Life in a 250 year old stone Angel cottage in hidden secret magical faerie woods . . ..

An old workers stone cottage on a special hill surrounded by miles of magical enchanted woodlands, in the English countryside is where I call home at this time and have done for the last 7 years.

She is a traditional build of old stone with thick strong solid walls and little windows, and her exterior is painted in white natural limestone paint, which occasionally stuns me by reflecting light like a pristine Santorini cave house on a heat wave day such as we are having in the U.K. at the moment.

She still has her very weathered but loved low, original oak front door and lintel.

She, my Angel Faerie Storybook Cottage, has stood the test of time in the stoic manner of most old stone cottages that were made to last so many years ago. She even has her lovely old enormous inglenook fireplace and beams too.. painted pink of course 😊

She is not a grand cottage, a simple traditional cosy cottage with little windows and furnished with slightly worn but cosy "style".

But, what I am most wanting to share with you... is a very special part of this place....  her enchanting  secret hidden sanctuary gardens of about an acre or so leading into the fairy woods, a most magical place, alive and vibrant with elemental sparks of light, colourful singing birds and many animals, foxes, badgers, deer, all living within the ancient woodland.

Yes, fairy woods, I could feel it when I first came here before I moved in.

My ancient tiny house thatched cottage had caught fire and I meeded to move fairly urgently as it was Winter and I only had a tarpaulin covering the hole in my burnt destroyed thatched roof.

So, I had been urgently working with Divine Love and my angel friends to find me a new place to live as soon as possible.

 One of the gardens, which I call the back grotto, (there are two so called "grotto's") leads to an old rickety gate, (see photo at the top) through which leads to miles and miles and miles of woodland (I don't own the woods the faeries and trees do, more about them later).

Now, let me just say,

before you should imagine a fabulous "Instagram worthy" picture perfect cottage, with neat little trimmed hedges and perfect green grass without weeds (how do people get that?),

Please don't.

She, (she is a she) is not a conventially glamourous place,

in fact, she is quite a rough old bird, though I say that in a whisper in case she hears me and is insulted. She thinks she is beautiful and she is, in an old admirable way.    

My excuse? No matter how much I try to tame her exuberant wildness, I have never yet succeeded. Ha, she is definitely a mirror of me, wild, does her own thing, unruly, not particularly tamed. . . but that is another story for another day!

I have been shown, that Nature rules this place, not me. I have finally begrudgingly accepted this rather frustrating fact after many years of battling to make her look neat and "tidy" and instagrammable (is that even a word?). I gave up Instagram instead and stopped bothering about what the world classes as a pretty cottage, which is much better for the Soul, and one's mental health 😀

I have though, managed to have some small wins, one of which is to plant roses, ...many climbing pink (my go to colour) myrhh scented, floppy roses and I LOVE them.

David Austin roses are a passion and delight of mine. I am fortunate (not for my pocketbook) enough to live about 30 minutes or so  from David Austin Roses, though I don't get there as much as I would like, due to trying to tame said wild garden!

So, as I said, the fairytale garden and cottage, are not really an instagram garden, far too wild and unkempt, and try as I might, not at all neat. Though I do continue to try!

But! I am not sharing all of this with you to talk about the old cottage - nice as she is, though it's rather muddy here in Winter and can be foggy for days due to being high up on a hill.

No, I am sharing all of this with you to lead up to something far more interesting (to me anyway)

This cottage garden .... is .... magic!

really....

When I first came here to view this place, I could positively feel it.

We ALL could feel it.

As we traipsed through the brambles in the overgrown orchard, I could feel it... the magic, a feel, a sense, you know that feeling? Like we get in an old ancient stand of trees .. other-worldly, an atmosphere of peace.

And the birds.. wow, the singing birds were, .. well, it had us all (me, my friend and the house agents) staring up at the trees in awe.. what a sound..

I was instantly intrigued, and hooked...

and if you know anything of me, you will know that magical gardens and I are not strangers at all. No, magical gardens have been a passion of mine for many, many years. I was even married in one of the most magical gardens in England, Chalice Well Gardens.  I will try and dig out a photo; (sadly, it was not the magical gardens job to make the marriage last, and he and I parted ways many moons ago for those who are probably wondering ;)).

The gardens and I however, continue onwards... and I look forward to telling you all about it, and the faerie friends and friendly trees. So do subscribe below if you wish to read more .