Owl Wood Fun

I had today mapped out in a certain way - it didn't happen.    

Instead, the little flower fairy, who lives next door, asked whether the pressed flower pages she had done would be ready yet...so of course we had to take a peek.   

Needless to say, we were both pretty pleased with the results.   




Her next job will be to label some of them, when her writing has become just a little smaller.   




Now she understands what pressed flowers are, and the pitfalls of not placing them carefully enough, but I think she made a very good job of them.

Of course she had to look through the rest of the book and became engrossed in this old painting, which tells some of the very many stories and games we used to make up, or played, in Owl Wood.

Even her older brother became engrossed, which was pleasing, because the journal was started purely to remind them of the good times we have shared in that little woodland.

Little moments which would otherwise have been lost forever - the very young deer which came to visit, one magical year when we actually had a red squirrel in the wood, worried pheasants taking refuge from the guns, the owls, the fairy picnics...

There are lots of maps and plans - reminders of how things change and evolve over the years.  Sheds get moved, garages built, shrubs moved, fruit gardens resited, hen houses sometimes here, other times there...

One map made to look a bit like an old map fit for a pirate on a treasure hunt - because that was the phase our grandson was going through at the time.   Fun, fun, fun.      So often I have felt apologetic about my work, but now I am pleased with it.   





The basic shape of the village houses all came about because at the time this next one was drawn, we were caught up in playing seemingly endless games of Monopoly.    As the person entrusted to be Banker, I seemed to dole out endless houses and hotels for other people, too busy counting out money and keeping the game fair, to concentrate on my own properties.   Thank goodness that phase has moved on - for now.

So what if the arty types get sniffy, their opinions really don't matter.      

This is a journal for my grandchildren, they understand it and enjoy trawling through it.  

I will stop here - apart from anything else I have to get the tea ready!