Hippo Birdie 2 Ewe

For Batty,

Today is your birthday
I think I'll make a cake
Mix and stir, stir and mix
Then into the oven to bake.

Here's the cake so nice and round,
I'll put icing on so white.
I'll put on all the candles
To make your birthday bright!

anon.

Soggy

Rain, fall!

Water, flow!
Bring new life
That the plant may grow.
Soften the earth
That the root grow deep;
Moisten the air

That stem and leaf
Unfurl and unfold
In the shimmering light
And bring forth the flower
For our delight
Paul King

Happy Heart Day!

So, with the past few days being somewhat void of any inspiring notions, a few sketches and a trip to the Huntington Library Gardens soon put a halt on that. The Japanese gardens were extremely beautiful but with certainly not enough time to drink it all in, I was still late getting to Donovan Boy and Little Gandalf. However, it is winter (even though particularly sunny all around) and the goodies this place has to offer haven't even bloomed yet! Who's in for stroll? I'll probably take the wee ones there next time and needle felt in the children's garden while they play.

Happy Valentine's Day for any of you who care to celebrate another mediocre 'holiday'. The excuse to indulge in something outrageous to whet ones' sweet tooth is extreme. How about this for the ultimate choc...The most-expensive chocolate is a $250 dark chocolate truffle ($2600 lb) with a French black truffle inside--is available on a preorder-only basis. It's made of 70% Valrhona cacao, which is blended into a creamy ganache with truffle oil. The truffle is then hand-rolled with a dark truffle on the inside and dusted with cocoa powder. Outrageous and sublimely decadent! I wonder how many hungry mouths that would feed..?

Rainbow Skye

This new 'Skye' Doll reminds me of the Rainbow Bridge story from the Waldorf school of thought. On each child's birthday, the child's story of crossing the rainbow bridge at birth is told. Each story is unique to that child.

"The story is shared in kindergarten and follows the life of the child up to then, beginning in the heavens and waiting for their turn to begin a journey on earth. Each story is different and unique as it contains much thought, reflection, and the family’s intention. The story speaks of a spiritual being, or a “little angel” who finds their way to earth by choosing earthly parents and receiving gifts from the heavens before crossing over the rainbow bridge to join humanity. It then gives expression to the child, the child’s family and their life. The ending includes mention of the child’s present birthday." So if you are having a birthday soon or have had one recently, I wish you many happy returns to this special day!

Marmota monax

"If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year."

"They'll be a Gigantic win for the little guys and I see my shadow again", So says Phil, ho hum. Don't worry about catching some skiing this winter, apparently it'll be here until Spring!

Here is the other 'whipped up' Queen Winter doll made for the wee ones to enjoy at home. They are drawn to her more Royal demeanor and stately gown adorned with pearly balls and lashings of sparkled snow. It felt only right on this blustery day to work-up a mini 5" doll that will eventually become a full blown Skye......made me smile to lay a rainbow, puffy clouds and sunshine halo-hair upon said lady with a view to blowing away the drizzle for a while. Going to Hunt down a big garden to drink tomorrow, will post pics soon....