The Beautiful Book of Flower Fairies at Grandma Millie's House

  

I remember the times I visited Grandma Millie’s  house when I was a little girl.    We did not live that close to Grandma, so my parents and I only visited perhaps a couple of times a year. 

Grandma Millie lived in a big old Victorian townhouse in Bristol ..one of those old fashioned ones you sometimes see in BBC productions or movies.    When we used to visit, these houses were not considered special or interesting.... and this was not in a great part of town.  Grandma Millie had been living there since the 20s.... and I don’t think much had changed since then!.      A row of typical tenement Victorian townhouses:  narrow but “long” in terms of depth and 3 stories high with basements.   Of course by the 80s these houses were suddenly the “in” place to live.   Young couples moved in and turned these houses into upscale homes with shining wood floors and designer touches everywhere.   

Grandma Millie lived next door to her sister, Sue.    They had both been living in these houses since they were young women!     Grandma never used the front door that came onto the street.   So to get to her house, we would enter through Great Aunt Sue’s front door, walk down the narrow passageway to the back, to into Great Aunt Sue’s back sitting room, where invariably Great Aunt Sue would be sitting in her rocking chair, crocheting.     Great Aunt Sue was an amazing Crochet-er and Grandma Millie was a superlative Knitter.    I am not kidding!    Grandma Millie’s knitting was famous.   Every birthday we would receive a new jumper (sweater) or cardigan and it would be PERFECT!    She had a gift... she even knitted my Father’s socks!    Old fashioned knitted socks... also perfect!  So everyone in the family got at least one new sweater a year from Grandma Millie... and every package that came also included  - to the children’s utter delight - chocolate & candy.    But I digress.  

So we would exit through Great Aunt Sue’s back door , cross over the narrow back garden, into Grandma’s garden and in through her back door into Grandma’s old fashioned kitchen and through to her sitting room... where again, invariably she would be knitting.   

Each sister had these huge houses all to themselves.    Grandma’s house always felt rather dark and cold.. not very happy.    When I was a child I was not aware of this in a tangible sense.. just that I didn’t like visiting the house.   I found out later why Grandma’s house felt that way.   Grandma Millie was rather sad.    But that’s another story!      

The house was 3 stories high.... and wide as it were.    The floors were wood, the stairs were wood.    It was very simply furnished.    And it was spotless!   My mother used to say “you could eat off the floor at Grandma Millie’s”  and you really could.      Every day she mopped the floors including moving all the furniture.... there was no dust under the sofa!!  But still, it always felt rather cold energetically (reflecting back as an adult you understand).

Visits to Grandma’s house were tolerable for two reasons:  the sweet shop next door and The Big Book of Flower Fairies.     The sweet shop next door was glorious.   I mean GLORIOUS!   It was a true old fashioned sweet shop (candy ,for all my American friends).    It was along the lines of the sweet shop portrayed in Harry Potter... except of course not as large and they didn’t sell buger flavored jelly beans!  

The whole back and both sides of the shop were lined with big jars of sweets.... clear glass so you could see the sweets inside.....   Yellow ones, red ones, green ones, row upon row.     They only sold candy.   There were some bars of chocolate and amazing fudge.. but nothing else, just candy!      From the time I was very small until I stopped visiting Grandma’s house... it was always the same proprietor.    There he would be, behind the counter with his apron on.    He always remembered me and always gave me something extra.  He smiled and joked... it was a dash of light during those visits.    

I would buy a quarter of lemon sherbets... or a quarter of raspberry & creams or a quarter of apple sourdrops... or the list was endless but I think those were my favorites.   They were measured into a simple small cream paper bag and bag twisted at both ends.   No plastic, no double wrap, just paper.       With my quarter of sweets in hand I would go back to Grandma’s house, climb up to the top floor and go into the bedroom that had the Big Book of Fairies.  

I would settle down on the floor or bed with that book and just go off into the land of dreams.. the land of the flower fairies!

Do you know the book I mean?    It was the original Book of Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker.         I loved that book.   I would sit for hours marveling at the Apple Blossom fairy and the Columbine fairy and the Sweet Pea fairy.   I wanted to be with those fairies!   I wanted to fly like them!   To fly in amongst the flowers just like in the book... and in my imagination... I did.    I would fly with them in the flowers, in the woods, near the streams!    Just look at the images of the fairies:   

THE SONG OF THE APPLE BLOSSOM FAIRIES

Up in the tree we see you, blossom-babies, All pink and white; 

We think there must be fairies to protect you From frost and blight, 

Until, some windy day, in drifts of petals, You take your flight.

You'll fly away! But if we wait with patience, 

Some day we'll find Here, in your place, 

full-grown and ripe, the apples You left behind- 

A goodly gift indeed, from blossom-babies To human-kind!

Grandma’s house was in the middle of town and her garden tiny... so I would pass the time lost in the world of Cicely Mary Barker’s fairies.... thank you Cicely!    

This was a fairly dark time in my young life.. and this book was a shining light in the grey.    Isn’t amazing how a book and images can reach into our consciousness & imagination and create light, wonder & magic?   

When my girls were young, I introduced them to Cicely’s fairies too .. and they loved them as much as I.    I suppose I still do!   As Soon as I started writing about the fairies I couldn’t stop smiling!     


And guess what?   (for fellow lovers of the flower fairies)... there’s now a whole Flower Fairy website done by Cicely Mary Barker’s estate!   (the link is at the bottom of this page).    Oh and it’s magical!     All the fairies are there!    Tinkling sounds accompany every click.... 

And so I have put here a few of Cicely’s fairies and leave you with her words by kind permission of her website and estate:

Did you know that in your garden, in every wood, meadow & hedgerow hundreds of Flower Faires work and play caring for flowers and trees? 

Flower Fairies are the creation of author and illustrator Cicely Mary Barker.

Whenever a seed is planted, a new Flower Fairy springs to life.   Flower Fairies only reveal themselves to those who believe in them.   So, leave your disbelief behind and prepare to enter the secret world of the Flower Fairies.  

Tread gently now!   There may be a Flower Fairy afoot!  

Fairy images courtesy of the estate of Cicely Mary Barker

http://www.flowerfairies.com/US_version/home.html

Cicely Mary Barker (28 June 1895 – 16 February 1973) was an English illustrator best known for a series of fantasy illustrations depicting fairies and flowers. Barker's art education began in girlhood with correspondence courses and instruction at the Croydon School of Art. Her earliest professional work included greeting card and juvenile magazine illustrations, and her first book, Flower Fairies of the Spring, was published in 1923. Similar books were published in the following decades.