* A Gothic Church and A Mysterious Black Cat *

With the coming of Fall and the cold weather it is always nice to sit indoors and enjoy a cup of tea

Now I can sit comfortably with Little Hoot and visit the participating blogs for Anna's Tea Party Under a Halloween Moon

But before I do I better announce the 3 lucky winners of last week's Halloween Blog Party at Vanessa's.




Little Hoot ,Tiger and Charlotte are anxiously awaiting to see whoooo the lucky winners will be.

We decided it was best to place the names for the draw inside our very special secret book.

Within it's chamber I keep many of my precious things such as the stone heart made of crystallized fossils

Here is Karson just about ready to pick the lucky winners

And the winners are?????

********************************************************

1st Prize of the 5x7 Original Print of

 "A Hunting We Will Go  " is:

  *** Molly Bit O' Shine   

2nd and 3rd Prizes for the two Aceo's of

 "Goin Up To The Spirit In The Sky " are:

*** Maria's Twinkles Miniatures and

*** Linda

Congratulations to all of you. Mailing them out later this week.

To everyone that participated in the giveaway , I'm having another giveaway this coming Sunday October 31st~ Halloween for a seashell bottle so do drop in and try again.

And now back to Anna's Tea Parties and Vanessa's Halloween Ball....Still haven't quite finished...


After experiencing a bit of Broom Lag I decided to ride by way of coach,seems to agree with me.

From Ghouls and Ghosts and Long - Leggety Beasties

And Things that go Bump in the Night,

Good Lord, Deliver Us! 

( Scottish Prayer )

~^..^~ And now a Little Halloween Story for you  ~^..^~

A Gothic Church and A Mysterious Black Cat 

or 

A Gothic Church and The Ghost Cat

Picture ~ Winter Gothic by Margaret Clough

It all began when my mom stopped over for a visit and being such a gorgeous Fall day we decided it would be a opportune time to take a drive out to the countryside to visit a favourite shop, all the while I being quite aware of the fact that we would be driving by the old church I liked. Upon entering the outskirts of the quaint village I could see the red and white sign from the distance and thinking without a doubt, that it would no longer be available. 

But I was wrong, for there stood the sign,solidly anchored into the ground beneath the towering silver steeple of the 128 year old limestone church…." For Sale " it read! I was   afraid to get out of the truck having the fear that I would become overly enamoured by it and unable to obtain it in the end.

The afternoon sun glowed a warmth around my face as I peered into the water glass panes of the old gothic church windows, admiring the flood of light that was basking it's walls and exquisite interior. 

I had seen the old sanctuary for sale on the net about a month before but didn't give it too much thought since the timing wasn't right for us in making a immediate move. Little did I know of it's allure I would eventually come to experience the moment I stepped through it's massive castle like doors.

There was no need getting flustered over a life long dream only to be disappointed in the end considering the requirements in making the purchase were all round obstructing in establishing me as it's next owner.

  

There I was , standing, looking from the outside in with my mom next to me, who, unlike me was right on time at the cross roads befitting the opportunity that presented itself to us on this warm October afternoon.

Of course she was in agreement with me that this was a perfect valuable real-estate acquirement only to fall short of making a firm decision on her part when she returned home to process the film she had earlier reeled in and realized that she had all along inhabited some concerning reservations in matters dealing with the  beyond.

You see, while we were quite taken by the overall beauty of the place, surrounded by tall oaks,which happen to be my favourite tree and the closely snuggled setting of the church to the winding river behind the property, there happened to be an obscure cemetery to it's side facing northwest. The graveyard didn't faze me one bit for I find them particularly intriguing as opposed to my mom who finds them intensely creepy. The way I see it, eventually we  all do end up there one day, and in my opinion the dead happen to be more harmless than the living, and of course they are mighty quite neighbours so what is there not to like? For me it was an added bonus. 

While occupied in our surveying the grounds, a soft crying meow was over heard behind the neighbouring cedars of the cemetery but when glancing over we couldn't see the cat that the cry came out from, assuming that it was a cat's cry we had heard. 

And then, as if by magic his body appeared, a little tiny black cat with a small patch of white at it's neck. Mom, quickly uttered, "don't let him cross", "don't let it him cross", numerous times but I didn't react to her requests and called out to him. 

In a soundless gentle walk he made his way to me and started brushing his dark silhouette against my legs and vocally sounding a "brrrrt" while fixating his gaze to my eyes. He was a stately fellow but somehow a solitary soul; for a moment the thought of taking him home crossed my mind.

 We continued to look over the estate while the mysterious black cat followed without interruption. I was getting accustomed to having the little fellow around and joked with my mom that he probably was a lost soul from the graveyard. 

I suppose upon reflecting back at that moment, I think I sealed her fate in the decision of her purchasing the place…besides the added  fact the realtor had mentioned "Witching" had be done on the place by an old English fellow, a word used to describe a person looking for bodies buried beneath the ground by help of a tree branch, much like looking for water, but not this time around ………hehehe! 

Anyway, after much reverence reflected onto the spectacular property I called my stepdad on my cell and revered to him what a lovely place it was and that it would be something for the two of them to seriously think upon . All the while chatting, I lost track of the kitty, I couldn't see him and I was worried where he had gone and then there he was, secretly staring at me from behind the cedar bushes against the corner to the back of the church, starring, his eyes hanging on to the sun's rays! The only thing that gave him away was his brilliant glowing eyes.

So taken by the event of the day that we left the village making a u-turn on the street in front of the property, completely forgetting about our original trek. 


There, in front to the entrance of the church, stood the cat, his back facing us,and as we slowly drove off, almost human like, the black feline turned his head to the side and looked towards us like an arrow shot straight to our hearts!

A few days later I returned to view the grounds with my husband, this time the place was for us to look at with the intention of purchasing. On the two additional occasions we were there, the cat was never again seen. 

My fear did become true for in the short time I got to know the church, I had unconditionally fallen in love with it and in the end realizing the impossibility of achieving my dream. 

I had every right to feel an aversion to the old church that first time I drove up to it's door. I was afraid of never grasping my dream.

Now I wonder, what the cat had to do with it.

In England it is considered a sign of good luck if a black cat comes toward you. It never crossed my path, but instead followed me that one and only day….why?

GIVEAWAY Oct31st  ~ HALLOWEEN


SHELL BOTTLE APP 6 INCHES IN HEIGHT  

* ~^..^~ Not sure what I've done wrong but having trouble placing this picture at the bottom of the page and just  seems to want to be placed here....Spooky! Anyway I made this bottle...hope you like it, just leave me a comment to be entered in the draw.

ENDING NOTE: A Strange Course of Events

I saw the church on the 13th of the month….my lucky number, a black cat made his way toward me and became my friend and then I fell in love with a portrait of a girl which claimed residence within the old stone church entitled " The Soul's Awakening ".

And so here is another design inspired by the excursion to the Old Gothic Church...Hope you like it.Free for personal use I retain copyright.

A Big Thank you to Anna of Frosted Petunias for hosting this Tea Under a Halloween Moon Blog Party. Please go to her site to see the list of participating blogs.

Scroll further down the page for larger format of "Halloween Night" and if you require larger than that size go to my flickr account.Personal use only...Enjoy!