Sunday, November 29, 2009

Fairies and Little Folk

I was blog hopping earlier today and came across this Fairy Name Generator at the bottom of a tangled garden in Smitonius and Sonata's neighbourhood. If you play along you can discover what kind of fairy you are. At this stage [one more day of Nablopomo--yeah!]I'm scraping the very bottom of the barrel. And we are big believers in the Little People where I come from anyway.........


"Your fairy is called Columbine Rainbowfilter
She is a fortune bringer.
She lives in mushroom fields and quiet meadows.
She is only seen on midsummer's eve.
She wears lilac and purple like columbine flowers. She has multicoloured wings like a butterfly."

I was a tomboy as a child, so never felt at all fairy-like! But since growing up I have embraced my inner fairy! I love rainbows and columbine flowers and the colours lilac and purple. And, as a fairy, I would feel very much at home in mushroom fields and quiet meadows. The wings might take a little getting used to.......

This all put me in mind of "Little Folk." My daft Auntie Bid worked for a while as a nurse/companion to an elderly English lady. This lady gave her a thick hardcover book one time, to give to me, her niece. I was about ten or twelve I think, and I absolutely loved that book! It wasn't really a book, but rather a collection of a year's worth of the "Little Folk" magazine, carefully bound together by someone who had loved the magazine as much as I now did. There were stories, and poems, and lovely old-fashioned illustrations and line drawings. It was challenging to read the serialized stories, as the magazines had not been bound together in logical order. But the hunt for the next installment was part of the fun for me.

Then our annual school bazaar day approached, where the nuns tried to raise money for the missions. We were all expected to bring in donations of things to be sold. I didn't have a lot of "stuff." A few dolls, my ancient teddy bear, some books, and the Little Folk treasury. I must have had a weak moment, or been really desperate for something to contribute, but I gave it to the nuns for the bazaar! Someone that day found a treasure for a few pennies, and I mourned my loss and my stupidity for years!

But it occurred to me today that it is possible that someone reading this might be familiar with that long ago magazine. If you are, this rainbowfilter fairy would love to hear about it!

8 comments:

riseoutofme said...

How did that get past me?

I have no recollection of A. Bid ever minding an old English lady either ... was I asleep for a few years maybe?

riseoutofme said...

Or maybe the fairies had me?

persiflage said...

What a shame to have felt you should give it up. True treasures are few and far between.
In my youth we had the Victorian Readers (from the Australian State of Victoria), which contained all sorts of wonderful stories, poems, fantasy and funny things. We always remembered the story of the Hobyahs. Many other Victorians evidently felt the same way and the Readers were eventually re-published, and so we could recall all our treasured memories.
I wonder whether that magazine is available somewhere, after all these years?

Thimbleanna said...

Well, apparently the fairyname generator is very accurate! So sad you lost your fairy treasury -- but at least you have the happy memory of it. I've been wanting to install a fairy door in my garden -- I just know they'll move in if I make them welcome!

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Did you know that there is a digital issue of little folk! http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27564/27564-h/27564-h.htm

Do not feel obliged, but I have tagged you: http://smitoniusandsonata.blogspot.com/2009/11/7-things-you-didnt-know.html

We like your blog, so thanks for leaving a comment!

molly said...

Rise---let's assume I was ten at the time. That would mean you were four. As bright a little prodigy as you were, I doubt you'd have had much interest in what Auntie Bid was doing to pay the bills at that time!

Could very well be that the fairies had you, come to think of it!

Percie---After I put this blog post up I googled Little Folk. There are some copies for sale on e-bay and there's an exhibit devoted to the magazine in some Australian museum!

Thimbleanna---what are you waiting for?

SmitoniusAndSonata---Thank you,thank you, thank you!! I'm going to have such fun reading it! Don't know why I never thought to mention Little Folk here before now....So glad I finally did! As for the tagging, I'll have to think hard! Not much mysterious about me, since you already know that I'm a sprite!

persiflage said...

Hey, what a small world it is! I am off to do a bit of googling myself to see where that exhibition is.

silfert said...

I am Gossamer Saturntree. A troublemaker. It figures. :)