TipsFromtheGarden-MoneySavingIdeasForFeeders&Containers

TipsFromtheGarden~
MoneySavingIdeasForFeeders&Containers~

Old Fashion baby Carriage 

Good Morning my dear Friends & Followers and Welcome

to Saturday's TipsFromtheGarden!

I hope that you all have Enjoyed my post every Saturday

on Gardening Tips that I started a couple of months ago?

 At least I know I have had fun bringing you these wonderful and

fun tip for the Garden and lots of these I have used myself!

Well my dears for today I thought I would try to think of some

fun ideas that would be great for the coming spring & that would be Money

Saving idea's for all of you All! Around the world!!!

We all could use money saving idea's for our gardens,

backyards and patio's where ever we live and which ever country 

we happen to live in too! 

So I have a list of ideas that I hope will help ALL OF YOU!

TIPS FROM THE BACKYARD

1-Did you know by planting more flowering trees it will enabled the 

Anna hummingbird to expand their breeding range around your area.

2-Place fruit slices in a suet basket [you can get these at any local bird selling

area products at your stores],the woodpeckers will truly love this special snack

and the basket works great!

3-When using eggs whites, don't throw out the yolks.

Scramble them, cool and put them in your bird feeders for the birds.

It will give them the extra calcium that they need and they will love it.

4-Pecans are another favorite of the birds too. What you need to do, 

is wait until they have lost their fresh taste.

Then put out a handful in a mesh bag and hang them from either a tree limb or

from your patio hook. It won't take long for the birds to find the treat.

5-The Suet cage or basket are perfect for the birds for either food that you

can buy at the local stores, but your own foods in there too, or nesting 

materials in them to help with breeding time. 

6-Another great tip is the Old wheelbarrow. Usually an old and rustic one is the 

best of all! Once you find it, fill it with good potting soil and whatever type of

plants or flowers you would like inside the wheelbarrow. 

The best I would do, is either great colors of ivy because it grows so well

and will grow over the sides and look grand. The other would be very colorful 

flowers that are winter save with lots of color. 

After this find a great focal point in your yard, backyard or

close near your patio so it will look grand in your yard.

7-Containers is the next tip my friends, So how about some different 

and interesting planters for the on coming Spring.

You can use old leather shoes, old leather boots, wagons, wheelbarrow's,

work boots, old lunch box's, old cars, or any thing you could 

find for and interesting planter. Just don't forget to make drainage holes

in your new interesting containers.

8-An Simple Dish Bird Feeder, here's another simple money saving

idea for an bird feeder. Its a very simple and you can also hit the bargain 

stores for great glass plates that can be used for a Bird Feeder. 

All you do is make sure that you can add twine to the glass plate.

It should be at least 4 sides so it doesn't tip over in the weather conditions

or so the birds will be save too. Also add the twine to the tree or bush

that you have decided to hang it too.

9-An turkey baster is another great tool too!

This is great to water plants, it prevents you from overwatering

or flattening your tender new young plants and seedy for the spring.

10-Lastly I found a way to make a feeder with copper tubing,

and use fruit. All birds and the hummingbirds will love you for this one!

To make this buy a 48 inch copper tube wine shape of copper tubing for any

hardware store. Then shape the copper tubing from a small circle and continue

making three circles wider as you go down top to bottom.

At the bottom of the feeder make the circle large enough just for 

an half an orange.

Then continue to bend the copper tubing at the very top

into a design that makes it easy to hang. 

This is where you can use your own creativity. 

 Well I hope that you will find so good idea's for you

own gardens my dear Friends & Followers. I will also 

add a couple of images that I found of interesting containers

that I hope that will inspirit you all too.

YOUR WENDY

Greek Orthodx Monastorey's in Greece

Greek Orthodox Monastorey's in Greece~

Good afternoon my dear friends & followers for today's post I thought I would bring you all into the world of Sarced 
Monastery's. I hope that you will find this as interesting as myself. The one that I am going to go over today is the Holy
Monastery of Great Meteoron. This happens to be the largest of the monasteries which is located at Meteora. 
The Monastery was erected in the mid-14th century and was
the subject of restoration and embellishment projects in the years 1483-1552. The building serves as the main museum for tourists. Now the Katholikon-main church, consecrated in honour of the Transfiguration of Jesus was erected in the middle of the 14th century & 1387-88 and then was decorated in the year 1483 -1552.
The Holy Monastery of Variaam, this is the second largest Monastery in the Meteora complex. The Monastery of Variaam was built in the year 1541 and embellished in the year 1548. 
An Church, was dedicated to the All Saints, is in the Athonite
with an spacious exonarthex is surrounded by a beautiful dome. This Church was built in the year 1541-42 and then was decorated in the year 1548, while the exonarthex was decorated in 1566. The old refectory is used as a museum while the north of the church is the parekklesion of the Three Bishops, that were built in 1627 and then decorated in 1637.
The Holy Monastery of Rousanou-St.Barbar was founded
in the middle of the 16th century and decorated in the 1560.

Monastery of the Holy Trinity

The Holy Monastery
of Stephen in the 16th century

The Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas 

The Monastery of Rousanou
StBarbar

The Holy Monastery of St.Nicholas of Anapusas, which was build in the 16th century. It has a small church that is decorated by the noted Cretan painter 

Theophanis Strelitzas in 1527.

The Holy Monastery of Stephen has a small church that was built in the 16th century and was decorated in 1545. This monastery rests on a plain rather than on the cliffs in Greece. It was sheltered during the Nazis during the World War ll who believed it was harboring insurgents and was abandoned. Nuns took it over and reconstructed to this day.

The Monastery of the Holy Trinity is on top of the cliffs. It was built in the 1475 and then remodeled in 1684-1741. 

In the 9th century, an ascetic group of hermit monks had moved to the ancient pinnacles.They were the first people to inhabit Meteora. They lived in hollows and fissures in the rock towers, some of which reach as high as 1800ft [550m] above the plain. This great height, combined with the sheerness of the cliff walls, kept away all people, however there were the most determined visitor. Which the initially is what lead the hermits to a life of solitude and only meeting on Sunday worship or special days of worship and prayer in a chapel built at the foot of a rock known as the Dhoupiani.  It seems as early as the 11th century AD hermits monks were believed to be living among these caves and cutouts in the rocks below the monasteries for century's. As for the exact dates of the establishment of the monasteries above well that is unknown other than the dates that I have given you folks. However, by the late 11th and early 12th centuries, an rudimentary monastic state had formed called the Skete of Stagoi and was centered around the still-standing church of Theotokos - [Mother of God]. By the end of the 12th century an ascetic community had flocked to Meteora. 

Then in 1344, Athanasios Koinovitis from Mount Athos brought a group of followers to Meteora. These followers from the years 1356 to 1372 is when the found the great Meteoron Monastery on Broad Rock, which were perfect for the monks at the time; they were safe from any political upheaval and had complete control of the entry of the monastery. They only way of reaching the monastery was by climbing a very long ladder, which was drawn up whenever the monks felt threatened. 

Monastery of the Stephen 

At the end of the 14th century, the Byzantine Empire and 800-year reign over northern Greece was being increasingly threatened by Turkish raiders who wanted all control over the fertile plains of Thessaly. Well during these turmoil times in ancient Greece, when the hermit monks were seeing a retreat from the expanding of the Turks occupation in their country, they found the inaccessible rock pillars of the Meteora to be an ideal refuge for them. So more than 2o monasteries were built, beginning in the 14th century to help the people and monks of the time during the threaten of the Turkish raiders into their country. Six of these 20 monasteries still remain today. 

Well were in the 1517, when Nectarios and Theophanes  built the monastery of Variaam, which was reputed to house the finger of St John and the shoulder blade of St Andrew. 

In the ancient times all access to any of the monasteries were originally and deliberately very difficult to impossible to get too! Also requiring either very long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This all required quite a leap of faith during those times. Now the ropes were replaced, so the story goes only '' when the lord let them break'.  In the words of the pilgrims in ancient times ' the net was hoisted up vertically alongside the 1,224 ft cliff [373metres] where the Varlaam Monastery dominates the valley and symbolizes the fragility of a traditional way of life that is threatened with extinction. 

Greek Monks

So were in the 1920's there was an great improvement in the arrangements on the monasteries. At least some would say that. Steps were cut into the rock, making the complex accessible via a bridge from the nearby plateau. Now many would have lots to say about this and I am sure my dear friends and followers you might too. its a hard call to say to do something like that ..

 Sadly during the World War ll the site was bombed and many of the art treasures were stolen. 

Now were in the 17th century, well this primary means a convey of goods and people from these eyries was by the means of baskets and ropes during this times. 

Well were now in 2015 and there are only Six of the Grand 

Monasteries that remain today.

Of these Six, Four are inhabited by men, and two by women. 
Each of the monastery has fewer than 10 people.
All the Monasteries that remain open today are
Now tourist Attractions.  
So I hope you all found this to be interesting 
I did myself, I also found it to be very sad too that these 
Amazing and Beautiful Monasteries are not saved, not even one! for
the monks and nuns of Greece. 
Well anyways I hope that you liked my dears 
Friends & Followers, I love you all very much
YOUR WENDY 

Melusina

Melusina~

Melusina 

Good afternoon my dear friends and followers and I wish you all a wonderful day. For today's post I bring you Melusina an famous nymph that married the heir of the Lusignan family in France and gave birth to eight children with animal marking on their bodies. She was originally from France, Germany and Switzerland too.  Her race besides being from a famous water nymph, she is also an Dragoness/Serpentine too. The Melusina was also said to be a mythological creature found in the ancient Celtic and Medieval folklore too. She was part woman and serpent; her top half being that of a very beautiful woman since she was married to the Lusignan family in France and gave birth to eight children.
The myth of this beautiful creature is very old. And I just happened to come upon it. Melusina is derived from the Celtic waters of faeries and nymphs who were thought to be changelings. Even though some thought they came from France, Germany and Switzerland too. As all mermaids and sirens could use their voice with a most beautiful song that only men could here the luring tunes, that would be very deceiving to any unsuspecting man that happened to be anywhere near the sea's edge. This Magick song can lure all men into their world of underwater castles and caverns. Sometimes it can be a lifetime of a slave to being a husband but others it can be a tasty meal.  Well it seems that this Goddess was quite popular in the ancient Middle Ages both in the Celtic times of Ireland and in Northern France and England too. This Beauty was mostly popular in the Medieval times of Elynas , the King of Albania and the beautiful Fae, Pressina.

Melusina

One day while the King Elynas was hunting, he came across a river where he stopped to get a drink. The man, a woman singing and this is when he found the Fae Pressina,(the Melusina) He then persuaded her to marry him and she agreed on one condition, that he never enter her Private chamber when she gave birth to their children, bathe, or when she gave the children at bathe. She told him if he did! there would be terrible if not horrible and possible fatal consequences if he did not follow her her agreement. During their marriage she gave birth to triplets, all girls named Melusina, Melior and Plantina. Well the King Elynas upon hearing the news that he just became a new father, and his newly bride had just gave birth to three daughters, forgot about the agreement and condition they had made about the private bathe chamber when she gave birth not to come in until she said it was OK to come in to see her and the new born babies. The King was so exited upon hearing the great news, he just burst into the private bathe chamber to see his new baby girls while Pressina was bathing the after birth off them.
Well you can only image what happened next... She cried and screamed out that he had broke his promise and that was the last time he saw his baby girls. Because that very day she took the three babies girls and fled to Avalon.

As the three girls grew into teenagers , the oldest Melusina asked her mother why they had been living in Avalon, so faraway from their father. So their mother Pressina finally decided it was time to tell them the truth, why they had move away from their father, and told them the story of what their father had did. Well this enraged Melusina. So she got her sisters involved and decided to capture their father King Elynas and lock him in a mountain. 
Well this of course backfired. And because of a curse placed upon her mother, Melusine is born to become half woman, half serpent on every Saturday. This is because her mother became so angry for what they did to their father the King. And since Melusine was the oldest and was the one who planned the whole thing. she was condemned to be the form of a serpent  from the waist don on every Saturday, until she should meet a man who would marry her under the condition of never seeing her on a Saturday and he should keep his promise too.

Melusina

So the rest of the week, she could live as a normal human, however during the rest of the week she had to conceal herself from any sights when taking her bath on Saturdays. When she left the Castle of Lusignan, Why? because she was as much as a dragon as any! with her four heavily clawed legs, bat-like wings, doted serpent tail and a monstrous head.  
So on those days that she wasn't a monster dragon, she went out on her search for this man that would marry her, in hopes that her faith would work out better than her mum. 
Then one day she came across a man in the woods while sitting by a lake named Raymond of Poitou. Well again Raymond became enchanted by the beauty of Melusina and ask for her hand in marriage. And Melusina was so happy and said yes on the same condition, that her mother had did, but this was only for Saturdays. Again he promised to! never to go into her bathing chamber on Saturdays. And of course soon after their marriage they had many children just like her mother.  But in time even Raymond had to have a peek, and when he does its a bit worst for him then the king. Because he sees the whole transformation from a beautiful woman into a hideous creature with a huge fish serpentine 
tail. After that Raymond never sees her again, as she flies from the bath and came back to Lusignan with her children. She retired to the lost island and she was very lucky to have found it Why? well they say that it is only by chance that you are able to repeat the next visit.
However, maybe it was faith for Melusina, my own opinion. Once she did find the lost island she reared her children that she had brought with her, taking them every morning to a high mountain, and telling them that, if it wasn't for their father's breach of a promise, they might have lived happily in the distant land which they were before. 
She told them when she and her sisters were fifteen years of age, she asked her mother particularly of what their father had been guilty of? After she found out what her father had done, she told her children how she conceived and designed revenged on her father. After that Melusina, engaged her sisters to join in on her plans, and they set out for Albania. When they arrived there, they took the king their own father and all his wealth by a charm spell, enclosed him in a high mountain called the Brandelois. She told her children that she had several more sever judgements than her two sisters did. 
Now of what happened to the sisters of Melusina; Melior was said to keep a hawk in a remote castle in Armenia until the day of Judgment. and her other sister Palatina  is enclosed in the Canigou mountain with her fathers treasure until a knight, strong and bold to kill the monstrous guardians come to reconquer 'the land of promission'. Melusina now went roaming throughout the world in search of the man who was to deliver her.
So Melusina passed through the Black Forest and that of Ardennes, and at last she arrived in the forest of Colombiers, in Poitou where all the Fae's of the neighborhood came before her, telling her they had been waiting for her to reign in that place in her return. 
Raymond having accidentally killed the count, his uncle by the glancing aside of his boar-spear was wandering by in the forest of Colombiers too. When he arrived at a fountain that was at a high rock as the people in those times would call it 'The Fountain of Thirst/ The Fountain of the Fays' because of the many magick things which had 
happened at the fountain. Well it seems that Raymond and the Melusina meet again, for at one time she and her sisters were diverting themselves there by the light of the moon in the beautiful fountain, mainly the older sister Melusina.

Just like before her beauty and her amiable manners quickly won his love. She soothed him, concealed the deed he had done and married him once again, with him promising on his oath never to desire to see her on a Saturday bathe. Melusina also assured him that a breach of his oath would forever deprive him of her whom he so much loved and he followed by the unhappiness of both for life.
So again out of Melusina great wealth she built for him, in the neighborhood of the Fountain of Thirst, where he first saw her the castle of Lusignan. Melusina, also built La Rochelle, Cloitre Malliers, Mersent and many many other places too! However, even with all the wonder of the new love and beginnings with her Raymond; plus his oath to her once again, it would seem that her destiny would be always be alone. The marriage was again made unhappy by the deformity of the children born of one that was enchanted. But this time Raymond's love for the beauty of his wife that ravished both his heart and eyes remained unshaken. It was sad that their newly marriage would be damaged by Raymond's cousin, who had excited him to jealousy. And was able to get him to revel the secret fountain chamber, by malicious suggestions of the purport of Saturday retirement of the Countess his beautiful wife.

The Beautiful and Grace of the
Melusina. So beautiful yet forever
will be alone in life.

So the very next day Raymond hid himself; and saw how lovely the form of his wife/Melusina was. For the first time he say her as a beauty form of a lady ended below in a snake of great grace of gray, sky-blue and whites. However, it was not the horror that seized him at the sight of the beauty that he saw, it was the infinite anguish at the reflection in the water that his breach of faith he might lose his lovely wife forever truly now that he has just gain her trust.
Yet, if it this misfortune had not speedily come on him, were it not for his son, Geoffroi with the tooth - [A boar's tusk projected from his mouth], had burned his brother Freimund, who would stay in the abbey of Malliers with the abbot and a hundred monks. 
However, you would think that after that lovely comment that Raymond would never say a mean thing again to his beloved Melusina, well guest again. Some men what ever decade can be very cruel . Why? Well it seems that at which the affliction of what happened between father and son is what brought this out rage toward his beloved wife Melusina. So when Count Raymond was in their bedroom, and his wife was entering his closet to comfort him, he broke out into these hurtful words against her. ' Out of my sight, thou pernicious snake and odious serpent! thou contaminator of my race!' 
The Melusina former anxiety was now verified, and the evil that had lain so long in ambush had now fearfully sprung on Raymond and her. 
She know now that she would forever be alone. She would never or could never be with a man or husband ever! That she could never trust again. She kinda just fainted away and when at length she revived, full of the profoundest grief, she declared Raymond that she must now depart from him and in obedience to a decree of destiny, fleet about the earth in pain and suffering as a specter until the day of doom and that only when one of her race was to die at Lusignan would she become visible. Her words at parting to Raymond were these', But one thing will I say unto thee before I part, that thou, and those who for more than a hundred years shall succeed thee, shall know that whenever I am seen to hover over the fair castle of Lusignan Immediately, with wailing and loud lamentation, she left the castle of Lusignan, and has ever since existed as a specter of the night.' A few months later Raymond died as a hermit on Monserrat. After Melusina left the Lusignan prosperity  ended and they were the once richest families of their time and second-rank to nobles men and women. 

Geoffroi Melusina son who could have broke the malediction died before going to Canigou and deliver Paletina. Well I hope that you all enjoyed the tale of Melusina I found

it to be a interesting tale myself. I love you all very much 

YOUR WENDY