"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."  John Muir

Merry meet friends,

A very warm welcome to our Enchanted Folk Faezine, this fifth edition is oh so happy to be among the bluebells once again (big smiles). As The Green Man arrived, I felt genuinely moved to make him our pertinent Spring cover story - such magnificence, I am sincerely humbled in his elemental presence and delighted beyond measure to be featuring a story that will surely resonate with all those of an enchanted nature...

Spring is my very favourite time of year, and it blossoms beautifully in the caring and experienced hands of our regular columnists - we are all ready to embrace Mother Nature's exhilarating renewal. The Light returns.

My own wild country garden is literally bursting with life; blackbirds, robins, thrushes and finches are busily collecting the high-energy seeds I put out for their young, singing their gratitude each evening. The Barn owl is regularly swooping through, quartering the land even in bright sunshine - apparently neglected pasture is the perfect habitat for their preferred field voles! Baby rabbits seem to like sitting on my backdoor step nibbling the new grass, while swallows chatter on the telegraph wires overhead. Adorable lambs bleat to their mums in the dew-laden fields surrounding us, as the birds sing their hearts out in another amazing dawn chorus. Bumblebees are resident once again in our old chimneybreast, humming, buzzing and collecting pollen from the pretty primroses, cowslips and bluebells as I sit watching them, taking another Merrie moment drinking a cup of tea under the now fragrant apple trees.  

In the spirit of new beginnings, we have another special Faezine baby to Welcome, Jacob Christopher Dawe has just arrived! We congratulate our dear columnist Alexandra Dawe on her gorgeous little son, and send this enchanted family many blessings.  My own beautiful boys were born in the spring, and with our eldest just turning twenty-one, this has been an amazingly poignant and joyous time of family celebrations with precious memories and emotional, treasured times together.   

As always I am sincerely appreciative to our Enchanted Folk members for their wonderful contributions - they have a unique and magical way of sharing each new season. This personal task of gathering such riches is pure pleasure, I am grateful indeed.

Imaginative musings and inspirational thinkers, gentle company and wisdom to dream on...

We appreciate you subscribing, and thank you always for your belief,

"Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been."  Mark Twain

THANK YOU once again to All the marvellous Faezine family for their great gifts, and to dear Paulina Cassidy for her exquisite drawings gracing our logo and each page, sweet Susan Schroder for her superb Cover images, kind Marianne Mathiasen for her charming botanical illustrations, and Drew for his much-needed technical help!

All contributions and images remain the copyright of each Faezine columnist

To recap:

"We want to be poets of our life - first of all in the smallest most everyday matters."  Nietzsche

EF Faezine follows my vision for a free enlightening and interesting initiative to take you on an inspirational journey through thought provoking, reflective remarkable and positively wonder-full articles. Every columnist has been personally approached by me and asked to please just write from their hearts, just like we, and many members of the Enchanted Folk social network have been doing for more than two years now. The wisdom joy and energy on EF comes from us normal folk who, like you, just look at life a bit differently *grin* Most of us have regular jobs, hectic commitments and aspire to be creative in our spare time... Merely by going for a walk, doing the chores, caring for our children, completing our work, and helping others: each of us finds something enchanted to smile about. Consequently these Faezine columnists kindly offer their thoughts ideas and experiences for your enjoyment, encouraging me and embracing our EFzine with enthusiasm. I am deeply appreciative and grateful for each columnist's care dedication generosity and humour! Everyone involved with EF Faezine understands that this place is not about advertising, marketing, selling or celebrity ~ it is simply our gift to those who believe, and wish to believe, as we go about our ordinary daily lives hoping to make the everyday extraordinary and a little more magical...  Have fun,

be@faezine.com  -  Founder of Faezine and the Enchanted Folk community

(We invite you to read the full Faezine story in the Inaugural Spring 09 Issue)

"Our treasure lies in the beehive of our knowledge. We are perpetually on the way thither, being by nature winged insects and honey gatherers of the mind."  Nietzsche

By Be Montague

Be - ing the editor  (& Tea with Be and the Bean)

"The best and most beautiful things in the world can not be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller.

Be’s life revolves around her beloved family where her gorgeous grown up sensitive sons kindly help to keep her feet on the ground, lest her ideas lift her off and away. They share their leaky old cottage with mice in the walls, shrews in the fireplace, bats in the attic, squirrels in the goat-shed, deer in the orchard and a small JellyBean who leads everyone a merry dance. Here her lads have been heard to sigh that not only are there probably too many winged-things in their lives but that worryingly the feathered variety seem to get better fed than they do!

Be has great reverence for and delights in the beauty of Mother Nature’s gifts with whom she is nourished recharged and lives in the magic every day. She tries to play the Glad Game and is known for randomly and unexpectedly humming whistling singing larking about and enthusiastically extolling the wonders of wildlife nature and her endless random thoughts. The patience of her three chaps astonishes them too especially as they now finally realise that she didn’t come with a volume control.

Happy in her own little world Be’s eternal wish is to bring smiles and laughter to beings whenever she can. This Luna loving lass can often be found with yet another cup of tea in hand willingly distracted by magical moments in her untamed garden; snowflakes falling, dewdrops sparkling, rainbows appearing, spiders spinning, buzzy bees dusting, butterflies pausing, fledglings feeding, old trees shading, apple-blossom showering, wildflowers blooming, daisies closing, sunsets glowing, stars a-gazing, fires flaming, prisms celebrating, Seasonal Table keeping…

Whilst at work she listens out for any birdsong and loves to learn from her favourite BBC Radio 4 ~ oh and to those other magical Voices that only she seems to hear. Her spirited muse therefore has to invariably attempt to visit in the wee small hours or when she’s tending to Enchanted Folk, editing the Faezine, busy cooking supper or when the chores just can’t wait any longer.

This smiling skipping puddle-jumping eccentric excitable and very verbal soul is thrilled and honoured to be working with and warmly supported by her dear friends from Enchanted Folk on this Faezine enterprise, their affinity truly makes her dreams come true. (As Nietzsche so wisely said of such a capricious mind, “One must have chaos within oneself, to give birth to a dancing star.”)

Be’s boys her greatest teachers and blessing, have her heart and gratitude, bestowing her best and most wonderful adventures. Dedicated, devoted to and deeply thankful she also greatly appreciates their indulgence in the initiatives she gives her energy to. This whimsical woman just tries to make the world a little more caring kind and hopefully a bit brighter for her children and all who need some wonder.

 “Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumblebee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”  Ashley Smith Robinson

Be is Faezine's Editor and founder of Enchanted Folk established in September 2007

members.enchantedfolk.com/enchantedbe