13 Monday Mar 2017
Tags
With spring slowly scaring away the winds of winter it feels like the whole world is cheering up. So to cheer up my own home I decided to buy some happy daffodils to sit on my table. Now, when the sun shines in through the window, it’s as if a cloud of sun has moved in and I can’t help but smile.
a cloud of sun on my table
11 Tuesday Oct 2016
Posted in home
Tags
autumn, autumnal, flowers, gardening, heather, home, photography, photos, planting, window sills
There is no denying it, the summer has left and autumn is in full swing, leaves are falling and the flowers on my window sill have been looking more than a little bit miserable of late.
So on Sunday afternoon I decided to spend the afternoon in the autumn sun and do a few spadefuls of gardening and add a bit of autumnal flair. I re-potted, cut back, planted and dug up and a few purple heathers later and my window sills looked so much better, spruced up with spruces.
I dosed everything in water and this morning I gave the new plants another cold sip of H20, the perfect excuse to spend a few minutes out doors when the world is just waking up.
Now, when I look out the window I feel so much better and think I’ll add a few winter pansies in the coming days to liven up my window sills even more. If the weather stays as mild and the sun comes out this afternoon I may even enjoy a cup of tea on my bench surrounded by purple.
a little bit of purple to brighten up the grey days
17 Sunday Jul 2016
Posted in photography
Tags
closeup, Details, flowers, photography, photos, plants, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Details
The details of my life are currently quite boring – after all I am spending my days in front of my keypad or, when I can’t write anymore, behind a book. And while I am currently trying to get the details of my novel right, and hope it is turning out better than I think it is, that too isn’t really something I can show.
But yesterday morning I noticed a few seed capsules that I think are beautiful in their own way. The tiny husks carefully designed, the smallest detail perfectly formed, and to think that they are what is left behind, not the main attraction.
left behind after the pale blue flower fades away
waiting to seed
carefully crafted by nature
14 Tuesday Jun 2016
Posted in Dublin
Tags
community garden, Dublin, dublin summer, flowers, mud island, photography, photos, rain, weather
Dublin is back to it’s old tricks – grey clouds and rainy outburst have been dominating the last few days. As I sit at my desk and watch the big droplets cascade down from above I can’t help but wonder where the sun has gone off to.
And while of course I know I shouldn’t complain after 11 days of no rain and warm sunny weather – is more than we’ve seen in a long while – but I do miss my afternoons on my blue bench.
In a few days time the community garden (Mud Island) I am part of will have it’s open day and we are all hoping for a sunny day – or at the very least one that isn’t wet. But right now it isn’t looking too good and there is still a lot of work to do before we can show the garden off to its full glory.
And while I am still not sure I’ll be able to lend a helping hand today I will be wandering down on Thursday night to dig in, literally. Right now I will tackle my to-do list – but at least I don’t need to water my plants!
in full bloom
long lasting pansies
cheerful pink
blue friends
10 Friday Jun 2016
Posted in photography, quotes
Tags
flowers, photography, photos, Pure, quote, Stéphane Mallarmé, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Pure
Lone and erect, beneath light’s primal flood – a lily! And pure as any one of you
French poet and critic Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-98)
08 Wednesday Jun 2016
Posted in Ireland
Tags
Ardgillan Castle, flowers, Ireland, photography, photos, summer, summer meadow, walk
My mother came for a visit and since we are having such glorious weather I took her for a walk around the grounds of Ardgillan Castle.
Ardgillan Castle – wild flower meadow
wild flower meadow
still green
poppies
faded
where sea and sky meet
out of season
16 Monday May 2016
Tags
cement, clay, community garden, crafting, flowers, photography, photos, plants, sculpture, workshop
This weekend I spent my time getting my hands dirty in Mudisland Community garden. But I wasn’t digging up dirt or planting spring greens, I was mixing cement and forming clay at a sculpture workshop.
It was all about getting to know the material – as our wonderful teacher Vivian told us- and I have to admit I think cement and I have stayed somewhat strangers. Unlike clay you can’t mold it, you cant make it hold it’s own weight, unless you create a mesh backing or a mold.
After the first day of spending time elbow deep in cement in the sunshine I went home somewhat disappointed in what I had created – nothing of that would last or I really liked. But yesterday I think I may have made a tile I’ll be able to use and work further with, and I think the hanging balls I made do have potential.
But somehow it wasn’t really about the outcome, it was about the work itself. Instead of sitting at my desk for hours and wearing the keys on my keyboard thin, being out in the sunshine, using my hands, was what this weekend was all about.
The only downside to the beautiful sunny weekend was that got a little bit sun burnt, not much, a patch on my leg and two bits on my arms, and of course my nose. But since bad weather seems to be on its way I will just enjoy the sun as much as I can while it lasts.
bowls
chicken wire
some mini clay men
hanging cement ghosts
in full bloom
pods
29 Tuesday Mar 2016
Posted in home
Tags
flowers, home, home made, memories, photo, photography, tablecloth
Easter is over and with it all of my decorations have disappeared. Last night, after a friendly drop in and chat, I decided it was time for a change and took down everything Easter, stored them away in a box for next year.
Since my friend had presented me with a bunch of springtime flowers and my mother had made me a gift of a home-sewn table runner I knew exactly what I wanted on my kitchen table. I put the flowers into an old stoneware jug – red with white hearts – that use to stand on a shelf in my mothers red and white kitchen – childhood memories embedded in its sturdy shell.
So this morning, as the sun bathed my home with warm spring light, the tablecloth and flowers made me smile. There was something just so cheerful at how the tulips bobbed their heads at me and how neat the runner sat on my table.
A new day – a new tablecloth … what could go wrong?
so cheerful – the red jug use to live in my mothers kitchen so I found it fitting it should stand on her tablecloth
24 Thursday Mar 2016
Easter always seems to come at the wrong time and this year is no different. While on the one hand I am so looking forwrad to spending a few days off and catching up with my writing, on the other hand Easter always means we only have a few weeks of the semester left.
To me this means piles and piles of corrections and motivating students to get their work done, which can be very tricky as attendance tends to drop when the temperatures begin to rise. And this year it also means I have to hand in my own work for my Masters.
So, while the world around me paints eggs and searches of Easter nests hidden in the garden I rarely even get around to putting up many decorations. But this year I am determined to celebrate Easter with a few chocolate eggs and seasonal flair. I have unearthed the purple Easter tablecloth my Aunt made several decades ago, hung a few hand-painted eggs in my window, bought some potted Narcissuses (or is it Narcissi – possibly both) and I even treated myself to some easterly treats.
Now Easter can come and I won’t feel left out!
my Easter table
Narcissus close up
Narcissus close up
30 Saturday Jan 2016
Tags
flowers, photography, photos, powerscourt gardens, spring, summer, Vibrant, Weekly Photo Challenge, Wicklow
The world around me is anything but vibrant – grey skies lots of rain and a different storm front everyday. But because winter seems to have taken a grim and grey hold of the world it seems perfect that the theme of the week is vibrant – a visual counterbalance to what we see.
I am looking forward to the vibrancy of spring and summer – Powerscourt Gardens, Wicklow
jensinewall 