Happy New Year

A Christmas walk

Ahh, what better than a lovely walk. A trip to the Heath today. The Ogre made us sit for photos, boring, ok so there were treats involved so all was well.

Hope you enjoy your Christmas.

Princess Fizz

Under the Olde Oak Tree

Treats now please

The Ogre finds it very difficult to get a great photo of the two of us, one of us always has to spoil it, usually the Knight-in-training (well it's not me that spoils it, I'm beautiful).

Have a great holiday season everyone. I'm just going to pop outside & see if I can spot the International Space Station fly over.

Update

We have a new item for sale in our little shop. We have added some candles for Christmas, there are also some of the tree decorations available & we will be making a new style for this year too.
Any one interested please e-mail us to let us know. We accept pay pay or a cheque.

Thanks everyone.

Much further afield

Today we travelled to the land of the Beacon. Many years ago the Ogres placed Beacons in order to warn of danger from invaders. These Beacons were lit only once. Today they stand as a reminder of dangerous times. I feel they may again be lit, soon.

the land seem to be well looked after

 There were many benches along our route, these were for ogres to rest & enjoy the view. A place for quiet reflection. Were met many ogres along the way, sadly none of them had any food. I fear they do not know how to store harvests as they were not permitted to harvest the fungi that grew along the stumps.

a lovely lake, very refreshing & clean

 We did not cross on the bridge, it was closed off, we wondered if there had been trouble with Trolls living under but the area was clear, the knight-in-training made a good job of checking.

the sun shone well through the trees

 There were many Silver Birch trees in this woodland, much different to the trees in my lands. It made the area very bright, the leaves already falling as autumn is now here. Pathways had been lain for us to walk on which was very nice.

we found an Oak tree but they were very young.

 We didn't find many old trees, they all seemed so very young. This is due to the woodland being cut down to provide ogres with heat during the cold winters. I hear they also burn it to provide devices by which to write.

the silver birch smell very sweet

.

 These type of trees do not provide any food harvest, I do not know what the ogres & other creatures will eat during the winter months. They need trees to provide food not just material to burn, maybe the ogres use this to trade with others.

Dwarves have left

We found evidence of Dwarves, they had once mined this land. They have left much behind but we found none of the precious stones or metals they were always so fond of.

another's kingdom, a very grand palace

I think the knight-in-training looks like a horse in this picture, with a saddle on. Lucky the ogre didn't try to ride her.

the ogre is getting slow in her old age

 We often have to stop & wait for the ogre to catch up with us, the young knight-in-training often runs ahead & has to keep returning, even I am slowing down, although I have to admit these walks have put a spring back in my step. I can also smell winter is on it's way and we all know that means snow.

a strange creature had left it's mark here

 The knight-in-training made sure she obliterated the scent.

the water levels here seem nice & high

some areas had been made for the ease of ogres

more strange smells

a very enjoyable day

a dirty knight-in-training but oh so sweet

a sweet kiss from the knight-in-training, she does love me really

We arrived back at the chariot which was thankfully still in one piece, however 2 other chariots had been broken in to & items stolen, that was not good.

Things are worse than I thought

Today we trespassed. The Knight-in-training took her packs, I took the Ogre. We headed into unknown territory. Things were bad, really bad.

There was no life to be found. No animals, no Ogres & not even Trolls. There was food, which should have been harvested, laying wasted. The dam bused, water no where to be found but the devastation left in it's wake was horrible.

someone's home torn apart

more devastation left by the water cutting through the earth

 We took the opportunity to harvest some of the fallen nuts, the pack came in useful & the Knight-in-training carried it well. Like me she got very tired & had to rest, she was constantly scouting ahead to make sure it was clear. We did not see a single soul.

checking everywhere

 We travelled far into the lands. The war has driven all away. This is what happens when a Kingdom is badly run. Civil war has destroyed all, not even the Trolls were safe. All their homes destroyed.

at a clearing

remnants of war strewn everywhere.

 This was the most desolate part of this land. What was once woodland reduced to rubble. Remnants of war with Ogres strewn all over the floor. Shells & mines had to be avoided & our Ogre kept us away from danger, knowing where to tread & where to avoid. We had a quick drink, a small puddle which tasted awful.

even the knight-in-training was exhausted

We left the clearing as quickly as we could, hiding in the woodland for a quick rest before heading back. We had almost reached the outskirts of this former kingdom, there was such a noise that we did not want to venture further, the Ogre was nervous too, she says the Ogres are revolting against tyranny & destroying many kingdoms in the process. I do not like the sounds of that.

Further visitations

Today we headed off to the lowlands.

the knight-in-training scouting ahead

the Olde Oak Tree

 Under the Olde Oak Tree lies the entrance to the Kingdom of the Dwarves. We will not tell you the secret password as they do not like visitors, they are a solitary race.

the Ogre's Causeway

The Lake

 We stopped off at the Lake to check on Katherine the Mermaid. She has agreed the water level is low & told us of the green algae plaguing the Lake. I have to admit the smell was a bit over powering.

 a walk down the avenue 

a little rest, time to check out the view

we enjoyed a drink at the water hole

The Ogre brought the carriage & we rested on the way back to the Palace. There we rested whilst the Ogre drew a bath for both of us. I have to admit it was very nice to remove the dust & dirt from our travels.

A very long post.

Over the last 2 days we have taken full inventory of the forest within my Queendom. The Goblin has been very surprising, she is definitely NOT princess material but has shown her true qualities at last.  It turns out she is a most excellent Knight-in-training. I should have known from when she was little, she did so much enjoy Jousting.

first attempts at jousting

I had never really thought about her becoming a Knight, a bit sexist of me really. She has provided a lot of protection & has even shown her worth at catching up with the messenger.

The messenger goes on his way

We travelled to the far reaches of the Queendom today, found the boundary lines along the edge of the forest. We came across a few trespassers, the knight-in-training ascertained which ones were acceptable & which ones were not.
There were so many parts of the forest we had not seen before, we checked every part & left our markers so everyone knew this was still part of my Queendom.

the trees are getting ready to sleep

 This was one of the parts we had not checked before. The trees are already dropping their leaves, preparing for a cold winter I suspect.

The Faeries were safe in their home

 We checked in on the Faeries' castle, everything was good for them. They all had new oak hats, which the trees had gifted them, for Mabon. They had collected loads of Chestnuts too, these they shared with us as a tithe.

one of the narrower paths

 We don't often come this way but it is a nice bright area.

we climbed to check the higher areas

 Often the higher areas are darker, the trees are more dense here.

always quicker coming down

the knight-in-training checks a landfall

she really can be good sometimes

the knight-in-training catching up

stopping for a quick check, all is clear

on our way to the clearing

 The Clearing is where I address my subjects, they can tell me all their worries & fears and I do my best to relieve them.

there used to be a large watering hole, it is now gone

all that is left, this is not good

the wide paths are good for travellers, trolls avoid the open areas

 Although we did go off the roads at times to check for hidden Trolls, the area was clear. I do not know if we have any at the moment, it seems not. Maybe if the winter is bad they will come.

a rare glimpse of a special part of the Queendom

 This place is a secret, it is a very special part of the forest & must not be revealed to anyone.

a quick look out before searching for the entrance to the magical unicorn kingdom

 The magical entrance to the Unicorn Kingdom is hidden somewhere in my Queendom, it is a parallel universe that can not be seen with the eyes alone. There are special markers left for those who mean no harm, we must find these before we may use our magic to find the doorway.

both finding the way to the magical unicorn kingdom

the knight-in-training keeps a look out whilst I check on the unicorns

 No one must find the entrance, the Unicorns must be protected at all costs.

She has proven to be very useful

 The knight-in-training was very happy to meet the Unicorns. Unfortunately I cannot reveal them to anyone, I'm sure you understand.

the knight-in-training taking the lead

this watering hole is very low this year too

 I am worried about the level of water this year. There has not been as much rain as there was last year so the level of water is very low, it's also very muddy. I hope the rains eventually come.

sleeping Dragon

 We were very careful not to wake a sleeping Dragon that we came across. Dragons often stop to rest in the centre of a forest, they do not like to be disturbed and have been know to burn a forest if woken abruptly. We left it sleeping, it will move on soon.

leaving our markers

checking the boundary

our magic often shines through our eyes

A traveller given pass to cross the Queendom

Well it took a long time to travel around the forest. The Ogre brought the carriage so that we could return to the Palace in style. The Queendom is very large & the Palace a long way from the forest.

We ate a good meal & now must sleep, it has been a long day.