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. . . .
A poem for summer
There’s a Girl Inside There is a girl inside. She is randy as a wolf. She will not walk away and leave these bones to an old woman. She is a green tree in a forest of kindling. She is a green girl in a used poet. She has waited patient as a nun for the second coming, when she can break . . .
Counting steps while counting votes
Just photos today!! Yes we got lost on some magical beaches and although I kept up my column writing for the News and Star, the old blog was a step too far. Wifi is scarce in these parts, the west coast of Galicia. So I'm posting some of my last column on waiting for the counting of votes in the Ireland South Constituency of the . . .
Porto at the mouth of the River Douro
On our way to Porto, we stop off at a beach just south of the city and relax for a couple of days. We are about to discover the north coast of Portugal and this long stretch of beaches and board walks all the way to the Spanish border. Just outside the city we decide to stop over in a campismo, which I keep calling a campasino much to the . . .
The Douro Valley
So the mountain peaks were still covered in snow as we drove further down into Spain and headed west to begin our meander down the Douro Valley. After a couple of days in Zamora, a beautiful historic town. We crossed the border into Portugal at the village of Miranda de Douro. What followed was a terrifying mountain escapade on tiny . . .
