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 . . .
A taste of Northern Spain
It's almost impossible to stop yourself snapping everything that moves when you arrive in a new place. I am trying to be more disciplined but still when I got to upload my first batch of images, there were over 500! So today let me begin with a taster of the colour and textures of Northern Spain. This road trip started in Santander where the . . .
Setting off on the road again…..
I couldn't help myself! I was dipping into some old travel stories when I got lost in dreams and memories. One of the joys of photography, is that when you study a place through your own lens, you remember details, feelings, smells, weather. I never seem to forget where I was and what I was doing. Sometimes, I can even remember the . . .
The wabi-sabi remains of the day
The light was returning. I had even opened my big mouth to utter the words- At last Spring is here! That was when the storms and the winter gales hit us with a vengeance. I was taking part in a #100DaysofWalking challenge, eating for the good of my bones and cutting out all things sugary and stodgy.....(again.) It was all going . . .
This we have now……but are we already in the decline?
This we have now is not imagination. This is not grief or joy. Nor a judging state, or an elation, or sadness. Those come and go. This is the presence that doesn't. Rumi It's not that I didn't already know. I had been aware of the decline in wild things for the last few years. But the news this week that our insect . . .
I see her walking
I see her walking on a path through a pathless forest or a maze, a labyrinth. As she walks, she spins and the fine threads fall behind her following her way, telling where she is going, telling where she has gone. Telling the . . .
A word for 2019 from all my talking to trees
We see trees. What more do we need? Maira Kalman Here is 2019. The new beginning is a special time of the year. Darker days are good news for nerds and introverts allowing us maximum time to read and journal. I've been mooching about with spider diagrams and wanting to grasp every attractive idea that flies past my . . .
Reflecting on 2018
Christmas in Ireland this year was a grey and murky affair, with Atlantic soft weather pouring in from the west. As I write this we are in the twilight zone between years, so after the festivities were over it was time for reflecting on 2018 and thinking about what word to choose for 2019. I chose the word Threshold for 2018, in love . . .