RIGHT ROYAL FAIRYLAND

Isn’t fungi the most amazing stuff. I’ve long had a love affair with fungi, moss and lichen,

revelling in the seemingly inexhaustible specimens you can find even on a short bush walk when the conditions are just right. These ones weren’t hiding in the bush though; they were in plain sight on the side of the road under some pine trees, and all I needed to complete the picture and cast an aura of fantasy over the scene were some faeries sheltering under their bright canopies.

What is it with little girls and faeries? My granddaughter loves faeries, Barbies, princesses, butterflies, kittens, dressing up, jewellery and clothes in every shade of pink, though to her credit she also has a strange bent towards dinosaurs which I had previously, and obviously mistakenly, thought was predominantly the realm of little boys.

I was never a girlie girl, and have a recollection of owning only one pink garment in my life, and to this day still have little interest in jewellery, shoes, make up, getting dressed up and other extraneous girlie stuff. Home made bows and arrows, billy carts, climbing trees and exploring were more up my alley in my childhood tomboy days, and joining in the antics and adventures with my brother and his friends was a lot more appealing than those of my older sister. No dolls in my toy box, though I did have a Sooty puppet who was my favourite.

Somewhere along the line during adolescence the male of the species began to be of interest in more than just the platonic sense, and the short lineup of boyfriends which lead to finding my husband and raising two children means I must’ve got in touch with my feminine side somehow. Though I do admit to being greatly relieved I only had boys; I had no idea how I was going to handle a little girl if she happened to turn out all girlie on me. The prospect of sitting down with a bunch of anatomically challenged Barbie dolls, changing their outfits ad infinitum for no apparent reason, would have rendered me brainless. Thankfully that’s one hypothetical I never had to face as I spent the years ferrying the hordes to and from football and cricket matches far and wide.

Even now I only have two dresses in my wardrobe, can’t remember when I last wore either of them, don’t think I’ve worn a skirt for about fifteen years, and I haven’t worn a pair of pantyhose since 1987. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a slob. I do like to look halfway decent, just can’t be bothered with the fashion stakes and getting gussied up. Simplicity and comfort is the name of the game.

Oh, by the way, guess what I did with my granddaughter last week? We played Barbies of course!!!