your head as you acknowledging each tree that is leading over as if wanting to jump over to the other side of the road as everyone needs to have an adventure, even trees. 
 
on a side note though --- have you found that the time TO get where you are going can almost be unbearable and yet the drive BACK seems to be half the distances. even though the illusion of time taking longer or slower, i'm still happy that you came to visit. 

a rainbow consists of a variety of colours that create a spectrum through reflection, refraction, dispersion and water droplets. these documented studies have shown that with these 4 requirements there are numerous conditions that go with the designing of the prism like the arc seen in the sky. two of these studies include the sizing of tears which when larger generate vivid hues; and was the with the horizon borderline reds/yellows can be seen and the range of blue/green pigments are found when higher in the sky.
​

folklore does tell us of finding a pot of gold at the end of these colours, so if you happen to find yourself bathed within the end of this crescent of unbelievable colours please do share your riches with me.
​

but more importantly it is with your own eyes
​that you find the true  beauty of a rainbow. 
​

​each one of us hears things differently, or comprehends information or even stores memories or how about when it comes to repeating a message? after playing a game in school this activity demonstrates the process of how a short sentence when whispered throughout a classroom barely resembles that same sentence after it has done its rounds. the more embarrassing part of the exercise is when your version of the story is read out-loud and your cheeks turn crimson red.  and this is how a rumour starts!
 
but even when your rendition of the sentence ends up as part of the rumour, are activities as the such not the building blocks for storytelling? the starting point that helped you developed a style, no more of a flair for writing whether it be for a sentence or perhaps a novel. 
 
and just think that all of this began with the rumour of do you remember when? 

home sweet home

only 50 meters from our back step you can see our amazing view

with a small wooden bench, warm cuddly housecoats, fuzzy slippers and mugs filled with hot chocolate completes the scene for an early Sunday morning setting but why and stop on a Sunday?

​visitors welcome

​

bandaids and ice cubes are running out of supply
(should have known that when playing with the neighbourhood stingers that pricklilies are bound to find little faerie bums)

the prettiest ribbons are still being found in the weirdest of places but not necessarily in braided faerie hair but instead they seem to be twisted and intertwined around thorn bushes
(do you know how hard it is to untie a ribbon from a rose bush?
i have heard that more bandaids just might be in order)

singing, yes, singing, yes indeed singing...enough said about that
(hmmmmmm yes, enough said about that)

i'm figuring that the frolicking and chatting away while playing in the mud needs to quiet down a bit as it just might help the faeries and their friends to stay focused and this just might help their
silly pom poms attached to their acorn hats from falling off
(this activity needs to be addressed to includewater bottles, snacks
and plump cushions to relax on along the way)

and lastly, but not forgotten, what exactly was happening
with those socks and shoes?
(that's all i need to know, how can socks be taken off all the
while their shoes are still on?)

everyone is dancing away to the music
(many a few have had to sit down from being too dizzy)​

chasing bumblebees and butterflies
(please not that the butterflies don't sting as much when to you get so close)​

yellow coloured face painting
(dandelions are the terribliest powder to wipe off)​

pretty ribbons twisted around the silliest of things
(except the long curly hair that it was supposed to be twirled around)​

socks strewn all about
(strange as it be but somehow they managed to still keep their shoes on)​

garden chases where the snails are neck to neck
(or should that have been shell to shell)
(i sure am glad that it wasn't raining or else could you imagine
what wet soggy mud would be to crawl through)​

it seems that singing off key is the best way to sing
(not too sure if that would be nice to the ears though as it
certainly isn't to mine)

i'm sure that these are just a few of the happenings that i could
spot just by peeking around a daisy
​(before being spotted)
​

i'm not to sure about you...but knowing and not knowing what is going on certainly leaves ones imagination to run wild

the other day while out for a walk on a cold and crisp afternoon we were hoping that we might spot a faerie or two but instead to our surprise we came across a tree trunk that must have housed some pretty tasty bugs.

with having three resident woodpeckers in the neighbourhood and after comparing their beads to the size of the hole it was quite easy to figure out that a Pileated woodpecker had come to visit us.

after coming home to a cup of steaming hot cocoa we decided that even though there ether was not hide nor hair of a faerie to be found, we did have a great afternoon of excising and birdwatching.

please note:
woodpecker photos courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology - All About Birds website.

​it must either be a stab in the dark or possibly a well laid out plan that hasn't gone awry when it comes to the creation of property division lines be it for countries, provinces, cities, townships and then let's not forget to exclude our own backyard. 
 
even national parks and reserves seem to have no rhyme or reason as to how they are separated by roads and highways. i wonder if it comes down to the migration of wildlife or possibly the weather might have been taken into equation. for whatever the reason be though, even an odd one, is that these lines are travelled on day in and day out with no one being the wiser.
 
where the nursery is located we must pass through 10+ road signs informing us that 'you are now entering Wood Buffalo National Park and then 'you are now leaving Wood Buffalo National Park. strange as it seems though is when you can spot the next the sign just down the road from where you standing right now.
 
but don't get me wrong though as i do find the information essential to my travels, but at the same time you must admit though that it's quite comical to be entering and leaving (unless of course that there is a surcharge for the comings and goings) that many times when just driving on this one particular stretch of road but actually all i can think about are the people that have had to go out to erect all of those signs just so i can know. 

​when my monsters were old enough to grasp and understand through demonstrations, the world of teaching opened up far beyond their store bought toys. life itself when growing up is all about learning while playing, and in truth the accomplishment of mastering something new is what drives each of us to success today. 
 
bringing home massive tractor tires and filling them with dirt was the first step in the art of creating life as it's one thing to play in the sandbox or down at the beach with your shovels and pails but when using those same tools for in a different manner is how a garden grows.   
 
being handed a packet and opening it up to reveal what still looks like specks of dust, planting them with stubby little fingers and then carrying sand pails full of water back and forth from the kitchen sink all to bring the look of awe and amazement when that first little green shoot poked its head above the dirt. after the whole neighbourhood not only heard about all of the goings-on but were given the whole tour of their garden began the process of learning something new, whether it be for gardening or perhaps not, as not everyone has what is called a 'green thumb'.  
 
looking back upon that time shows us our own growth, as at first one methodically follows the instructions written on the back of the seed packet to now, winging it to see what can happen when you experiment while doing something like this or like that. 
 
this is how my nursery does things as it's hard to play by the rules when there are no rules to be followed. it's something like having a whole handful of seeds, placing them into that same sand pail and then scattering them all across the garden. my guess is that this is how faeries are made.

i think that the nursery is finally starting to look clean although a few things just might need a bit tending to so i do believe that it's list time ~

• the cobwebs have new cobwebs spun upon them with again new ones again on top of that with another whole layer on top of that although i will say that it's a good thing spiders like to spin their silk in different shades of paint as it certainly does add a splash of colour ~ blicky ~ but colour none the less
• the dirt pile that was once swept into the corner has now upped and managed to find the dustpan itself
• or how about the ivy that was in such a knotted jumbled mess that it figured out how to actually dance the twist
• what about trying to erase the pretty pictures that have been drawn on the scattered note pads
• and then who could forget the tumbleweeds mixed in with the beads that roll aimlessly across the floor ~ i will note though that i have absolutely no idea where tumbleweeds might have come from here in the nursery
• oh yeah ~ and what about the ball of yarn that had turned itself inside out only to find another knot on the end that was in a different colour
• then there was that really really really long purple thread that somehow came across spools of green and pink and yellow threads and then wrapped them all so tightly together that they will be able to be separated
• how do you water the silk flowers that have taken root on the floor
• what about the coloured markers that have long since dried up but are still so extremely smelly that we use them as incense to keep the nursery smelling fruity
• and how on earth do you pour the food coloured dyes back into their own matching coloured bottles

that's quite the list and i do know that it will only grow longer and longer as how do you expect to get anything done with a nursery full of faeries?  

​i don't think that i am able to walk past a sheet of bubble wrap without having to stop but the question is whether i or you for that matter, can stop at that very first balloon? and yes, i will admit of being guilty when it comes to NOT being able of walking away but what would be the fun of it all if i could just walk away but i'm wondering then if i would then feel that i didn't do my civic duty to the 'bubble'. 
it all begins the gentle pressing in of the very first one and then waiting to hear that burst of air that makes you feel like you are jumping out of skin with anticipation. from there it just turns into a frenzy of twisting, turning and squishing about so it sounds like popcorn jumping around in a hot oiled pan. 
but then there come the feeling of panic, dreadfulness, and even anxiety as you find yourself at that last blister. you know the one, that one that makes your heart slow down and your fingers to freeze up just incase you can't stop in time and you end up making that last move too soon. and then it happens, you hold your breath, close your eyes tightly and try to lavish this very last and final pop before it is time to walk away as there is no further reason to stay.