Saturday, September 29, 2012

Nature's playground (2)

 Did you ever make daisy chains when you were a child? I can remember sitting on the grass, threading daisies together, while my aunt Jessie worked in her garden.
On our way back from the beach, the little fairy discovered a lawn full of daisy heads, popping up everywhere. We had to choose carefully, to find the long stemmed ones.
 I can do it! Well, making the slit in the stem isn't so easy for little fingers with short nails. But she insisted she could thread the daisy through the slit,
 and she could! Such fine work. A seamstress in the making perhaps, or a watch-maker, or a jeweller. 'You be the cutter and I'll be the put-ter,' she instructs me. And so we work together, a perfect team.
 Then it's time to try out the listening shell. My grandparents always had one of these. When you hold it to your ear, you can hear the sea.
'Oh yes, I can hear it,' she says, and then because she's a modern child, 'it's a telephone with decorations!'
After so much excitement, it's time to play alone while granny cooks in the kitchen.
I peep out through the ranch-sliders and discover that she is with her imaginary friend. All is well. Nature provides.

10 comments:

Vicki Lane said...

What a beautiful child! I love the daisy chain!

Hotly Spiced said...

I used to make daisy chains when I was in primary school. After lunch we'd go onto the field and look for daisies. We'd go back into class at the end of lunch wearing a daisy chain necklace. And you had to be very careful with it - they're quite fragile. Thanks for the memories xx

Juliet said...

Vicki, thank you. She is beautiful.

Charlie, so nice to hear of your daisy chain memories. I remember also having to be careful with them.

lifeonthecutoff said...

Kezzie loves to play with her shadow on a wall in just the same way, Juliet. I smiled when I saw Mira with her friend - and I just love daisy chains. How fun you and she must have had, putting them together. I loved this.

Juliet said...

Oh how lovely that Kezzie plays with her shadow too! It won't be long before you are doing daisy chains with her - maybe next spring? Thank you Penny, it's a pleasure to share granny moments with each other.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Juliet .. we used to make daisy chains and we used to plait 'reed' like grasses that I see everywhere here ... I didn't have enough hair to plait ... so briefly I could practise!

Love your playground - and that shadow .. can't remember the name for those ..

Enjoy your spring days .. Hilary

Juliet said...

Hi Hilary, nice to hear of your childhood daisy chains and plaiting. What a good idea. I'll look out for some suitable grasses. Thank you.

cecilia said...

That is an exceptional shot of the daisy in the hands of a fairy, what a precious child she is, I have to confess to wanting to wear all her clothes myself! Lovely shadows, have a lovely day at the beach today.. celi

Lynley said...

Daisy chains and holding buttercups under chins to see who you loved:-)and there was a tuft headed grass that you could flick the head off by looping another stalk around it....probably more the domain of school aged children but nature is so abundant and teaches our young ones so much, so easily.

The foundations of all learning are found in early play using natural objects.

I have always wanted a shell just like that one Juliet - such a mystery to listen to and wonder.....

Lovely playtimes amidst your brain work!

Juliet said...

Hi Celi, so glad you enjoyed the daisy shot. I wish I'd had clothes like that as a child. Her clever mother buys them all second-hand from TradeMe (our equivalent to E-Bay) Thanks for visiting.

* Lynley, yes the buttercups and the solider boys (as we called them) - there was so much to play with on the walk to and from school. Now children tend to go by car. I'm sure you would find a shell like that (leopard shell I think it's called) on TradeMe. Thanks for visiting.