my days are not slacking up.

this weekend past i decided to pack up a small overnight bag and escape to the coast. it was only one night but it was wonderful. rainy, but wonderful.

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now that the week is creeping along so quickly and i leave for newcastle tomorrow (on business, my job will be moving over there possibly full time from mid september) i thought i might share a meal i cooked last night.

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some herbs from the garden: flat leaf parsley, thyme, rosemary.

a lot of greenhouse tomatoes, delicious ones. mum grew them from seed. oh yes!

i melted butter in a bowl over the boiling pasta, added some balsamic vinegar (such a smoky one! but delicious with the tomatoes), then added the chopped tomatoes and half the herbs.

when the pasta was cooked, i added the sauce.

i served it with the rest of the herbs and parmesan and it was lush.

so fresh!

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happy rest of the week. i still have so many photos to share from birmingham.

sigh.

these past couple of weeks have been back-to-back adventures.
i'm sorry i've been absent.
but i think you'll forgive me for having fun.mum and i went to belfast for some new glasses. (i'll show you them soon i promise.)that night we dined out at the barking dog on malone road. i will write a post about this soon. i have so much to tell.then i was off across the irish sea to manchester. the company i work for recently acquired a new factory so i had to stocktake and generally nose around.it is a fairly old premises. there used to be a gigantic mill where the factory now stands but they tossed it down in the 60s in favour of a bland concrete factory. progress, yes?we stayed in the moorside grange hotel. i don't think i can comment favourably on that.the next afternoon the rain finally departed. the sky was glorious.also, above the clouds on our flight home.then on thursday i took some time off to help out a belgian friend at the tall ships festival.above: the german grill boss, below: the meat of the world burger grill boss. too much fun, yes.our stand= macaroon heaven.

not that i'm counting but i really haven't stopped since friday the 7th. wow. one of the highlights was the four days, 12 hours long, standing behind the stall pictured above. i mean, i love macaroons, but by the last day i really was questioning my sanity and vim's, who is used to doing festivals all the time. altho he did tell me he was lying on a belgian beach in 30 degree heat today so i don't really feel that sorry for him. it has poured rain (and gotten autumn-cold) for two days solid here. summer?? pffffft. i think we irish should just give up the notion completely.

tomorrow morning, mum and i leave for birmingham for three days. i will bring photos back. x

i finally got my diana photos back. i guess film isn't as convenient to process in cavan as it is in new york ;)

i have some work to do but I'm happy with how these turned out.

i am in love with the whole experience. plastic rules :)

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happy weekend! x

good morning.

the top photo is from saturday, writing in a different house.

walking to work, opening the post, routine things that fill up my day.

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happy thursday. x

last thursday i was convinced my holiday weekend wouldn't amount to much. maybe some writing, a visit to jamie...

then i got a (hell, yes) invitation (you know the kind where you say yes before you're even through with being invited) to a 21st birthday party on friday night.

it was a lot of fun.

saturday i went to visit nathan and spent 5 hours cleaning, polishing, supagarding and finally waxing my car. i think its looking good!

i then stayed with my sister for two days and nights.

and last night i looked after my 3 month old nephew so his mum and dad could enjoy an anniversary meal in peace - their first together since he was born. i am in love. we had such a perfect evening together. an hours walk, a chinese meal (he slept the whole time i ate) and some dancing time with a happy hippo. oh yes, baby talk is so in.

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i think its time i made a 'to do' list: there is too much to remember.

exciting upcoming things include a four day workathon at the contential summer market in belfast. wilm has invited me to work with him again and i am so excited i think i may be jumping up and down.

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happy wednesday. there will be nice photos soon. x

this has been a slow week. the days have passed relatively quickly but i have been dragging my heels.

last night i reached the end of my tether. i finished tidying the kitchen and washing the laundry and just headed for the garden.

i walked the borders and gathered a really sweet little bunch of flowers. a small sunflower, some zinnias, cornflowers, a little pink rose, a tiny pink flower spray, some foliage, some icelandic poppies and some fragrant bee-raped (oh yes, tens of them on the three bushes) lavender.

and then, my mood changed a little. i arranged it in a crystal vase and that little posy, humble and all as it is, has brightened our hall dresser ten-fold.

(in the second photo you can see my new flowery tulip skirt in the background. much <3.)

i need to walk in the garden more often.

i also need to stop working as if my life depends on it.

i need to remember it's summer. i enjoyed reading this summer manifesto.

what do you need?

garden pasta, monday evening.