Dress 23: A Fairy Story

There are many things you can inherit from your family, height, hair colour, eye colour etc but for me it was a love of reading.  My Nan is the biggest book worm I have ever known.  There is even a legendary story in our family of the night Nan slept walked to her grandma’s house next door to get a book and read.  She claims she has no memory of that night!

Growing up in my house a trip to the library as an adventure.  There was one book though that I continued to borrrow from the library.  It brought stories of fairies that you could call just by finding a blue bell flower in the woods, cats that could fly and talk and a little girl that found happiness amongst the saddest time.  The book was called Blossom : A Fairy Story by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite.   She both wrote and illustrated the book.

Many years of growing up and reading more grown up books didn't erase this book from my mind.  Whenever I would see a fairy or a talking cat (just kidding) I would remember this book.   Years passed since I was a little girl reading that book and one day after something brought this book to my mind I decided to see if I could find it.  I was so surprised to find out that the book was originally written by an Australian author in 1928.  Many editions of this book had been published and the one I had read was published in 1987.  I was shocked that I was reading a book then that was almost 60 years old.

I started searching online old book stores and web sites to see if I could find an edition of the book to buy.  I found one in Sydney that was selling for $150.  At this time in my life I was working part time and didn’t have money to spend away on childhood memories.  I spoke to my mum who remembered the book and she agreed to help me buy it.  After placing the order the next thing to do was wait. 

So I waited and waited and the book never showed up.  I was so sad.  Christmas time came and my book still had not arrived.  I thought maybe I had been duped.  On Christmas day I sat with my mum and Nan to open our presents.  The last present my mum gave me was a square wrapped package. Ripping off the paper I was surprised to find the book!  My mum had received it in the mail and hidden it!  I did read it again and it brought back so many memories of me as a little girl imagination running wild at the possibility of fairies being just a flower phone call away.

Today I decided to do some reading on Ida.  Those who write about her claim that she is the first Australian children’s illustrator to achieve world fame.  She was born in 1988 and died in 1960 in Melbourne.  She loved to draw fairies but also loved to draw native Australian animals like kangaroos.  Her first illustration was published in the New Idea magazine in 1903 and she was only 15 years old.  The most interesting thing I also read today is that four of her art works are depicted in four stained glass windows in an adjoining hall at St Marks Anglican Church in Fitzroy here in Melbourne.  I will have to go and have a look!

Wearing this dress today covered in flowers of purple and blue made me remember the fairies who lived amongst the flowers that jumped out of the pages of this book and into my imagination.  I thank Ida for sharing with us her love of the imaginary magical creatures and I am thankful that I look back on my childhood with some sort of whimsical fantasy.  I only hope that when it comes time my children will have the same opportunity to loose themselves in worlds of fairies and elves and that the world we live in doesn’t decide it politically incorrect to believe in tiny people with wings that fly and bring smiles to the faces of little girls.

Day 23: A Fairy Story

Bought: A year and a half ago
Price Range: $25.00
From: K-Mart, Fountain Gate
What I like about this dress: The images of fairy tales that come to mind with all of the flowers.
Tag Info: Made in China, Metro, 100% Polyester
Photo Credit: HJackson