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Tuesday 17 July 2012

Magic Wands


I have blogged about 'Lavender Wands' before and also included a tutorial   Here:    'Lavender Wands - The Scent of The Summer'.  My Grandmother used to make 'Lavender Wands' and donate them for church fundraising sales.  She also used to find me pretty cotton fabric and lace to make little 'Lavender Bags'.  We have always had lavender growing in the garden, but never enough of it in my opinion.  Lavender Oil is a staple in our house, we use lots of it.  It is lovely at bedtime, I like it sprinkled onto my pillow, Euan likes it rubbed on his feet at bedtime.  A few drops is also very relaxing sprinkled into the bath.  The old Lavender Bush, that broke my fall the other night is a cutting I took from my Grandmother's house.  My grandmother lived in the house for 52 years.  They bought a house in Birmingham but then there was the War.  They got bombed out and could never afford to buy a house again, they had to rent.  When my Grandmother got ill and was hospitalised we had to give up her tenancy on the house.   I applied for tenancy with my brother and my then husband and we got it.  We moved in and it felt like truly being 'home'.  A couple of times I was able to bring my Grandmother to the house and and make her favourite lunch...'Grilled Trout Stuffed with Prawns'.  She found it quite emotional and tiring to be at the house but she was delighted it was still in our family.  There were so many happy, family memories there.  When she passed in 1997 the funeral left from the house and it felt right to everyone.
             The house was owned by a church.  In 2003, after we had lived there for about eight years I was given three months notice that the house was going to be sold.  Previously I was told by the Landlords it would never be sold and I could stay as long as I wanted.  So it came as quite a shock.  Now I have learned 'Never say never'.  We went to the auction and between us raised a lot of 'readies'...we lost it at auction for £1000 more than we could afford to bid!  It was tragic!  I shed many a tear.  I made a vow there and then to move out as soon as possible as I did not want to pay the new owners a penny!  I got my wish and we moved here, to the house we are in now.  The old house was empty for a good few months.  My grandmother would say 'it is not the bricks and mortar that make a home...it is the people in it!'  She actually would probably be more specific and say it was the 'Mother's job to make the home'!  I was sad about leaving the garden but managed to bring some of the most loved plants with me.  The Lavender struggled but after two or three years it took and now thrives. . . albeit in an awkward place!  It has totally obscured our garden path . . . lucky for me though, as it broke my fall the other night giving off a burst of Lavender scent as I squished it!   My other 'rescued' flowers thrive too.  They are a couple of weeks away from full bloom.  You see there is a lot of 'Magic' woven in to these wands.  I like to make some each year. 

11 comments:

  1. Oh, what a story. I am so glad you have the Lavendar. XO

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  2. That is a lovely story. It's incredible how those we love live on through memories as well as tangible things, like your lavender! How very special ^_^ How do you go about getting oil from the plant? I'll admit I'm a bit of a dunce when it comes to plants.

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  3. Aww.. Lucy.. what a story. I love that you are carrying on your grandmother's legacy of making the wands with her very own lavender. I'm so sorry you lost the opportunity to keep living in her house. Tragic that you lost it by that much. But as you say, home is where you and your family are. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  4. Lucy, I love that you are able to keep your grandmothers memory so alive through these plants, her ethos, and these magic wands. I will check out your tutorial. I have never seen these before, but they look fantastic!

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  5. Thanks for the lovely story. Plants can be a very big part of our lives. Love the magic wands. They would make a great work night in the flower club.

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  6. That's a lovely post...I am sure that your Nan would love knowing that her knowledge of making the wands is being shared with lots of people :)

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  7. Your Grandmother would be so glad that you are keeping the memory of her alive in such a beautiful way.

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  8. What a beautiful lot of wisdom your grandmother was able to pass on to you! Glad you were able to stay in the house as long as you did - especially to use in honoring your gram at her funeral. It must have been heart crushing to leave your home. Very insightful of you to think to take some cuttings with you to your new home. What a treat to at least have some piece of your family's former home with you. The wands turned out lovely. I too love to use lavender oil before bed. Makes the nod of to sleep so much easier!

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  9. What a lovely story. I lived in my Grandma's house for many years too after she went into a home, it had a lot of memories for me of both her and my Granda. After she died my parents sold the house and we moved, it would have cost a fortune to modernise the old house as it needed a lot doing to it so wasn't worth staying. It was lovely to live there though surrounded by memories and with her friends as neighbours.
    Lori xx

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  10. Lovely story, glad the bush saved you.
    I've made wands in the past, must check if my bushes are "too far on" or if I can make a couple this year.
    Carol xx

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  11. Love ths story, too. Thanks for reminding me of the lavender wants - perhaps I get to making some during my week off work :-)
    We love to sip our good night tea right before bedtime made from fresh lavender, mint and some melisse from the garden.

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