Saturday 19 November 2011

Follow Me....

...come into the woods, 
for I'm afraid we are not ready to leave yet, no,
but give me your hand and we will take you with us and you will see why.


Into the cool green we go, the seeping damp, the air surprisingly warm on our skin. We follow the path, a slow meander, voices murmuring through the trees, quiet footsteps ahead, the rustle of leaves, the distant chirp and chatter of birds.


Hurry now, and hush, for there is One who must not hear us. Quick! Light feet and haste!


 Here we are now, look, everyone is here, I don't think we are last. There is a little work to be done, for we are here for a very special reason.


There is a birthday, here in the woods. A Very Significant 8th Birthday, and we have been invited along to celebrate.


There is a flurry of activity as little wood nymphs and rabbits dash and scamper and scuttle, pulling streamers out of the trees, balloons out of burrows.


A mad dash to prepare, arrange and assemble, for the Birthday Girl has not arrived yet. And she does not even know we are here!


So, as she is 'out for a walk' in the woods with her Nan, the bustle of activity continues, until all is ready, all is set.


And so we wait.


Until it is time to gather together the scattered dearlings, the wayward rabbits and knights, the Tweedledums and Tweedledees, and hustle them all out of the clearing, for a little bird has told us She is on her way!



And for a moment this little dell rings with excited shrieks and squeals and hoarse whispered shouts,



'She is coming!! Quick! Hide! Everyone hide!'


And then a giggling hush descends, and everyone takes their place, the excitement quivering in the air, a tremor in the leaves.

'Here she is!'


Oh the little face as she is surrounded by her family and friends as they spill out of the trees around her, the round eyes and astonished countenance, and we all cheer and clap and our voices echo up into the treetops above:


Happy Birthday to you ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ Happy Birthday to you ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪Happy Birthday Dear Darling♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ ♪♫•*¨*•♫ Happy Birthday to you!♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ ♪♫•*¨*•♫.........



And then the games begin in ernest, the cakes magically disappear, and the Birthday Girl, aka The White Queen, holds court and regales us with fantastical Tales of Great Adventures.


And the day draws in, the sunlight finds us and persuades us to stay, the forest echoes with the glad little voices. A joyful sound that will linger long after we are gone.

And happiness gathers.



Oh! Are you leaving? Must you?
No, we are staying, for just a while longer. 
The weather is mild and surprisingly dry for November, we have sandwiches and tea, and birthday cake to come. 

We love it here. We are not ready to go. 

Just yet.





25 comments:

Martin said...

There can be few better ways to celebrate an 8th birthday. Totally magic!

Sadhbh @ Where Wishes Come From said...

I love this post! Great to see more pictures of the magical day. I'm totally inspired to get creative with my girlies' birthday parties in the coming years.

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing a lovely experience with us; it really conveyed the magic of a surprise party at that age. The inviting openness of your writing and the imaginative angles you took your photos from actually made me feel that I was 8 again, waiting with all the others to celebrate in that secret woody place! I'm sure the White Queen had a wonderful time and will remember her party forever : )

yew tree nights said...

I can't imagine a more lovely birthday celebration. Looks like it must have been an amazing day for everyone!

Jess said...

A lovely special magical woodlnd party! A wonderful idea! Makes me wish my children were little again!
Jess xx

Rima Staines said...

Such a lovely post Ciara!
She'll never forget that day.
Your photos and words weave magic...
Can't believe we've been doing this blogging malarky for 4 years eh!
Love to you all xx

gz said...

Just the birthday surprise for someone who is eight!

wandamarie said...

Very lovely, Ciara! I have to share this with some of my wise and magical teacher friends!

Ada Beth Croft said...

This is magical, it has an "Alice in Wonderland" tea party vibe, that is wonderfully shown in these photos!

Kerry O'Gorman said...

A most magical day for all who were there...nice to see them all in frocks and masks!

Netty Foley said...

extremely cool

Ciara Brehony said...

So lovely to see new names and faces here! Thanks for all your lovely comments, new friends and old. x x x

affectioknit said...

What a charming fall you are having!

Have a lovely Monday!

Cheryl said...

Wow! talk about making memories! What a magical day, what a lucky little lady.

bright star said...

What an enchanting and happy post ,I loved coming to the party! thanks for sharing lolAngela

Hoola Tallulah said...

What a perfect birthday surprise, it was so magical I had a little tear in my eye by the time I reached the end of this post. The setting and the bundles of love and surprise, just perfect, what a lucky 8 year old indeed :)

Cait O'Connor said...

Great pictures to keep.
My son was a June baby and we always had picnic parties in the woods for his birthday when he was little.

Karen said...

Just perfect! :)

Anonymous said...

wow! i've only just now seen this as i've been buried deep for atleast a month in our won ongoing activity, but wow! i'm so glad i finally stumbled upon you ALL. i don't think anyone will ever forget this birthday, least of all the birthday queen. superb!!

Jay said...

I wish you'd post more...

Raggle Taggle Gypsy Girl said...

That looks so wonderfully......
I wish I was coming to the tea party too......

Acornmoon said...

Happy Christmas to you Ciara and all your family.

JaM said...

Enchanting! Spellbound, I partake of your story and images, interwined so lovingly. Captivating. Breathtaking. Thank you for sharing.

Mel's Kitchen said...

Dear Ciara,

I've not been keeping up with much, so needed to go back and read some posts to understand your most recent. I know how you feel. Things change. Our energies flux. But one thing is clear. Your inspiration and inner beauty come through in your blog. When you have it to give, you will post and be happy about it, satisfied. When life, and our human form change... when the spark is not there or is kindling some other part of life, posting our inspiration may not happen. It needn't mean forever, needn't mean the end. Merely a change.

Allow yourself to BE. Who you are in each moment. There is no worry in that. That and Love are our 2 main jobs in life, don't you think? And both go through cycles. Of growing and of rest.

All the best to you-- Health & Happiness in the New Year, dear Ciara...

Melissa

Gracia said...

This very important and giddy day in November looks little short of magical.

g xo