Ogham

Well...i'm back...again...consistency with blog posts is obviously not my thing...but i had this crazy idea to learn some new things and i thought i could share them with you too!!

So, to begin with - Ogham. 

I have been interested in Ogham for a while now, and even more so since our trip to Ireland late last year.

Example of an Ogham stone from the Irish National Heritage Centre

For those who don't know, Ogham is an ancient celtic alphabet that was used in Ireland and Britain. Many of it's symbols also correspond to different trees. I won't go into a full description (as i'm still learning about it myself) but there is plenty of information on the web about Ogham and it's origins.

So, why am i blogging about Ogham if there is already so much info out there?? That's just how my brain works....if i write about it, it sticks in my head...so we all get to learn together!!

Here is what the Ogham alphabet looks like:

My next posts will start looking at the letters one by one, their meanings and the trees associated with them.

Citrus Cleaner

Natural Citrus Cleaner

I've seen this simple citrus cleaner doing the rounds of Pinterest and Facebook so i thought I'd give it a try myself.

It's so easy and a wonderful way to use up orange peels.....which we always have stacks of!!

I added the Tea Tree essential oil for a bit of extra anti-bacterial power and i might experiment with adding in some lavender too.

Faerie Willow xx

 

It's Autumn here in the southern hemisphere, one of my favourite seasons. The colour, the falling leaves, the chill in the air. Everything is so pretty in Autumn.

Here are a few Autumn crafts/ideas you might want to try to bring the magic of this beautiful season into your home: 

http://www.craftideas.info/html/fall_leaf_stones_d.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://rhythmofthehome.com/2011/08/a-seasonal-mobile-natural-crafts-children/

 

 

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/231285/bird-and-butterfly-decorations/@center/272429/diy-weddings#/128618

Happy crafting....I'm off to collect some delicious autumn leaves :)

Dannii xx

Apple & Oat Pikelets

I promised my youngest pikelets for lunch today but wanted to try something a little different than the usual flour, milk, eggs etc. I found this recipe over at http://delicioussnacks.wordpress.com/ and i thought we'd give it a go. 

My 2.5 year old gobbled them up (always a good sign) so i thought i would share the recipe as i made a few changes to the original.

2 x small apples (grated)

3 / 4 cup flour (i used a mixture of wholemeal self raising and rye flour)

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 x tbspn brown sugar

2 x tspns olive oil

1 x egg

1/2 cup yoghurt

1/4 cup milk

1 x teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of cinnamon

Oil to cook pikelets (i used rice bran)

Yoghurt, fruit etc to serve

Put apple, flour, oats and sugar into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine oil, egg, yoghurt and milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract. 

Add the yoghurt mixture to the apple/oats mixture and fold through until combined.

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and put tablespoons of mixture into the pan. Cook for 2 minutes then turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes.

Top with fresh or frozen fruit, yoghurt, honey - whatever you like :)

Enjoy.....

Dannii xx

Fabulous Fairy Bread

This is probably not the best post considering i have just started on a diet, but what is a fairy blog without some mention of fairy bread.

For those of you in Australia (and i think New Zealand), you will know that fairy bread is basic requirement at every child's birthday party.

For those who don't live down under, let me introduce you to this fun party food that is always devoured in about 2 seconds flat (usually by me).

Fairy bread is white bread, spread with  butter or margarine and then smothered in hundreds and thousands (of fairy poop as it's sometimes known).

It's usually cut into triangles but i have seen some very creative ways of displaying fairy bread on my fairy party journey.

taste.com.au

http://www.ohhhmhhh.de/

I have been known to try and make fairy bread a tad healthier - we usually use the sprinkles with no artificial colouring, they are a little on the dull side but the kids still love them. Unfortunately, you can't really substitute on the white bread,it's just not the same. Oh, and it's always best to go for the really large sliced bread as you can get more out of each slice, especially when making shapes.

I have seen it made with nutella instead of butter, i personally haven't tried it but I'm a nutella junkie so it may be on the menu and my sons birthday party in October.

http://www.fussfreecooking.com/

 

 

So there you have it, ridiculously simple and guaranteed to please!! 

Faery Blessings

Dannii xx

 

The Fairy Bower Walk

We have had so much rain here lately that when the sun was smiling on Sunday we decided we could not waste it at home and headed out for the day.

We went to Bundanoon to have a look at the markets (i have been having market withdrawals as so many of them have been cancelled due to the rain). We had a little look around, with the kids trying to decide what to spend 'their' money on. Miss E got herself a gorgeous little wishing stone and Mr T got some soap and some chocolates. They are so cute when they have money, Miss E will only buy something if she will get change, lol. 

We went across the road to the bicycle cafe for a bite to eat before heading off again.

Not at all eager to go straight home (to the mess) i suggested we take a quick drive through the national park down the road. As we were driving along there were signs to all the different walking tracks and one caught my eye immediately: 

The kids squealed with delight as we announced we were going to a Fairy Bower. 

We parked the car and headed off down the track, just enjoying the tranquility (3 noisy children aside) and being surrounded by the beautiful nature.

The track was quite steep and slippery in parts but we all managed to get down to the bottom with little fuss (even me with my 'totally unsuitable for bush walking flats' on). 

When we reached the bottom it was totally worth the walk (and the leaches that hitched a ride on my exposed feet). 

It was so magical with the lush greenery, mini waterfalls and caves. The perfect place for fairy folk to dwell. 

 

Miss E decided that we should live there.

The children made leaf boats and let them sail in the fast flowing stream. We also discovered some tiny fairy houses.

We could have happily stayed and played for a few hours but it was getting late and the rain was showing signs of returning.

So reluctantly, we made our way back up the track with promises of coming back to this wonderful spot very soon.

Dannii xx

The Aroma Faery

Once upon a time in my pre-children/pre-Enchanted Garden days i completed my certificate 4 in Aromatherapy. Unfortunately i didn't really take my qualifications past the classroom but i still use aromatherapy and essential oils nearly everyday in my life.


If you only have two essential oils in your home, they have to be Lavender & Tea Tree oil. These two are our natural first aid kit. Just make sure they are 100% essential oil and not just fragrant oils. Most health food stores and pharmacies stock essential oils, alternatively there are many online suppliers.

We usually have a super sized bottle of Lavender Oil in the pantry as we use it for so many things:

• mozzie bites - a drop or 2 of neat Lavender onto a cotton wool bud and apply directly to the bite. Within a few minutes the itch subsides and the redness calms down.

• minor burns - after putting the affected area under cold running water apply some diluted Lavender oil (couple of drops in water) to the area. The lavender nearly instantly soothes the burn. Keep applying as required. I have found burns heal so much faster when i use lavender.

• use a a couple of drops in a jug of warm water as a final hair rinse to keep head lice at bay. 

 

 Tea Tree oil is fabulous as an antiseptic as well as being antibacterial and anti-fungal, some of our uses here at home include: 

•   applied neat or slightly diluted onto minor grazes and cuts

• a drop or two added to a chamomile tea solution and used in place of wipes to help clear up nappy rash 

• added to our homemade cleaning mixtures for use in the kitchen, bathroom etc 

There a so many more uses for these wonderful oils, the above are just some of the primary ways we use them in our home.

A bonus to using essential oils in the first aid kit is they smell fantastic and make you feel great too!!









I will cover some other essential oils in future posts :)

Dannii xx