Weft of Words

Leafing through colour

2012-01-10T13:28:00.001Z

Until I find my little camera cord, recent photos remain held hostage. Baby steps...

In the interim: a short, delightful film on bookstore happenings after the lights go out.

Wooly antics

2012-01-02T16:21:00.001Z

Happy yawwwwn... and a happy new year to all. Thus far, this year is pretty fab.

Today I've been playing with some hand-dyed wool, which gradually formed into a Children of Lir kinda thing... there's plenty more final touches & twiddling to do, but it made for a charming morning (while Miss Marple solved a mystery in the background) :-) This Season was filled with oodles of conversation, and those Lir swan-siblings were one of the many captivating subjects.

(PS: thanks to my little black cat for her patience while I was playing with the wool. She teetered over the strands, holding herself back, with the odd little whimper. Such fortitude... And thanks to Sandra & the sheep of Inis beg for the wool!)

Well, it's almost certainly nap o'clock, on the last day of my Christmas holidays. Busy busy!

Marrakech photos

2011-10-27T19:11:00.001+01:00

Post-hols, post-deluge, the normal rhythms of life are gradually reasserting themselves.

Some photos from Marrakech are online: over here on facebook. It was a wonderful experience, with much art and conversation and chilling and exploring. And chameleons :-)

Oodles of wonder-filled moments, but lying under the canopy of stars in the Sahara, talking about life matters, that was probably my highlight. Extraordinary.

Thanks to Sara for being a fab travelling companion.
And for not selling me :-)

Orlaith in Marrakech

2011-10-10T19:57:00.000+01:00

Ah, we have arrived... quick post from our hotel, post-swim and nap :-)

Marrakech keeps unfolding delight after delight: the medina with its snake charmers and healers and craftsfolk and henna artists and ten zillion salesmen. We made our way through herbs and spices and apocatheries... past ceramic shops, metalworking studios, wool dying workshops... everyone eager to talk, to sell. One man looks at us, declares 'Fish and Chips'.
No, we say, not English.
Another seller joins in, 'Australian'.
Nope. We move along, and keep walking as the avenue of sellers shout after us: 'German. French. Polish. American...'
We cave in with one man, and say that we're Irish.
'Ah,' he nods. 'Roy Keane.'

Today's super-treat was going to Yves Saint Laurent's garden, which was actually established by a painter called Majorelle in the 1920s, but YSL saved it after Majorelle's death. And treasured it, clearly.

Such colours and light and life. A place that manages to be serene and vibrantly life-affirming at the same time; a truly romantic setting.
Alrightey, out into the evening for us :-)

Cafe in the Medina

Wool dying

"It is so lovely with your eyes..." the salesman insists :-)

Off to visit Saint Laurent's garden

Garden Majorelle - designed in the 1920s

Lovin' that blue

water lillies and turtles and frogs oh my...

Blue + blonde

Blue + pomegranates

Momentum

2011-09-29T20:38:00.003+01:00

The last week has been a whirlwind, and with this weekend shaping up to be an Annual-Report-a-thon, I am grabbing the spare moment while I can!

A friend asked today how my weekend had been.

Me: "Good. Yeah, busy, but good. I learned to woodwork. Made a coffee table. Drove to West Cork to help a friend emigrate. Got shortlisted for a great Vodafone thing, and had to prep a presentation, which was kinda major. Little sleep. Anyhoo, we drove up, made it to the interview in time; he left for a teeny bit of French territory beside Canada this morning..."

Friend: "I knew you wouldn't let me down. I'm off to my office now to think about what I did this weekend. I'll let you know later."

:-)

For those who asked, my little whittled-with-love coffee table looks like this:

I *loved* the wood course - easy-paced learning in an idyllic sunshiney wood, with a young horse called Summer looking on with interest. At lunch we talked pre-Columbian artefacts and I think I actually heard my mind stretch a little :-) *And* while chatting with the other person on the course, I realised that his father happened to be up in Dublin, on my street, working on the cottage opposite mine.

Small world.

The weekend's keywords were emigration and Presentation Prep -- thanks for all who helped, with ideas and care and support and photos and deeeeelicious lemon meringue cake and a variety of coffees. So busy that I didn't even make it to the shore to look for mermaid's tears... And yet, Baltimore cannot but delight: there was a sublime birthday party to share in, and brief-but-lovely catch-up with friends, and a friend's art to explore, and some stretchy yoga to the sound of a beautiful heavy rain shower.

And then we whirled on, to Dublin and interview and Job the First and Job the Second.

I'm tired just typing that!! Time for candles and curling up :-)

Doorway

2011-09-09T08:37:00.001+01:00

My walk home from town sometimes takes me past this door. From a distance it looks like a blur of white graffiti. It takes me a second for her form to appear...

I love her pose, folding forward... a graceful presence in an ordinary side road.

What lies beneath

2011-09-06T20:34:00.001+01:00

This was top of my list for Bridge Photos: I noticed it first on Fr Mathew Bridge, but I think it repeats on a few :-)

Crossing to Job the First of a morning, with the river at an ebb, the thought of a troll hunched under stone and metal, finding its balance on seaweedey rocks - love it!

I had to look up the name of the bridge (in my mind it's called The Bridge that goes across to Church Street). Apparently it's called Father Mathew (yes, with only the one 't') Bridge - named after a superabstemious teetotaller.

I'll raise a glass to that :-)

Cross with care

2011-09-05T21:20:00.000+01:00

I love over-water-bridges, from a little stepping stone slab to the massive Mackinac bridge that disappears into mist before your eyes can make out the other side. Love the idea of them as things that join, that traverse... a place of boundaries over a constantly moving channel.

They're just fab.

Anyhoo, there are oodles of photos I have been meaning to take of Dublin's bridges. The following were not on the list - they came by surprise. Earlier today while I was walking home in light rain, I decided to cross at the Ha'penny Bridge. And noticed something different about it.

How intriguing is that...

And on the other side...

And when I went to cross into Temple Bar, it turned out that the enigmatic little messages weren't limited to the bridge at all:

I have no idea of the who or the why. I do love them though - little sparks of thoughtfulness and wonder in the most everyday of settings.

Storage Solutions

2011-08-28T18:52:00.001+01:00

Over this lovely weekend, I met up with a friend I hadn't seen since Michigan days: we exchanged about two sentences before she said "Oh my God you haven't changed *at all*. Did you watch Eerie Indiana? Foreverware..."

And there we were, straight back into our regular pattern of chat. A treat.

Ah, Foreverware: "Vacuum-seal yourself for 8 hours a day and keep the wrinkles away..." Eerie Indiana was so kooky-with-gusto.

And it had Elvis in it. Can't beat that.

Meanwhile, amongst the chatting, a little girl took some pictures with my camera. There were oodles of faces (none of whom I asked permission to use their photos, so all of those omitted for now). But humans aside, I enjoyed her more random shots of life above and below and around. Nice colours & textures :-)

I'm resisting the urge to start streaming Eerie Indiana in earnest. Back to my day's To Do Guide...

Sweet thoughts

2011-08-23T12:19:00.000+01:00

Caller: "You're the nicest person in the world. And you spell your name right."

Me: "Well, I can't really take credit for that. My parents filled out the form..."

Caller: "You're wonderful. They've done such a good job of raising you. Tell your mum and dad that when they die they'll go straight to heaven. You're the proof of the pudding."

(And quite apart from the myriad reactions to that...)

It got me thinking: if I was a pudding, what pudding would I be...

Tough call. Something chilled certainly - unless I was a delectable profiteroles served the warmed chocolate sauce... maybe a slice of zesty key lime pie or a dish of raspberry & mango sorbet; a serving lemon cheesecake perhaps...

Hungry now. Ready for something decadently treaty!

Summer Colours

2011-08-22T20:02:00.000+01:00

Loving the non-humid weather... energy boom! After the oddly autumnal couple of weeks, little pockets of flowers around the Cottage encourage belief in summer :-)

I meant to post this a few weeks back: the dramatically lovely stage curtain from Noel Coward's 'Hay Fever' in The Gate. Never have I been so happy for intermission to continue...

And this, the single chilli that my little chilli plant produced this year. That little bundle of heat spiced up some zesty lemon & coriander hummus :-)

Life soundtracks

2011-08-18T19:51:00.001+01:00

The EverFab Beatles demonstrating why music matters :-)

Been a nestley day in (as in, day of nestling, rather than a day associated with Nestlé). Little black cat is getting around on three paws, and seems 'herself' except for the limping. I'm concentrating my efforts on trying not to fuss over her.

I think I'll nip out now and get her some treaty milk. In a nonchalant kinda way...

First class

2011-08-16T19:50:00.000+01:00

One of my favourite images from Sunday's March for Marriage in Dublin. Such sassiness; such pride. Delightful.

All that glitters...

2011-08-15T21:18:00.000+01:00

Photos from the weekend's course in jewellery making, run by the fab Clare & Laura over at twojewellers.blogspot.com.

Day One was about getting used to the basics. We started out sawing and drilling copper - mine ended up being a little plaque that will hang outside someday and go a lovely verdigris. Yes, the design is made up of those random swirls I doodle all the time, teased outwards to create nice curves.

We played with some effects: if you put metal sheet through the Squodging Machine with some netting or material, the resulting textures are lovely. I did a little triptych which took on a lovely effect after going through the Squodginator with some plastic netting. (The idea is that it will be threaded with copper wire and will hang from some worn, textured little old branch).

And we tried our hands at soldering: this ring was a rectangle of copper Squodged with plain muslin cloth.

Day Two was going to be all about silver. I was trying to figure out what to do, and it happened to be a full moon... which made me think of a pair of moonstone earrings that I never wear...

Apparently, it's called Upcycling :-)

I made a ring and a pendant: cutting out silver circles and hammering them into cup shapes with little wave edges; making teeny settings for the moonstones and soldering on.

It was an easygoing learning environment with great teachers and lovely company. And sparkley results - boy, when that ring catches the light, it's a little glow-ball!

Delightful :-)

Harmony

2011-08-10T17:58:00.000+01:00

Courtesy of the Harvard science folks: order turning to seeming chaos to order to chaos... It's all a complex, beautiful dance; we just sometimes can't discern the pattern :-)

You can read the background over at:
openculture.com/2011/08/pendulum_waves_as_kinetic_art

And I had just bought ham for my cat. She deserves a treat, I thought.

2011-08-08T18:46:00.000+01:00

It takes me hours to put it together.

I come home, and there's a little downy feather on the sofa. At some point later, I notice a downy feather in the kitchen. As I unroll my yoga mat, a couple of feathers glide along the floorboards, and come to rest by a pile of feathers.

I pull back the sofa to reveal a mass of feathers. And their Owner.

Sigh...

How she wangled that bird through the cat flap is beyond me. Anyhoo, time for Disposal Duty.

Eeuwww.

The Sandmen

2011-08-04T16:55:00.000+01:00

Sand Swallow

Walking through the courtyards of Dublin Castle the other day, we came across a group of men sculpting enormous sand sculptures. As ya do.

Duthain Dealbh (which translates from Irish as 'Fleeting Sculpture') work in sand, ice and snow, and seem to come to Dublin Castle every few years to transform its environment.

Their work is a beautiful conversation between dynamic strength and super-transitoriness. You take it in, glancing overhead to see if there's ruthless rain threatening...

They had some images up of earlier shows: in 2009 they did 'The Four Elements' in Dublin Castle; this lady must have been amazing to see coming into form...

Antique Earth

Surprising, thrilling, wacky. And very treaty.

Daisies and Lavender and Chester

2011-08-03T21:00:00.001+01:00

Yaaaaawnny stretch... another delightful restorative yoga session.

Well, this week has just zipped on by.

At Chester Beatty

In a backpack somewhere is a little camera waiting to be downloaded, but for now, here's a couple of iPhone pics from a very lovely Saturday. Me at the Chester Beatty library (note to self: a Queen of Sheba fridge magnet also awaits in that backpack). And below, a lavender margarita in NoName Bar (which I consider to be named 'The Sign of the Snail'). The photographer's caption was 'Waiter, there's a picture in my Margarita!'

Those photographers don't miss a trick!

I had a gin daisy after that, but by then we were talking tech and not playing with it.

Alrightey, time to curl up :-)

Reflected glory

2011-07-29T10:23:00.000+01:00

I love the way still water can contain skies and landscapes, and sometimes - some gently stirring copper-hued grasses. Gardening, upside-down :-)

Infinity Now

2011-07-28T09:55:00.006+01:00

Detail from Hollow Brook Gardens

The world this morning is all quiet and post-rain glistening... which somehow brought to mind William Blake's Auguries of Innocence:

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

Alrightey, onwards to start the working day!

Scented pleasures

2011-07-27T13:50:00.000+01:00

Although this summer's sweet pea have been scanty flowerers, they've produced more than enough to have a permanent presence in the home.

I've loved creating little miniature arrangements: one or two blossoms in a teeny shot glass, perched on my bathroom sink, close enough to wonder at the beauty of their colouring.

And their scent is transformative!

Anyhoo, it is a glorious sunshiney day in Dublin. Heading out to walk by the seashore :-)

Weekend blooms

2011-07-24T22:19:00.000+01:00

Now that I'm reunited with my camera cord, and before the vortex of another work week draws me in, some piccies to share from two visits to June Blake's garden over the last few weeks.

Beautiful planting and setting :-)

From red to red

2011-07-19T19:43:00.002+01:00

It would appear that someone:

- manoeuvered her way through a pile of wool
- opened the (sealed) plastic bag of red wool
- removed one ball
- took said ball over to the sofa; discarded label; enjoyed some playtime
- wove the wool off the sofa, around the chair legs...
...under the fridge, around the shopping...
...then executed a neat turn in to the bathroom, where a colour-coordinated rug beckoned.

And I thought my day had been productive :-)

Appetite for destruction

2011-07-18T13:52:00.000+01:00

"After that Phorbas, the son of Metion from Syene, and the Libyan Amphimedon, who were both eager to join battle, slipped and fell in the blood with which the ground was warm and sodden all around. As they tried to rise, Perseus' sword prevented them; for he drove it through the ribs of Amphimedon, and through Phorbas' throat. Erytus, son of Actor, whose weapon was a broad-bladed axe, met a different fate. It was not with his hooked sword that Perseus struck him, but instead, he lifted in his two hands a huge drinking-cup, weighty and massive, with decorations in high relief, and brought this crashing down on his opponent. Erytus vomited up a stream of scarlet blood and..."

Alrightey then, that's Ovid off the Lunchtime Reading List.

Got kin?

2011-07-15T09:22:00.001+01:00

Curled up with little black cat, idling through poems by Hafiz this morning:

I Got Kin

Plant
So that your own heart
Will grow.

Love
So God will think,

"Ahhhh,
I got kin in that body!
I should start inviting that soul over
For coffee and
Rolls."

Sing
Because this is a food
Our starving world
Needs.

Laugh
Because that is the purest
Sound.

--Hafiz

Course, I am now contemplating how mightily tasty a freshly-baked cinnamon twirly roll would be right now...

Make no bones about it

2011-06-29T18:10:00.000+01:00

Superquick post between work and Writers' Group (both very lovely outlets for me).

I had promised photos of a little work excursion yesterday. Background: our theme for Pride this year was 'Still Waiting' (for gender recognition). We marched with the lovely (skeletal) Lydia to make the point. This was Lydia last Friday, finishing up the workweek...

Anyhoo, yesterday we took Lydia out for a stroll around Smithfield to get some publicity shots: Lydia waiting in the Motor Tax Office.

Lydia outside the Four Courts.

Lydia heading home, to fight another day.

She's slumped against my desk at the moment. I couldn't take her to the Gresham with me for Writers' Group.

Could I??

Thanks for the inspiration

2011-06-28T14:00:00.001+01:00

A few snaps from Gilbert Baker's very lovely talk last week. Baker, who worked alongside Harvey Milk back in the day, is the designer of the rainbow flag that is ubiquitous at Pride marches and has been co-opted by so many peace movements. *And* he worked with Absolut to design their Rainbow bottle.

He spoke beautifully; his talk filled with a broad perspective on activist movements & the sharing of artistic work (he had a stroke earlier this year, and he clearly wasn't sweating the small stuff anymore). He also painted the teeniest rainbow for the National Gallery, which was received by one of their curators with great humour and evident appreciation. A moving, delightful evening.

Afterwards I gave him one of our work mugs, as a teeny token of appreciation. We had a little "Thank you" "No thank *you*" "No, thank **you**" moment. Gracious and warm to the end.

Le Grand Flump

2011-06-26T11:29:00.000+01:00

A hectic week, with work and leaks and mushrooms growing in the Cottage and more work and dehumidifiers and decorating a skeleton and babysitting and a little cat going crazy from the dehumidifiers and plumbers (though she was ok with the mushrooms) and much more work.

And now the dehumidifier has no more moisture to catch. Grateful :-)

And the Dublin Pride Parade 2011 went beautifully. 25k people marching, 100k people lining the streets. Oodles of photos to download but for now, this one I found online captures the vibe :-)

Needless to say, this is a morning of flumping :-)

Ending on a high note

2011-06-20T13:06:00.001+01:00

A lovely weekend, beautifully topped off with Gomez in d'Olympia.

Loved 'em!

Savour

2011-06-18T12:56:00.000+01:00

The Botanic Gardens, where two ladies endlessly pause to appreciate the moment.

Redefining

2011-06-17T17:09:00.003+01:00

Here is the time for telling. Here is its home.
Speak and make known: More and more
the things we could experience
are lost to us, banished by our failure
to imagine them.
Old definitions, which once
set limits to our living,
break apart like dried crusts
--Rilke

Have a lovely weekend, all X

Late home?

2011-06-16T21:53:00.000+01:00

There are days where clearly, it matters.

Photo moment

2011-06-15T13:48:00.000+01:00

Walking home one evening last week, there was a sea of red in St Patrick's Park...

Wacky :-)

Family Day

2011-06-14T08:24:00.001+01:00

My big bit of volunteering this year was for Family Day - a free family festival organised by the very lovely charity One Family, and held in Dublin's Iveagh Gardens in May.

Shortly after 8am on the morning of the festival, this photo was snapped in the quiet rainy morning...

We readied the site through steady rain. And lo, when we were all set up, the sky brightened, and two thousand people came out to enjoy the afternoon.

My perspective on the day was limited but colourful (you can click to enlarge):

Thanks to all those who supported, attended and contributed to the day. At one point during the Clean Up, I thought we'd take down the Arts & Crafts marquee to reveal one large glitter-grass square in the Iveagh Gardens. But it all worked out just beautifully!

Onwards and upwards

2011-06-13T08:13:00.002+01:00

I pass this sign each day on my way to work.

I have never seen railings more covered with fingerprints :-)

Swimming with the angels

2011-04-19T07:12:00.001+01:00

Paper angel fishies amongst the greeting cards :-)

All a flutter

2011-04-18T07:30:00.001+01:00

Lovely weekend: lazy breakfasts with crosaires, theatre (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), family, yoga, books (reading, buying and gazing upon in the Chester Beatty Library), gardening, flumping and to finish up: I began learning how to fold origami butterflies :-)

Good fun.

Those who must not be named

2011-04-15T10:29:00.003+01:00

I went to a talk in Trinity last night by Kieran Hickey (he of Five Minutes to Midnight: Ireland and Climate Change fame).

Last night, he offered a preview of his new book, about wolves in Ireland: earliest records, medieval folkore, evidence for packs (from Schull to Kilmainham), Cromwellian bounties (£6 for a female head, £5 for male, 10 shillings for a cub) and their eventual dying out (everyone claimed the last wolf, but Carlow is most likely the spot of the final killing, and proud of it!).

As in so many other cultures, wolves were powerful totems (if you ate a dish of wolf's meat, it would stop you seeing ghosts) - although Ireland seems to have more than its fair share of werewolf lore. And there was also some discussion about Reintroduction (probably not the best idea, all things considered. Even if you don't believe in werewolves).

Kieran talked about the language used to represent wolves, which was picked up in the Q&A afterwards: academics chipped in early words for wolf in Old Norse and Indo-European languages. Someone suggested that the Old Irish word for wolf - way back when - might have been ulc - the same as for evil. And in a superpowerful Voldemort kinda way, a taboo grew around even uttering this word, about naming the wolf, and so we pussyfooted around it by developing euphemisms like mac tíre (son of the country) or faolchú (evil hound). Fascinating. Looking forward to reading the book.

Anyhoo, all wolf-lored up, I enjoyed an exquisite wander home. Lovely music drifting along Grafton Street (which turned out to be The Shoos), and St Patrick's park was its usual teeny self, but quite resplendent.

Off the road again

2011-04-12T21:41:00.000+01:00

Gorgeous day: catching up with Baltimore friends (just back from a Yurpean tour) from the wee hours, then lazy breakfast, sneak preview of their new album, goodbyes and off to work. Sheer loveliness.

And right now - after work and more charity work - it's time to flump the great flump. Dubh is eating leftover smoked salmon, and is looking very pleased with herself. Despite the oily whiskers.

The Petit Outdoors

2011-04-11T20:01:00.000+01:00

Evenings are longer, milder. The honeysuckle and clematis are climbing like crazy; my new teeny acer is settling in, and oodles of seeds - coriander, basil, morning glory, lavender and sunflower - are sprouting into being.

A nourishing time of year :-)

Keeping tabs

2011-04-10T19:54:00.000+01:00

While gardening-in-miniature today, I noticed that someone else was interested in progress made on the potting-up :-)

Banquet

2011-04-07T15:57:00.001+01:00

Walking home the last few days, I've been struck by how green the city's looking. Perhaps it's as a contrast to all the grey (and before that, white), but that piercing green of fresh shoots and leaves is brightening up the whole town, animating all kinds of spaces between the architecture of the capital.

Along I strolled home today, my gaze going from lush vibrant green to lush vibrant green, and then turned the corner to see a little park close to home, decked out as a banquet of blossoms. Flamboyant and vital and breathtaking.

Anyhoo, I need to put that smorgasbord of colour out of my mind! My remaining time this afternoon shall be spent painting something that might suggest a sapphire sky. Then it's off to see how Family Day planning is progressing (free to all, 15 May in Iveagh Gardens - save the date!).

And after Family Day catch-up, it's the first meeting of our new Dublin writers' group. Yippee yippee yippee!

Crossing Folk

2011-04-06T08:21:00.000+01:00

My morning walk to work takes me past a few schools. The route is peppered with Lollypop Ladies and Gents, who help all pedestrians - teeny students or not - to navigate rush hour traffic. I reckon we should have them for evenings as well :-)

On my day off, I saw a group of them late morning, heading out from Lollypop Base Camp to take up positions around the area. Six or Seven bedecked Lollypop Folk, strolling with their signs along a wide pavement.

Like an Ocean's Eleven shot in day-glo.

Catch Up: the conclusion

2011-04-04T08:04:00.006+01:00

Skipping a bunch of other miscellaneous, the other lovely thing in recent weeks was a weekend in Baltimore. Oodles of warm friendship moments - the Drama Group's latest production was stellar; everyone was in rare form; much chilling out and catching up, from Baltimore to Clon. One catch up was brief: a friend paused as they passed by - "You should come down more. This is home, now." Lovely :-)

And I got to lie down at the Beacon on a calm day, and listen to the sea and admire the flourishing of lichens and mosses.

*And* I got to try a baby guinness - which contains no guinness and is not fit for babies :-)

Great weekend :-)

Catch up: St Patrick's Day

2011-04-03T10:00:00.004+01:00

Late, yet better than never!

Over the years, I've avoided many a St P's celebration - particularly when abroad, where things can get Oirish quicker than you can say leprechaun costume. This year, a little group of us were invited (through our charity work) to the President's St Patrick's Day reception. Unexpected!

The first thing that happened was that I got the Ferrero Rocher ad stuck in my head. Most unfortunate.*

The second thing was that I put it all out of my mind entirely. And so, on the morning of St Pat's, there I was: curled up, watching Murder, She Wrote, when a friend texted:

What are you going to wear?

A worthy question, as it turned out.

I pause the sleuthing Jessica; head upstairs. I stare at my little wardrobe, reasoning that if I'm going to Áras an Uachtaráin on St Patrick's Day, I should at least wear Irish clothing.

I wonder if Dunnes Stores counts.

Sigh.

Most semi-formal stuff that I own is black: probably a smidge sombre for a daytime, celebratory thing. Even if they're not serving Ferrero Rocher.**

Which leaves one dress that is (a) Irish-designed and (b) a colour.

Now, the whole visionary ensemble of the dress was that it went with a lovely (black) shrug, which is currently away from me. I meander around (as much as one can in a teeny cottage) wondering what to wear with it...
...and glanced at what was hanging on the wall.

And lo, I didst bless the name of Sharon Rose, and her multi-functional designs :-)

A wall-hanging by morning, a wrap by afternoon - one that probably looked familiar to the President, since she had complimented Sharon Rose on one of hers back in January.

The day was fab, without a nutty chocolate in sight. Poetry and music and dance, and a couple of lovely speeches. Afterwards we milled around the Áras, taking pictures on historic sofas against a backdrop of historic art in various rooms of the historic variety. And then life went back to normal :-)

*Even if you happened to like Ferrero Rocher nut-infested chocolates.
**Which I would never never eat. Nuts. Gakkarama.

Everyday Play

2011-04-02T08:22:00.002+01:00

When I finally downloaded my photos, I had oodles of shots of this year's cherry blossoms (which I've typed twice now as 'cheery blossoms', perhaps with good cause). Trees that I pass on the walk to work, on the way to visit friends or family, on little meandering walks; blossoms blossoms everywhere.

Before the last one gives up its petals to this blustery weather, I thought I'd mark this fleeting, Pablo Neruda time of year:

"I want to do with you what Spring does with the cherry trees."

Quite sublime. From Neruda's Every Day You Play.

Catch Up: the beginning

2011-04-01T20:21:00.003+01:00

Yikes, what a hiatus!

Okay, I finally downloaded photos from my camera, and realised the woeful lack of attention I'd given my poor little blog of late. I blame having a part-time job entirely. Or the St Pat's time warp... :-)

Anyhoo, in terms of catch-up: the first bit is about thanks. To the lovely Sharon Rose for all the goodies, now hung with delight in the cottage (keep the pink hanging in mind for later photos); to the Glebe folk for the supertasty basket; to GP for so many delights, although I do think that wearing gloves to drink limoncello out of the ice glasses is cheating. (Speaking of which, thanks for the ice glass mould S&S - they work great!!)

And to Molls, for by far the most delightful post I've had in weeks. You are scrumptious.

Happy St Pat's

2011-03-17T10:13:00.001Z

Dublin is off to a bright sunshiney start.

Gorgeous lazy morning (with much ginger honey & lemon to try to warm up and soothe my scritchey throat). Coffee gurgling to completion now; curled up reading.

Have a lovely day, all X

Seedlet

2011-03-09T08:38:00.000Z

Ah, Springtime. Is there anything like the feeling of new seeds sprouting?

Some day, that shall be lavender :-)

Oscar Night

2011-03-08T09:26:00.002Z

(Getting around to this late, I know...)

Oscar Night at mine: the guests arrived in immaculate garb, having managed a media blackout for the day. Wager money filled up our little purple pot; there were divine cocktails and treaty nibbles around our miniature red carpet, some last minute side bets... and then the ceremony began.

More bets were soon suggested: worst melt-down, most cleavage - we kept ourselves amused :-)

And after the official ceremony, to decide on an ultimate winner for each category, we resorted to quiz questions. It transpired that this was kind of the same strategy as each of us walking over to my brother-in-law and handing over all our winnings. As it turned out, there could be only one :-)

Lovely evening. Thanks to all for all the participation, and for the fabulous brownies Tara! And well done on getting out of the Cottage with all the loot, Mike!

Flumpers: Party of Two

2011-03-07T09:04:00.008Z

Ah, Monart went by in a blink: by the time I'd figured out what a caldarium was, admitted that Kniepp therapy might not necessarily be a madey-uppy thing, and imbibed my ration of lemon & parsley water, it was time to open a bottle o'red and get stuck into a fine evening meal with my mom.

Heaven. And did I mention the dark relaxation room? Lovely fabrics, low music, lit only by candlelight. Heaven to the nth.

The following day we indulged in it all again (and remembered the camera before we finished and headed for our wander around the estate). The 18th century Georgian house was built by Nathanial Cookman (financier to George I and local live-in landowner) whose son married a daughter of the Jameson-Whiskey folk (Jameson was at that time local whiskey for local people). The place remained in the Cookman family until 2002, when Monartization commenced. The spa is all a swanky new production, but there's a nice mix of old and new. The extension doesn't detract from the impact of the original house, and the surrounding ancient trees really ground the setting.

Although we didn't try the plunge pool :-)

Election Day

2011-02-25T11:53:00.001Z

For centuries, the bee was the ultimate symbol of well-governed industry. Observers interpreted bee society as a judicious model for that of humans, all about order and everyone being able to contribute and mutual benefit and being stronger by working together.

Now, this was in the days before David Attenborough, and all those studies of the bee waggle-waggle dances. There are aspects of bee-life we probably wouldn't want to emulate... rigid class systems and the killing of baby princesses, for starters. And no-voting, unlike our own society :-)

Yet as an aspirational thing, a guiding star, I do like the idea of well-governed industry.

Family Day

2011-02-23T19:35:00.000Z

Gorgeous afternoon with my sister: after lunch, she surprised me with a treaty visit to the Mandala Spa. Glass or two o'champers, fabulous massage (yes, we felt kinda like the Boneless Chicken Ranch afterwards) and many giggles.

I was conscious this morning that a friend of mine was marking his mother's anniversary today. Last year we visited her grave together, lay bright flowers down as the wind whipped about us. And the thoughts helped me to stay in the moment and treasure the day even more.

Bubbley

2011-02-22T19:41:00.000Z

Some days are just so effervescent, it's impossible for anything to hold you back.

Iris

2011-02-18T20:21:00.001Z

In Springtime, planting teeny bulbs and seeds is one of my favourite things to do; you pat everything down amongst dark earth - bursting with potential energy - and wait as things grow beyond your sight. Today I was at home pretty much throughout the day, and happily witnessed two impossibly blue irises unfurl into flower.

Ah, the little iris, which takes its name from the Greek Goddess of the rainbow (and is sometimes translated as 'eye of heaven'). In floral-speak, it symbolizes eloquence. In medieval times it had associations with kingship, with its three petals representing faith, wisdom and valour, and obviously the fleur-de-lys is based on its purdy unfurling of petals.

They are such strangely beautiful things :-)

Represent eloquence, eh? Here's hoping for some productive writing time this weekend!

Shared time

2011-02-15T22:32:00.001Z

Amidst rain-showers and dreary weather, today included the concocting of various lunch plans for the week ahead with friends and family.

Ah, the delights of laydees who lunch :-)

Sanctuary

2011-02-14T20:23:00.000Z

During my lunch today, I visited The Sanctuary for the first time. It's a place devoted to stillness and presence and general all-round mindfulness. I sat out in one of their gardens, with dried grasses from winter swaying, and a little fountain playing, and gossamer cobwebs glistening, and sparrows all chirpy, super-busy with the building of homes.

Most restorative. And oodles of movement, for a place all about stillness.

I'm thinking this could become a Monday thing :-)

News from the cottage

2011-02-10T12:55:00.002Z

This winter's amaryllis blooms a little late, but its beautiful soft hues are worth the wait.

Dubh continues in her habitual bringing-in of things that she has found outside. Sometimes pretty things, like a shell or a pebble. Sometimes she's on Tidy Towns duty, carrying in plastic wrappers, which she neatly drops into my coffee mug. Grrrrr...

And sometimes, it's kinda random; her own little raggedy art.

Time to surrender

2011-02-08T12:52:00.002Z

A busy start to the week: we're moving offices, which involves bursts of packing/unpacking, bursts of 'regular' work, and bursts of extreme flumpiness which only caffeine and sugar seem to mitigate.

Currently, our lovely new sunshiney office is at the phase where it looks worse before it looks better. Baby steps :-)

Anyhoo, I'm taking a moment out to be quietly inspired by the beauty of 14th-century Persian poet/mystic/seer Hafiz:

I wish I could speak like music.
I wish I could put the swaying splendor 
of the fields into words,
So that you could hold Truth
against your body 
and dance.
I am trying the best I can 
with this crude brush,
the tongue, 
to cover you with light.
I wish I could speak like divine music.
I want to give you the sublime rhythms 
of this earth and the sky's limbs
as they joyously spin and surrender,
Surrender 
Against God's luminous breath.
Hafiz wants you to hold me 
Against your precious Body 
And dance,
Dance.

♥

New homes

2011-02-07T18:37:00.000Z

Last year, to mark this day, my family went for dinner. We chose a seafood restaurant in Howth, and I recall the meal featuring all kinds o'treaty delicacies. I saved an oyster shell from the evening: wrapped it up in a napkin, scrubbing it out when I arrived back to Baltimore.

As coincidence would have it, I just picked up and unpacked the shell yesterday - I had stashed it in my teeny gardening trolley, which was finally collected from the Garage of Storage. The oyster shell lay amongst oodles of mermaid's tears, crafted by oceans over decades, in blues and greens and pinks and endless shades in between.

And now, to find the right spot in my little cottage for such evocative gifts from the sea...

:-)

The weekend cometh

2011-02-04T09:35:00.001Z

...or if you work part-time (à la me), it may have already arrived. Heading out for a day with family. Hoping the weekend ahead is fresh, inviting, nourishing...

Photo: Carlingford, New Year's Day 2011

Have a lovely weekend, all :-)

Painting a thousand words

2011-02-03T08:12:00.000Z

Ah, photos made for a caption competition :-)

Day of Candles...

2011-02-02T08:13:00.004Z

...really, isn't every day Candle Day?

However, it is 2 February - Candlemas and Groundhog Day - again. Buds are budding, sap is quickening, light is increasing.

Photo: Carlingford, New Year's Eve

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." - Buddha

I hope the year ahead is filled with light for all :-)

Threshold of Spring

2011-02-01T08:09:00.000Z

by R M Rilke

Harshness gone. All at once caring spreads over

the naked grey of the meadows.

Tiny rivulets sing in different voices.

A softness, as if from everywhere,

is touching the earth.

Paths appear across the land and beckon.

Surprised once again, you sense

its coming in the empty tree.

And in belated, blog-catching-up kinda news:

Last weekend of winter

2011-01-31T07:33:00.000Z

A pretty wholesome weekend: lazy breakfasts, knitting, writing, yoga, reading, catch-up with family & friends, planning dinners and outings, letter-writing (a rare treat) and curled-up evenings in the cottage with my little black cat.

Pretty scrumptious :-)

And so onwards with the week!

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T19:02:00.000Z

Well, all is sorted. Or sorted enough, at least :-)
Hope the Season is safe, snuggly and simply magical.

Merry Christmas, all :-)

Pre-Christmas Miscellany

2010-12-22T22:28:00.000Z

Christmas shopping is nearly done. I probably would have got more done today, but I took refuge in Peter's Pub with a friend: chilled out conversation, toasted sandwiches and hot ports left us both feeling a smidge sedated :-)

In other news, it's Day 4 of Max's absence. Knowing that cat, he's probably been adopted at Farmleigh, and is currently being fed kitty treats whilst reclining on a chaise longue. Still though, the conditions out there are severe... I hope he's okay.

Anyhoo, here's a few piccies from the weekend, when my brother and sister-in-law had us over for a scrumptious lunch. The photos make one thing clear: if you ever want to steal the show, wear a tutu :-)

Thicker than water

2010-12-21T19:29:00.001Z

Snow snow snow... the city is transformed. Flying buttresses of cathedrals are traced out in white; wrought iron railings and slender rowan branches bear their own thickness of snow, like negative doubles laid over.

Yes, there were snowstorms to walk through, but today - before it turns to ice - the snow created a beautiful cityscape.

Yet families are kept separated, countries apart. Or kept together, but in the wrong county, figuring out how best to spend an unplanned Christmas on the spot. Plans are being made and adjusted and re-adjusted.

Thoughts of families enduring reminded me of a sculpture by the very fabulous Liam O'Neill. At the weekend I saw it dusted with snow for the first time. The white really outlined the four figures, harmoniously snuggled in together.

The sculpture is called 'Family'. Of course :-)

The darkest hour, before

2010-12-20T09:29:00.000Z

For those skywatchers and solstice folk, tomorrow marks something unusual. A lunar eclipse will coincide with the winter solstice.

Over at http://shadowandsubstance.com/ you can see how the moon will move through the eclipse, taking on shades of coppery red for a brief time.

Apparently the solstice/eclipse has only happened once in the last two thousand years, in the seventeenth century. You'd wonder how people must have seen it thousands of years ago: coming out to witness - to capture or invoke - the sun on its shortest day, and seeing the moon turn red. Whether auspicious or not, it was probably not a sign to be ignored.

A NASA article on the eclipse is o'er yonder:
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/17dec_solsticeeclipse/

The Many Faces of Eve

2010-12-17T18:39:00.000Z

Yesterday evening was a festive delight. My timing for babysitting meant that I got to decorate the Christmas tree - boxes of baubles, tinsel and hand-made decorations awaited :-)

We made a start, both of us pausing before hanging a decoration, assessing where it might best go. 'Are you strict about decorations?' the babysittee asked.

I thought of how we trimmed the tree as children. To the music of John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together, we set about it with gusto. We all pointed out empty branches, baubles were shifted because they were too much, too little, the wrong colour. And at the very end, the angel hair was put on strand by strand.

Over the years I experienced other trees, other habits. The first time someone flung clumps of angel hair at the tree I had cried 'wait!' before I knew what I was doing. These days, I reckon whatever your decorating methodology might be, the tree ends up looking pretty magical.

Which was how it looked last night :-)

Away Day

2010-12-15T20:55:00.000Z

I took today off work to babysit my nephew & nieces. They've grown in all kinds of ways since I was last with them. Little bundles of high-energy delights.

Which of course means, I am about to flump the Great Flump :-)

Birthdays: All Wrapped Up

2010-12-14T21:56:00.002Z

I was at a friend's third birthday party on Sunday - a fabulous party featuring oodles of fantastic kids, scrumptious food, very lovely adults, delightful hosts, and a glass of refreshing prosecco after my morning of meringue baking :-)

Anyhoo, my point is, the star of the day was the toilet roll.

Somewhere online, in some discussion group on party games, the game of Mummy was set out. It's a Ronseal-kinda game. We had two volunteers (in bunny ears), who assumed patient, bemused stances as we set about wrapping them up to create some Mummies.

The wrapping was only half of it. The hulk-esque breaking out was fun too, and then there was the wallowing in the debris. Which led to a game of Zombies ('must...eat...children...') and various other hi-jinks.

When it was time to sing happy birthday, a trio magically formed (cello, violin, mandolin) to lead us in. (I realised that I hadn't heard live informal music since Baltimore - it adds so much to a gathering.) Birthday songs shifted to Christmas carols, which were going strong as I took my leave.

Singing, dancing, good conversation... but that toilet roll mayhem just stole the show. Recommended for any party!

Thanks to K & K for being such sparkling, gracious & thoughtful hosts. And to the darling Birthday Boy - thank you for a wonderful afternoon :-)

Inching back to Catching up

2010-12-13T21:59:00.000Z

Well, it's been a while since regular contact. Settling into Dublin took a while, and the last few weeks have been pretty full-on, but it looks like I have a reasonably predictable schedule now, and I reckon I'm ready to be back on the air :-)

So, I'll pick up back at the RDS Craftey Fair, for all those Craftey Folk of Ireland. Which of course involves the lovely Sharon Rose, her ever-inquisitive daughter and her multitude of creations. Even without the weather, it was an exhausting timetable (10am-10pm). It was a week of Nosey Rosie, being snowed in/out, rearranging the stand, and hosting hot ports for the West Cork contingent of the Fair :-)

The weather was, needless to say, against us, but people made it through the ice and snow. Adults came to chat about wool, try on hats and shrugs (mine was almost bought off my back), ooh over wellies and ask if the fleece dresses came in adult sizes. Zillions of hats sold. And the children, fascinated by textures and colours and magnifying glasses, kept us on our toes :-) Tonnes of good feedback, for the Ladies Knitwear and for the Nosey Rosie range.

All of which left us very very tired. The hot ports helped, as did fabulous contraband coffee and savage sausage rolls. We took occasional breaks, scoping out things to buy or swap (I spent my time coveting a blue glass mobile, hung from a gorgeous curved piece of wood from a 9th century graveyard). The weekend went by in a blink, and Sunday night we packed up the stall, tidied up the remnants of felted wool, hoped against hope that we might get our cars out of the car park...

And then there was a gorgeous meal (thanks, Sharon!) and home, and rest for us both.

Just reading that back, I can feel the tiredness again! However, I'm into a new week, with a new To Do list, which is gradually shrinking.

Yep, at the moment it's all about baby steps. Nice to be back :-)

Weathering the weekend

2010-11-30T21:10:00.003Z

I made a pun!! Chuckle chuckle...

Photos begin on Friday night, when I volunteered at the Food & Wine show. I was working on a charity stall when - amid the purveryors of artisan delights - Mr Tayto himself processed through the RDS :-)

Pretty manky conditions leaving Dublin: sloooow, snowy drive. Beautiful skies though. Once arriving in (a sunshiney) West Cork, it was Catch Up Central. Long conversation with my lovely host - all warmed by firelight - then out for pizza & beers with friends. At one point during the archetypal evening I said 'I feel like I never left!' and a friend said, 'Sure you never really did'. Little sigh. Gorgeous evening.

(Hope the photo selection is okay, Bushes Folk: I went for blurry-but-atmospheric...)

Anyhoo, Sunday began with the perfect porridge, and visitors over breakfast (thanks for the treaty delivery, G&Co.!), then on for more visits and coffees and more treaty things. From wood-turning to knitwear to copperwork - the place is chock-full of talented folk working marvels in their studios!

And then, with one final coffee, it was time to say goodbye to the village. On to Clon, to spend the day with friends, one of whom was appearing in the final night of 'Hairspray'. Lovely day, brilliant night - the young cast had us in tears with their thanks. Then a late glass of wine, as we contemplated the snow that was falling fast, and sticking...

'I should be in work by early afternoon,' I had said. Maybe that was true, in Krayzee Optimistic Land...

Monday morning, with schools closed and buses cancelled, it looked like we'd be snowed in for the day. I figured I'd give it a go, and cautiously set off (thanks for excavating the car, Imy!).

Not the most pleasant of drives, but do-able.

Thanks to my fabulous hosts this weekend X

And now, life is all about the Flumping :-)

Soul Food

2010-11-24T23:42:00.000Z

A sisterly evening: my sis and I had a cinema to ourselves. It was like being in Madeira! Man, did we laugh loudly.

Ah, I do love the indulgence of popcorn for dinner. Okay just kidding - the *nachos* were for dinner; the popcorn was just a snack...

Just dropping in

2010-11-23T21:44:00.000Z

Work done, kitties snuggled, jigsaw progressed (I bought a jigsaw to show faith that someday my table would be cleared: Klimt's The Kiss - eight pieces down, about a buhzillion to go...), salsa salsa-ed (*without* punching anyone in the eye, I might add), and now I'm preparing a little pre-bedtime flump and wondering: Is there such a thing as too many wasabi peas?

Anyhoo, I may have a TeenyTinyBeer while I ponder that one...

All wrapped up

2010-11-22T07:24:00.000Z

Can't think of what to give this Christmas?

Load-bearing Walls

2010-11-18T09:56:00.000Z

The Genocide Prevention folk at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum recently travelled to Sudan to 'bear witness'; there's a major referendum coming in January 2011 which could mean, well, just about anything for the ravaged country.

Anyhoo, the trip itself and its findings are well documented over here. The Museum also organised a night-time exhibition of photos taken in Sudan. They projected the images onto the exterior walls of the museum, which had a striking effect: this centre for genocide prevention becomes demarcated by the people of Sudan.

You can see the photographs in two online galleries:
Our Walls Bear Witness: Sudan at the Crossroads, Part I

Our Walls Bear Witness: Sudan at the Crossroads, Part II

And see a snippet of the evening here:

Potent, and timely :-)

And speaking of timely...

Back to birthday wishes on the blog... a sure sign of life returning to normal! :-)

Saturday at ExchangeDublin

2010-11-16T09:45:00.000Z

Unpack, flatpack, snoozarama...

Anyhoo, here's a couple of pics from a charity event I helped with on Saturday. My sister had loaned us a beautiful painting, which added a certain numinous quality to the space.

Among the attendees was Dr Lydia Foy, who's the LGBT person of the year. She won a landmark case earlier this year when the High Court found that one of Ireland's laws was 'incompatible' with the European Convention on Human Rights. Well, technically, the High Court's finding dates from 2007, but the government finally dropped its appeal this year, and set up an inter-departmental committee on the legal recognition of transsexuals.

Lydia brought her case in 1997; it was a long, long road. (Link to the breaking news article in the Irish Times).

Anyhoo, the laydee has a great energy. And she plays a mean harmonica :-)

Back on the air - new home

2010-11-15T08:09:00.001Z

Well, the Getting Settled process has kind of stopped and started, as charity work took priority for a bit. I'm nearly there now (apart from finding a perfect sofa - my big task for this week). Kitties are gradually getting used to the place (I think a sofa will help restore their curled-up-cosy routine).

Having lived in a big suburban-type house while in teeny Baltimore, I'm now in a teeny cottage in the midst of Dublin. I was looking out at the cityscape getting a sense of the area, and noticed a big building close by.

Which, it turns out, is the place where I was born :-)

And life here is feeling very snuggley indeed.

Art of the Dead

2010-11-02T17:47:00.000Z

On this Day of the Dead, a short film of an art exhibition in the Oakland Museum of California. Interesting range of approaches, from organic and earthy to glossy plastic.

Both charity and writing work went well today. And there were conversations with friends that warmed the soul :-)

A room of one's own

2010-10-28T18:36:00.000+01:00

Viewing prospective homes has begun in earnest. As a past-time, it can be a smidge... shall we say, bleak? However, gotta figure the right place for me is out there...

In Writing News, I'm back in front of the laptop. Phew - it's been way too long. And I shall be frequenting the Irish Writers' Centre in the coming weeks. I've been given a place on Dermot Bolger's novel writing workshop (which the IWC is hosting tomorrow), *and* I'll be one of the Centre's in-house writers for the month of November (which is National Novel Writing Month - all very appropriate). Excellent news. Feeling very grateful indeed :-)

Security canvas

2010-10-26T19:07:00.000+01:00

You just don't realise the various hazards: gusty erratic wind; people walking, moving, gesturing; umbrellas held at awkward angles; treacherous wet leaves; polluting emissions from vehicles...

Walking home with my new painting was quite the stress rollercoaster.

But it's safe, and all beautiful. Happy sigh.

Well, the Bank Holiday weekend zipped by. Babysitting on Sunday, and the rest was a mix of home-hunting, dharma talks, yoga, shopping, sunshiney walks and a seasonal horror movie or two.

PS - I guest-blogged on visitlondon: one of those ambling conversations over the summer that a friend listened to with a gleam in her eye before saying 'Can you write that down for me?' :-)

Therapy

2010-10-23T15:50:00.002+01:00

I get occasional bouts of indecisiveness these days. Maybe it's because I'm in an inbetweeney phase, but I second- and third-guess choices, wondering if I should wait until I've [insert random act here: found new home/job etc.]. I noticed I was in the midst of a bout today as I stood staring at a selection of bed linen, humming and hawing.

All of the linen was white. That's the seriousness of the dithering I'm describing here. It drives me kray-zee...

Anyhoo, I walked away, and on the way home, I noticed a little gallery/craftey shop in a basement, and down I went. There were lovely glass pieces in the window that I spent some time admiring in silence, then wandered through the other two rooms. In the second room was a very beautiful painting. I went to ask the Nice Shop Lady about the artist, and she smiled, "It's the same lady who does the glass that you like..."

I looked at the painting some more; took it outside to see it in natural light. Explained to the Nice Shop Lady that I didn't have a new home yet, so I didn't know what kind of space it might go in...

And realised, I could care less. Blew most of my week's wages on the painting *and* two glass pieces (one is a present), then spent the remainder on a bunch of Thich Nhat Hanh books and a supersturdy meditation cushion.

All without a second thought :-)

Marking the day

2010-10-21T19:45:00.000+01:00

Today was the last day of the major stint of childminding. There'll be a couple of more days required, but my sister is in super form, and life is returning to normal for her family.

It was also Dress-Up Day: Minnie Mouse, Cinderella and Luke Skywalker (from Star Wars, when he's disguised as a stormtrooper to infiltrate the enemy base and rescue Leia) had a little disco before we left the house. They even found us some spare ears for me and my sister (Minnie and Bunny respectively) so we could share in the fun.

We arrived to a school teeming with witches, Darth Vaders, vampires, Spider- & Batfolk. Lovely start to the day :-)

I bring you sad tidings

2010-10-20T20:35:00.001+01:00

RIP Sniffy the Dwarf Hamster, who passed away peacefully this week of natural causes.

And by 'natural causes', let me be clear: my cats did not eat him.

(I know, because it was the first question that I asked.)

So, our household is a little smaller, but coping. Taking it day by day...

Morning travels

2010-10-19T21:03:00.001+01:00

Each walk to school is a new frontier. Many mornings, we have the path to ourselves, free to roam and zoom about and laugh too loudly. The trip fosters a conversation between our little group: whether walking, running or scootering, we come back together for bursts of talking.

Stories or dreams recounted, fairies and animals glimpsed or imagined as we journey through the dark woods...

And at the edge of the forest - sometimes - sunshine awaits.

Out in the open, nothing can stop them. Lily (age 2) calls out a warning if she feels the distance between us is too great.

Once inside the school gates, their attention is swallowed up by a zillion distractions: friends and teachers and the school day ahead. And the distance becomes too great to overcome.

But the short, shared journey there is precious :-)

Don't believe your eyes

2010-10-18T19:34:00.000+01:00

There was a Book Fair at school today. Jack & Molly's classes were both milling around the Hall, and among the adults were my sister and myself. I was on a teeny bench, reading to Moll + Onlookers, and Tara was catching up with some of the other parents.

One of Jack's friends ran up to our little reading group and stopped dead, staring at me.
"There's two of you!"
He looked behind him - to my sister - then turned back to me.
"Which one is the real Tara?"

News Roundup

2010-10-17T19:04:00.001+01:00

Before I launch into next week, a few pics from recent days, featuring:

A boy and his new schoolbag. His new, beloved schoolbag.

A young laydee testdriving trains and costumes.

The mood at the very lovely Farmleigh House (in the Phoenix Park) on Friday night. I was given tickets for an evening with RTE's Drivetime Diarists (Joseph O'Connor, Olivia O'Leary and Fergus Finlay): nourishment for the soul, filled with laughter and a few blinking tears.

For the latter part of the week, I overhauled an office for a friend (while its regular occupants were away). A complete revamp (vs tidying) is always fun, though there's always the anxiety that someone will return and say "Great job! But you didn't throw away my lucky rubber band, did you? It was red, and broken..."

Anyhoo, the office is not finished, but it's getting there. Baby steps... as in so many other aspects of life at the moment :-)

Ah-choo!

2010-10-13T20:11:00.000+01:00

Snuffles have intensified. Have increased prescribed dose of red wine to compensate accordingly. That's all the news for now :-)

Bouncing Queen

2010-10-12T20:24:00.000+01:00

There's something about a trampoline that's guaranteed to bring out unfettered exuberance in one :-)

Floral Passage

2010-10-11T21:02:00.001+01:00

A moment from last Friday, when the Ha'penny Bridge was bedecked as part of a charity drive. Always a bridge with character, but the roses gave it a fairytale quality - fleeting and quirky :-)

Life, if I had time to file it, would be found under Very Busy Indeed. The weekend was a lovely mix of being out with friends & family (and bumping into friends and family), and getting to spend some time with nothing in particular to do (once I'd done the Particular Things, that is).

In Kitty News, they've taken to entering/leaving via my bedroom window. If you've seen Salem's Lot, the original Buffy movie, or any Hammer Horror, you'll understand that hearing a scritchy noise from the darkness has certain connotations...

:-)

Miscellany

2010-10-06T21:37:00.000+01:00

Couple of photos from the walled garden at the Phoenix Park on Sunday - it's a lovely place to stroll around and enjoy an autumnal sunshiney day.

The week is zipping by amidst children and play-dates and sleep [*after* babysitting is finished :-)]. I got an entire short story read last night, which felt like a major accomplishment.

In other news, introducing Kitty Sheen: this no-streak product effortlessly buffs leather and cats to a glossy finish :-)

Weekend Round-Up

2010-10-04T22:13:00.000+01:00

Okay, the Bedtime Countdown Timer is a'running, so this'll be quick (and without photos) :-)

Weekend was a lovely mix of chilled-ness and super-social. I got to catch up with friends yesterday and:
(1) see their new house
(2) experience lovely day out in Phoenix Park (where a child is *the* must-have accessory. Actually - ideally it would be partner plus child. I was kind of a Tagger-Along in that environment...)
(3) enjoy a gorgeous meal & general catch-up
(4) visit my house plants. My (bunny-ears) "home" is a smidge spread out at the moment, and getting to see my orchids alive and well (one of which was a treasured present that Me-In-Madeira posted to Me-In-Ireland) was surreal and most lovely.

Meanwhile, The Home Search continues, having been tweaked by good advice. And the Kitties now feature on the Mostly Well Behaved gauge. About time...

Okay must sleep :-)

The Slug with Two Brains

2010-09-30T21:16:00.000+01:00

First off: I am behind this week on, well, just about every form of communication. However, with my DAY OFF tomorrow and the weekend tantalisingly close, order shall be restored in due course.

In the meanwhile, let's talk slugs.

Once upon a time, there was a Two-Headed Slug Monster, who had nothing in particular to do on a particular day. And there was also a Sleeping Princess.

Did I mention that the Slug Monster had poison? Well, it did.

It all worked out okay in the end, but that was mostly down to kissing some form of royalty or other. Just a regular afternoon in these here parts...

Checking in

2010-09-29T20:53:00.000+01:00

Another evening, another FlumpFest...

Family is thriving; days are packed with soaring imaginations and energies. And I get to see the dawn each morning, which is a treasured time.

Uncharacteristically early nights are a welcome treat!

Learning to fit in

2010-09-27T21:40:00.000+01:00

Lovely weekend: music, art, conversation and fine cocktails on Culture Night, followed by a reasonably lazy couple of days.

The kitties are settling in: there's a lovely stone sunspot-seat in the garden (aka Pear Land), which Max takes full advantage of in the afternoons.

And they're both enjoying the evocation of tetris afforded by the building work going on nearby :-)

Trying not to clock-watch, yet thinking there's time for a bit of reading *and* eight hours of sleep if I'm quick about it...

Almost Snuffed It

2010-09-24T15:26:00.002+01:00

Well, this week shall be filed under 'Things that Zip on by'...

Operations are over (most successfully - yippee yippee); I've caught up with nearly all my family, and my bags are properly unpacked (i.e. the coffee machine and my Wonder Woman mug). The kitties are being Very Naughty Indeed in their adjustment period. All I'll say is:
(a) I think I can patch up those lovely sheer curtains
(b) Sniffy the adorable dwarf hamster lives. We should focus on the positive...

Sigh.

Dublin City is recovering from last night's Guinness-a-thon, and Culture Night is about to kick off - a veritable smorgasbord of delightful treaty things.

Have a lovely weekend, folks X

Colouring Life

2010-09-22T21:36:00.000+01:00

Okay, yesterday disappeared without broadband + energy co-existing in the same time-space continuum.

I'm learning the ropes of Life as it Currently Stands for my nephew & nieces: school pick-ups and schedules and preferences of films and food and toys. Although Malahide has grown exponentially over the years, there are zillions of familiar school/work folk who have stayed/returned here to raise their own families; catch-up conversation tends to be peppered with "No, no, these aren't my children..."

Today was manky rainy day here: after walking the twins to school (and spotting a squirrel en route), Lily & I spent the morning in the local library (all hail Carnegie and his legacy). Then there was lego a-go-go: turns out Indiana Jones & Star Wars are the new black, so I was well within my comfort zone. Touch-and-go moment when Princess Leia got kidnapped and held in Colouring Land, but it all worked out okay.

Then back through flooded roads and more manky weather to reasonably well-behaved kitties, dinner and flumpydom :-)

Living with Sleepies

2010-09-20T19:16:00.002+01:00

Yawwwwwwwn... peaceful and quiet first day in Dublin. Halcyon moment when I sat out in the lovely sunshiney garden, surrounded by pear trees laden with fruit, watching the kitties eagerly exploring their new world.

There were a few bouts of the Sleepies, and it shall certainly be an early night. But apart from unloading/unpacking/napping, I got to catch up with family & friends, which was restorative in itself. Hopefully a good sleep will have me ready for Kidlet Duty bright and early :-)