Happy New Year!

 Hello friends!

I hope you all had a merry Christmas and relaxing lead up to New Year. Here in Bluebell Oaks it has been very hot! The villagers are all trying to keep cool by seeking shade and spending time down by the River Ripple (stay tuned for an upcoming story), paddling and swimming. 

My favourite place to take photos of Sylvanians has always been outside! I love nature and I feel I am better able to capture their connection to nature too when outdoors. There is never any stress over backgrounds or lighting, just capturing the scene as it really is, and for me, that freedom is the most enjoyable part, as well as showing the Sylvanians in their 'natural habitat'. This evening I decided to take advantage of the summer sunsets we've been having as some of them enjoyed New Year's Eve. 

* * *

None of the Sylvanians in Bluebell Oaks go in for parties or wild celebrations on New Year's Eve. Instead, traditionally it has always been a quiet time to spend with loved ones, counting your blessings and enjoying the beauty of nature, which isn't hard to do as New Year is always in Midsummer here!

Heath Buckley relaxed with his baby son Oscar as the sun slipped over the fields. The year had been a typical busy one for the Buckleys, but enjoyed and appreciated nonetheless. With six children in the house, there is never a day that goes by without laughter and joy. 

Briar Wildwood took a quiet moment to reflect on the passing year. Her art business has grown more over the last 12 months and there was even rumours that one of her paintings might be selected to be displayed in the National Gallery. 

Though it is just the turning over of another day, one of the things Briar likes most about New Year's is that it is a chance to stop and reflect on what you have achieved and everything you are grateful for. There is much to be thankful for, she thought as she admired the golden sunset.

And I am grateful to you, too, each of you for reading my blog or leaving comments, despite my terrible lack of posting! I hope to change that this upcoming year. 

Barley and the rest of the villagers of Bluebell Oaks plan to be back in 2022 with more adventures and stories!

A very happy New Year to you all, and best wishes for the future, from me and everyone in Bluebell Oaks!

"Every second brings a fresh beginning;

Every hour holds a new promise;

Every night our dreams can bring hope,

and

every day is what you choose to make it."

Autumn with the Honeyfurs

I hope you have all been having a pleasant autumn or spring! 

Some of you may remember the Honeyfur family, who I wrote about a couple of years ago here. I thought it was time to catch up with them again, especially because I wanted to do an autumn themed post.

It has been nearly three years since the Honeyfur family traded their settled lives in the village for a life of travel and adventure in their gypsy caravan. Their days spent journeying and exploring the woods are always full of anticipation, but for the winter they usually find a safe place to settle down for the chilly days ahead. 

Velvette likes to keep plenty of food in their store in preparation for the wintry months. Even though they are able to get out and travel to the village if they need to, it is in her instincts to stock up. Not to mention the fact that her family are voracious eaters. 

Most of the food in her supply came from the Village Store, owned and run by Cedric Walnut. It has been a part of village life for so long that Velvette doesn't know any different to having the convenience of the supermarket; however, she can remember her grandmother telling different stories. 

Granny Vixen, as she was known, used to reminisce about a time when the only supplier in the village was the Thistlethorn family, who still to this day, ran the Mill, producing all kinds of flour. Apart from them there was the daily milk provisions, delivered daily to each garden gate by the trusty old milkman. Everything else, according to Granny Vixen, was either grown in your own garden or reaped off the woodland. Every spare ounce of food or vegetable was either pickled or squirreled away for the winter. In her words 'Nature provides...it always does.'

Nowdays, Velvette doesn't have to rely quite as much on the woods to provide food for her family, which she supposes is a relief. However, they still like to enjoy the bounty of the land.

Juniper, Barley and Pumpkin had just arrived back from a successful morning's foraging. 

"Look Mama! We got a whole basketful!"

"Wonderful, my darlings!" Velvette peered into the laden basket. "We can have mushroom and pumpkin pie for dinner tonight and you can help me make apple crumble for dessert!" 

Pumpkin licked his licks. His mama's apple crumble is one of his favourites.

Pumpkin's favourite season is autumn. He loves all the pretty colours, and the leaves are very fun to play in!

Living in the forest means that everything is already wild, so there is never any need to rake leaves up! Pumpkin thinks he likes it much better that way!

Autumn, growing cooler in the lead up to winter, is the time of year when Pumpkin begins to keep his special blue blankie closer to him than usual. Velvette knitted it for him last year and it fast became his most treasured possession. 

Unlike most children his age, Pumpkin doesn't have alot of toys, but that fact seldom seems to bother him. As far as he is concerned, he has just as much fun exploring the woodland with his brother and sister, or sitting up beside his daddy at the reins as they travel, watching the world passing by. 

Evenings are the children's favourite time, when, if it isn't too chilly, they sit outside snuggled in their sleeping bags, listening to their father's latest stories as the autumn sun sinks below the trees. Glen has written a novel, along with other non-fiction books about plants, and he is always brimming with new ideas. Some evenings, he reads to the children his day's work from his latest manuscript. Other times, he dreams up a story for them on the spot. The characters from his book become almost like friends to Juniper, Barley and Pumpkin.

"Tell us a story, Papa."

"Hmm... let's see. Once upon a time there were three young cubs..."

The children think that surely there is no better thing in the world than having their own papa tell them his very own stories, listening to his voice and the sound of nature telling its own story as it beds down for the night, with the rustling of the trees and singing of the thrush in the oak tree above.

I hope you enjoyed this little story. I'm afraid I have been a bit quiet on this blog the past year or so. I have simply been lacking in inspiration as well as motivation to take pictures and write stories. I guess it isn't unusual to take breaks from hobbies or lose enthusiasm from time to time. Hopefully writing this post might help to get me more inspired... What do you do when you go through a time of demotivation with Sylvanians?

Have a great week! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

 Hello friends,

Valentine's has long been an excuse in Blubell Oaks, not for Cedric Walnut in the Village Store to sell bulk chocolates and wine (although that does occur), not for the Cottontail's flower stall to sell about half their year's worth of stock and make a huge profit (although again, it is a very good time for the Cottontails), but for celebrating and showing appreciation for loved ones. Family members, children, friends, and of course spouses and sweethearts are gifted with presents, cards, or just simple acts of love.

Christopher and Jane Appleblossom don't really get alot of time to themselves. They own the Watermill Bakery, and from the time Christopher's alarm goes off before dawn to the moment they shut the bakery door in the afternoon, they are busy in a flurry of activity. Shaping dough, baking, serving customers...the days are always busy. However, when the last customer leaves the bakery Christopher and Jane can close the shop for the evening and stroll back through the woods to their home. The routine is the same every day; regardless of Valentine's or not, it is their special time together.

"I'm sorry I couldn't take you out for a fancy dinner tonight, my love." Christopher said.

"Never mind Chris, I've got you-and Jasmine-and that's enough for me." Jane smiled, thinking about their daughter who would be on her way home too now, from school.

While some couples celebrate many years of love and devotion...

...for others it is just the beginning of a new journey. For Eddy and Cassie Splashy, today is their first Valentine's Day as a married couple. They are actually quite new to the village, having moved here a couple of months ago after their wedding this summer. Eddy once visited Bluebell Oaks on holiday as a child, and when he got engaged to Cassie (short for Cascade) he brought her here for a visit too, hoping that his fiancee would be smitten with the village too. Needless to say, they both agreed that it was the perfect place for them to settle down and begin their life together.

Eddy has taken a job as village plumber, and at the moment Cassie has been enjoying setting up their home and being a housewife. They have settled into the village as if they have lived here all their lives. 

Valentine's Day is especially special for Holly and Fred Golightly, because it is also their wedding anniversary. Tonight their three children are at a friend's house so Fred and Holly can enjoy some time alone together. After a lovely dinner out, they are taking a stroll through the village gardens. The evenings are long and warm at the moment, so twilight is just beginning to fall. Fred bought Holly a bunch of roses from the Cottontail's Flower Stall as they passed. 

"Do you remember when we met, Fred?" Holly asked as the strolled through an archway. 

He smiled. Fred and Holly met at a ballroom dancing class-in fact, it was one where young Fred was the teacher. Holly, attending the new class for the first time, was without a partner and so the kind teacher offered to dance with her. Holly would remember that dance all her life. Fred just about swept her off her feet-literally. Turned out, Holly would never need another dancing partner again. They were inseparable and Fred proposed six months later. 

That was many years ago now. Today is their fourteenth wedding anniversary.

"To many more years, Holly!" Fred said.

Happy Valentine's to you all! Have a great week!

The Wardrobe

 Hello everyone!

I came up with this story way back in March when we were in lockdown, and in some of the time I had I was doing some cleaning in my own room, especially my wardrobe. It inspired me to write a little story about Yvette Blackberry and her own wardrobe problems. Perhaps she is a little similar to me, haha!

One Saturday morning, Betty Blackberry, climbed the wooden stairs to her daughter's bedroom at the top of the old farmhouse. She was carrying a dress that she had just washed and ironed in preparation for Yvette to wear it to some dance in the village happening the next week. 

She made her way across the tidy room, noting with satisfaction the neatness that her teenage daughter was exhibiting. Everything seemed to be in place. 

Absentmindedly, she reached for the wardrobe door. It was an old piece of furniture, belonging to Betty's grandmother, made from walnut and crafted by the best carpenter in that time. The door heaved open rather reluctantly as she tugged. Betty caught one look at the mountain of stuff inside perched precariously...

...And slammed it shut behind her. 

"Yvette!" she yelled. "Yvette! Your wardrobe is a mess! It's so jam-packed I can't hang your dress up! Please tidy it!" She left the dress lying on Yvette's bed and left the room, returning to the rest of the washing. 

Yvette, meanwhile, who had heard her mother's every word but pretended not to hear, came up to her room and shut the door behind her. She sat on the bed and stared unhappily at the wardrobe. 

The truth was, she knew how bad the mess was inside as much as anyone. She had just always shoved whatever she didn't want in sight or had nowhere else to put in there. Who knew how many year's worth of stuff was piled up in there? She supposed that she had just always hoped that she could pretend that it wasn't there and wouldn't have to do anything about it. Now, she saw that would never win this battle. Especially not now that her mother knew. 

She walked across the room and lifted her hand to the door...

For a split second everything stayed suspended in one place. Yvette's hopes soared.

Then, like an avalanche it all gave way and fell with rumble and bang to the floor. 

"Oh my!" said her mother and sister Ingrid, who had suddenly appeared in her room to survey the chaotic scene. 

Yvette looked at it miserably once more. It was going to take forever to sort out this mountain of stuff!

Her mother bent down and picked up a duck toy on the edge of the pile. She looked at it nostalgically.

"I remember this toy! I bought it for you before you were even born. In those days the toy store had just opened and I went in there to browse and look at all the stock. I knew you would love it. And you did, didn't you?"

Yvette was still looking over all the objects when her mother returned with a big box. "Here you are, love. If there's anything you don't want to keep put it in here and we can give it away or find another use for it."

And so Yvette began the long process of sorting through all her old objects and belongings. The first thing she picked up was a rabbit toy. It had been given to her on her 6th birthday. Yvette smiled and put it in the 'keep' pile. 

Hanging on the wardrobe door was a pink hat. It was far too small for Yvette to wear now, but the sight of it brought back floods of memories.

Her mother gave a sigh when Yvette took it down. "Oh I remember that! You wore it on your very first trip to the beach! I've still got photos of you splashing in the waves in that hat..."

Yvette put it in the box and continued the cleanup. Some things she shuddered to remember. A science textbook was buried beneath her snorkelling mask. She was pleased about finding the mask but the textbook only made her remember the challenging homework she had had for science that year at school. I think I was meant to return this textbook to the school at the end of the year. She thought, knowing that it must have wound its way up in her wardrobe before slipping her mind completely. Oops...

Other things astounded her. She couldn't figure how she ended up with the menu of the village pizza shop amongst the pile of stuff...

And who knew what a ball of yarn was doing at the bottom of her wardrobe? Perhaps a long time ago she had been interested in knitting...? Yvette couldn't remember. It was like digging through memories. 

There were some scores, however. A perfect fitting pair of slippers was unearthed. Now I won't have to get cold feet every morning when I walk down the cold wooden stairs to the kitchen, she thought.

She was delighted to find the shawl that her grandmother had crocheted for her. She tried it on and fitted just right. It would go perfectly with her dress for the dance. 

"My first camera!" Yvette cried when she pulled out the little pink toy. Even from a young age she had loved photography. Now she had a proper one, but this one still had a special place in her heart as the first stepping stone to her hobby. 

Postcards from old friends that had moved away on gone on holiday, books from when she was at nursery... all sorts of things were hidden in her wardrobe.

"So that's where those sneakers got to!" she exclaimed. 

"Too bad they don't fit you anymore." Betty said. "You hardly wore them. Never mind, I'm sure we can find another owner for them."

For the next half hour Yvette pulled out even more stuff, with each item recalling the memories they brought. She was beginning to rather enjoy herself surprisingly. Perhaps cleaning wasn't as bad as she thought...

When her old recorder surfaced, Yvette laughed. When she was ten she had begun taking lessons for a few years and even played it in a couple of school concerts. 

There was no reason why she shouldn't be able to still play it. She held it to her lips and blew. Out came an undignified toot. "Well, perhaps I need to practice some more." she said to the others as they fell about laughing.

Something hanging behind Yvette's winter coat caught Ingrid's eye and she pulled it out, bursting out laughing. "You used to wear this?" 

Yvette glared at her sister fiercely. "Oh, be quiet. I only did ballet for half a year and then I got sick of it."

"Stop bickering you two." Betty said. "I'll wash this dress and then we can take it back to the ballet school. I think Jane Appleblossom buys back the secondhand dresses and then sells them on. And yes, Ingrid, your sister did do ballet. She looked very nice."

At last the only thing left was Yvette's winter coat, which could stay in there till she needed it again next winter, and two piles of stuff on the floor, the one to the right the keepers, and the other stuff to give away... 

It was later that afternoon and Yvette was satisfied that her wardrobe was now presentable.

She pulled the handle. It swung open freely...

And it is clean! All that work paid off after all!

***

It was a couple of weeks later and Yvette was resting on a bench on one corner of the village square, on her way to Jane Appleblossom's ballet school to drop off the dress and shoes. It wasn't far from the square to Jane's place but it had been quite a walk from Blackberry Farm into the village. The farm was fairly isolated. 

Her mother had told her that Jane bought back the second-hand dresses cheaply. It wouldn't give a huge amount of money, but it would be enough to buy Yvette a couple of new films for her camera. 

She sat on, dreaming about all the potential things she could photograph with the extra films. The riverbanks were always ripe with prospective subjects. Perhaps this time she would be able to capture that magnificent dragonfly she had seen while out rowing last time...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice from a seat nearby. Yvette looked across. A young mother was sitting on the bench with her child. Yvette didn't know either of their names as she listened to them. 

"I'm sorry darling." the mother was saying. "You know that I'd love to be able to give you the things you want. But I'm afraid we just don't have enough money to afford the dress and the shoes you'd need. Perhaps you could do ballet in a year or so..." Her voice sounded tearful. 

Yvette watched as she touched her daughter's cheek and gave a sniff. "I'm sorry..." she said again. 

For a second the new camera films flashed in Yvette's head. Then she slid off the bench, picked up the bag and walked over to them. 

"Excuse me, I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I couldn't help overhearing." The mother's face turned red and Yvette continued on quickly. "I have a ballet uniform, dress and shoes, right here that I have no need for anymore. It may be a little big, but the dress could be altered-and the shoes too can be adjusted. I'd like to give it to you." She gave her warmest smile.

"Really?! Oh thank you! Thank you so much!"

The mother leapt off the seat and hugged Yvette. 

"Really, I don't know how to thank you." she wiped a tear from her eye. "Cottontail has been asking about doing ballet for years and it was awful having to deny her that just because we couldn't afford the uniform." 

She turned to her daughter. "Come on love, let's go enroll you in ballet classes!"

Yvette watched them skip off together, hand in hand, knowing full well now that she could easily live without those extra films that selling that dress would have supplied. 

She turned around to head for home, smiling to herself as she went. 

Be kind. It may take only one moment but it will mean the world to someone else.