I'm suffering from a kind of lockdown brain fog. I think it's curable, but I'm not altogether sure. One of the bright spots of my pandemic days has been making these watercolour sketches that I have been doodling away on through out the last few weeks. They are mostly very small, very abstract and some people say they look like graphic . . .
Such a wonderful Spring!
Spring has been a difficult time. It's not just the social isolating, or the threat the pandemic poses. Our family lost our beloved Step Mother to the Covid 19 virus on April 18th. I've written 4 pieces for the Waterford News and Star since the lockdown. They meander through the last few weeks with the story of what happened . . .
When all will be well again
Times are strange for sure. While Spring is trying it's best to break through we are also struggling with what Covid -19 has brought us. Anxiety and isolation mostly. Saint Patrick's Day has been cancelled. We all have to have private parades and parties. We wash our hands and cross our fingers. I've developed a nasty habit of . . .
Well Girl Walk, Waterford Women’s Centre 1995-2020
In 1995 a group of us in Waterford, accessed EU funding to set up two women's projects in the South East of Ireland. One became Access 2000 in Wexford and the other became the Waterford Women's Centre. The Irish Government was the mainstream funder of the two projects in time. Through creative thinking and dedication both projects have . . .
Finding more pazzazz for 2020
With the time you’ve got, choose to make your life bigger. Opt for expression over observation, action instead of passivity, risk over safety, the unknown over the familiar. Be deliberate, act with intention. Chase the sublime and the absurd. Make each day one where you emerge, unlock, excite, and discover. Twyla . . .
In the bleak mid-winter
In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, Snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, Long ago. Christina Rossetti I hope you have a wonderful cosy mid winter celebration. Love Catherine . . .
Making a home for birds
I know pheasants are mostly bred in captivity and therefore can almost be regarded as predators in our wildlife sanctuaries. But somehow, I can't discriminate and here they are, still living in our patch. Charlie is the big fella and he arrived last year. His offspring, a young cock, has long gone or may even be . . .
Last day of summer at the lakeside
On the last day of summer we were down at the lake. Although everything changes and nature is under extreme pressure, this patch is still a haven. Butterflies were gathering on the wild water mint and the wind was gently swaying the long grasses, full of purple loosestrife and meadowsweet. I was still keen to blog at that point, but . . .
Can’t wait to get back on the road
I just realised that I can't wait to get back on the road. It's not that I don't love my home place, I really do. Since coming home, the weather in Ireland has been beautiful and the nature surrounding us has felt very precious. But today I was looking back over our couple of months wandering around Northern Spain and Portugal and I . . .
Re-wilding
I'm reposting this from 2017 as although I seem to be the last to know, I'm on a bit of a break from the blog. Hope you are enjoying your summer wherever you are. Rosebay Willow Herb, Foxgloves, Blackberry blossom, Pale Flax, Meadowsweet, Thistles, Daisies......We've been talking about re-wilding. It's a word we picked up recently. . . .
