The Bewitching Hour.......

" ~ The wind out side nestled in each tree,

prowled the side walks in invisible treads

like unseen cats....

Tom Skelton shivered.

Anyone could see that the wind was

 a special wind this. night....

And the darkness took on a special feel

because it was 'All Hallows EVE'

~Everything seemed cut from

 soft black velvet or gold or orange velvet.

Smoke pointed up out of a thousand chimneys

like the plumes of a funeral parade.

From kitchen windows drifted two

pumpkins smells; gourds being cut and pies being

baked".....

Taken with kindness from an extract

from

The Halloween Tree.

By Ray Bradbury.

(A favourite book from my younger years.)
I wonder did you ever read this amazing book?
I fell for it's charms many, many years ago!
And treated my self to this copy just recently....
I've been reading each evening ...
Getting ready for the magic to begin.

**************
At last the bewitching hour has arrived once more....
(Almost)
Happy All Hallow's Eve..
On this night magic spells may be cast more easily and the two worlds are drawn
just a little bit closer...
Sending 'All Hallows Eve' greetings a little earlier.......
~ and hoping by magic they reach you all
by 31st!

Our seasonal
 Jack ~ O ~ Lantern
is created and is ready to display on the garden  steps!
 not at all 'spooky'!
It never is...

But we had much fun creating and displaying her!
ooh yes she's a lady pumpkin.....
And named Boo!

~ Fingers and toes crossed for a dry crisp spooky evening....
As many will be accompanying little Witches and goblins
on their many travels of 'Trick or Treat'!!

Happy Halloween every one!
Remember keep the magic alive..
*******
I am looking forwards to taking  a peak into your 'witching hour'
this week...

( Hugging my favourite 'wishing'  tree, before the storms this week)
~ And hoping you are all safe and sound....
Love and Twinkles 
********

Maria 

Believe In Your Self And All That You Are......

~ And just because this is 

the month where things are suppose to go

bump in the night!

I will keep to the spooky theme for this little post.
Pop on the kettle and pull up a chair...

My great Grandmother Mary was a Medium of her time...

I have touched on this a little in the

 early days of being on here...

( My Great Grandmother Mary, top left next to my Grand Mother holding my Mama)

LOVE the way my Great Grandpa is cupping his hands in a heart here...

~ And I was brought up on her stories of taking the 

stage at the local spiritual church each Sunday.

This would be in the days where things like

 Medium ship would be most certainly

 frowned upon and I

 know this type of thing isn't every ones "cup of tea" even now...

but I was always fascinated and listened
 intensely when my Mama would tell us that

"she was incredibly spooky" and always seemed to know and sense things

about people..

Now I must confess my Great Grandma passed away long before my day.
~ But not with out leaving a little of her gift to her daughter ...
My Grandma!
and indeed my Mama too....

This picture made my heart smile...
As my Dad looks well and with us all!
We are all on a Christmas outing with my Grandma too!
1969.
I believe...

I'm at the front and would have loved the fashionable bowl cut of my sister...
Sad, but true..
I've had curly hair since the beginning of time!
Well my time any ways...

My sister, Donna always used to ask "to swap our heads"
She still does...
But wears rollers now to get her curls, like mine.....
hehe!

~ Back to my tale

~ Now Grandma had the kindest of ways and always brought us girls the prettiest
of flowers...
Some times pink roses, some times pink Carnations...
But always pink!

She also saw spirit.
And even saw her late husband through her bedside mirror, the day after his passing....
Mum couldn't get away with the slightest thing with my grandma either,
she always seem to know..
Perhaps that's why she choose to be the free spirit that she was, my Mama, that is....

~ 

 My Grandma's tea caddy!
she loved a good cup of tea...
Much like me really.

I will close with my little story here...
and just say the' gift' did get passed to my Mama also..
But in a very different way...
 She didn't see Spirit, but heard it through colourful dreams and most especially telepathically...
The number '23' was given to her frequently for dates of  sad loss and dates of great joy!

She once told me that most of the voices she heard were whilst on her hands and

 knees polishing the lino around the carpets edge that

 were so fashionable once upon a time.

They just spoke in her mind with out voice or reason!

After word..

I cried with such sadness when my dear, Dad passed many, many years ago

on the 23rd..

I smiled with the biggest joy many years later 

when my son was born on the 23rd

 and would go on 

  to wear the number 23 

in last years wonderful, wonderful, Paralympic games....

Ooh yes......

I believe!

How about YOU?

Take time to dream lovely blog world...

Kisses Maria x

The Story Tellers.....

“There either is or is not, that’s the way things are.

" The colour of the day. The way it felt to be a child.

 The salt water on your sunburnt legs.

 Sometimes the water is yellow, sometimes it’s red.

 But what colour it may be in memory, depends on the day.

 I’m not going to tell you the story the way it happened.

 I am going to tell it the way I remember it.” 

~ Mitch Glazer.

Life I believe is full to the very brim
 of interesting stories...

Or interesting people who can tell a tale or two.
I call these wonderful types:
The Story Tellers...

I  like to think all of us blog ladies
 are indeed story tellers...
who tell a little of our days on here
in delightful tales....

In my little day job in 'Bumble Bee' I do come across
all manner of interesting story telling folks...
Crafty chatty peeps who talk of their
wonderful creations...
Thrifty up cycling folks ,who can give new life to
old pieces, once more...
~  and old souls who have a heart and
 soul like me for the past....

( Our thought for your day)
x

They all seem to tumble through our doors!
Which makes for the most interesting days...
~ Now Patrick would say "like attracts like"...
And that I have the 'gift of the gab' also...
~ May be so..
I have mentioned in earlier posts of Victor, a jolly interesting nice,
chappie 
 Who just so happens to be
a Medium...
Oh my he's an interesting one....
I haven't seen Victor since my black bird post...
But I know I will one day soon...

Yesterday we had not only a towns jester
 and more interestingly a
 Ghost hunter come along to buy a little Halloween
fun from our little shop...
"Life's never dull when these people chat about 
their  interesting worlds"..
and I must confess i am all ears with any thing remotely 
SPOOKY!
( I am going to tell you all more on a Halloween post very soon)
~ and I am very often wondering just who
will pop in and say Hello
tomorrow..
I wonder have you chatted to an interesting story teller, this wonderful
October week?
hehe!

Oops Chapter TWO..
~ Remember my little charity shop find...
Little sweet dolly named Matilda...
Well she now has an old ~ new pram....
( It belonged in it's first life to my Olivia)
Who is all grown and almost flown now...
She's looking quite' the bees knees' here, me thinks!
A happy ending!!

And being story tellers
We simply love those....

Other interesting and kind and exciting
 things to happen to me are...

~ Receiving this super give away from my lovely friend 'Willow'
( and of course Buttercup and Honey Bee)
Who incidentally live across the pond from me.. 
In New England...
I call Willow 'Dr Doolittle' because she owns the most 
amazing and beautiful animals, I've ever seen on a blog! 
Thank you, lovely Willow!
I LOVE the pictures of buttercup , so very much!!
~ and the pretty scarf will keep me warm as the
days grow cooler!
Here' is Willow's blog link, so you can pop in and say hello!
http://whimsywillowsfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/full-plume.html

~ You'll receive the warmest of welcomes...

( Taken with kindness from Google)
Sending kind Twinkles your way.
*******
~and reminding you also that we have a full
 moon on Friday...
" The hunters moon"
So ask a question or two on this moon...
The answers will become clear to you very soon...
Hugs Maria x
*******

October Gave a Party...

October gave a party

~ By George cooper.

"October gave a party
The leaves by hundreds came.
The chestnuts,oaks and maples
And leaves of every name
The sunshine spread a carpet
And everything was grand.
Miss weather led the dancing
professor wind the band,
the chestnuts came in yellow,
The oaks in crimson dressed,
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best..
All balanced to their partners
And gaily fluted by,
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky"....

~ Little words from me today!
But a few pretty pictures of my treats 
and buys during this lovely vibrant
 month of October...

( Lamp hand made with love)
From Bumble Bee.

~My new ~ old vintage tin...
Lots of charm.
Pansies and such lovely detail...
I am a thinking of  keeping ribbons and threads in this..

~Purchased with kindness from Mrs Thriftwoods
little vintage stall.
http://thriftwood114.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/all-leaves-are-brown-and-sky-is-grey.html

Autumn Dahlias.....
an array of colour..
Reminding me of when I was quite small.
Once upon a time.
~ We had a garden full of these little beauties....
~ 

One more for my growing collection of books!

~ Sarah Moore's wonderful Vintage 
Home .......
"Vintage ways make vintage days"!

In 'The Works' at a steal of a price just now..
( Thank you Claire)

~
I wonder
Have you been a spending ?
Or are you
" Drawing in your horns"
(till Christmas spends)
(My mama's wise words..)
always made me smile
When she said this...

Salem...
You may remember him 
from 'fall' last year!
~ He is back to greet guests at my front door once more....
I think I may have fallen
 in love with 'Fall'
how about you?

~ Take time to dream...
Maria x