maisiehandspun

2010-07-01T09:51:00.001+01:00

I love to drive country lanes on warm summer mornings:
The anticipation of meeting another car and not being able to pass without reversing to the nearest gate (I always hope to meet a chivalrous man).
The noise of the long grass tickling the sides of the car.
The odd day-tripping cat who strolls leisurely into the centre of your path.
The fields of grass and crops and poppies.
Having the windows fully down because the car is simply too warm - and it's pre-12pm! The delicious breeze.
The slow thrill of being in the country dripping through your veins.

2010-07-01T09:44:00.001+01:00

2010-06-14T22:49:00.004+01:00

good evening.

sometimes it's an effort just to live. i don't want you to think me ungrateful: there are times when i know we are lucky to be alive, just not at this moment in time.

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i am so homesick, i thought i would be cured by a weekend at home but now it's monday night and i'm worse than ever before. tonight i cried in the kitchen.

i'm getting nowhere in work and i don't want to be there anymore.

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it's my birthday this week. i want to be better by then. i don't want to feel so unfulfilled.

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so here i am and i've brought five good things from the last month here to remind myself i'm ok:

1. the morning a hot air balloon rose just north of durham city. a beautiful moment in the mist.

2. sparkle.

3. my view, ever changing. the field behind us has been planted with what looks like wheat.

4. the new moon that has risen tonight, and the sunset that preceeded it.

5. red velvet cupcakes. they were lush, and so good to share. thank you for that evening ashley. you are my favourite blonde.

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dear, dear happiness.

hear me now.

i'm heavy, heavy in your arms.

2010-06-03T16:22:00.001+01:00

every day I think about how much I loved you.

2010-03-17T17:55:00.002Z

hello.
my lovely neighbour has started letting me use his internet.
this makes me happy.
but these days, i'm mostly sad to be honest, for reasons beyond my control.
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my sister visited at the weekend. she bought me a kenneth cole candle (i love the bee on the lid.)
i baked a cake for our visitors on saturday night. chocolate devils food cake with raw white chocolate as frosting and fresh baby figs as decoration. possibly the cutest figs i've ever seen.
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i cooked a two course meal for 10 on saturday night. it was my friend's husband's 30th. we all went out on friday night but on saturday evening i cooked them:
ricotta, sweet potato and sage pasta shells with chicken for main course and
mango and berry meringue roulade for dessert (like a swiss roll only made with meringue)
i was too stressed to remember to take photos! your imagination will make it better than it would've ever looked anyway. at least i got a photo of the cake the next morning!
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i've missed being here.
now that my evening's are a little emptier i will hopefully be back more often.
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maisiehandspun fans must be a little disgruntled, but please don't give up on me.
my job is just a little too full time for fiber right now.
i'm working on changing that.
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can i leave a little verse from one of mary oliver's poems with you?
"when it's over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms."

and another:
"Also I wanted
to be able to love. And we all know
how that one goes,
don't we?
-
Slowly"

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i will be back soon and hopefully everything will be better.
pinky promise x

2010-01-17T15:01:00.003Z

i have been doing a little bit of daydreaming today.

i've sold a lot of fiber at maisiehandspun.etsy.com recently and i've been too busy to replace it. today, in the middle of my work, i was suddenly overcome by a memory of photographing sun-warmed fiber batts out in my mum's garden in the height of the summer. there is no reason why i suddenly should have thought of it, since nothing in this environment would remind me of it - it is north-sea-cold (it rose to + degrees for the first time in a month on friday), enough to give you brain freeze, and sterile of all creativity. it is no wonder i often feel so numb at the end of the day.

____

i want to share some etsy finds with you today...

top: a beautiful dress from bridalblissdesigns that i recently found and seriously lust after

middle: cute silver serving spoons from sadieolive

bottom: lavender bags from lapomme

______ _________

i want to get married just to wear that dress! it helps that the bride was gorgeous too i guess :)

i have had a lifelong love affair with silver and now that i've settled in my apartment i've brought some silver over from ireland that i inherited. not for show, but for everyday. some things in life should be enjoyed regardless of the risk!

i got over the culture shock of my move to england and have found some beautiful things and people to root me here. after the heartbreak of 2009 i made a stoic self-promise/resolution to look after myself this year. i guess it's when you don't want to fall at all that you fall the hardest. what i'm trying to say is that i've found someone to love again. i'm wondering how it happened? i guess some of the best things in life are surprises. complete out-of-the-blue surprises. i love them.

____ __________ _____

take care of your lovely selves.

warm fuzzies, lorna xo

2009-12-03T10:13:00.005Z

i'm having some lovely evenings this week. now that the chaos of assembling furniture is over, and therefore the late nights, i am slipping into a nice routine. all i'll say is good food costs money, and sainsburys are making a healthy profit now that i've moved to west rainton. on tuesday night they spoiled me with some fresh clementines with leaves - the last time i saw them was cyprus, 10+ years ago. i cooked some soba noodles last night, if you like you could get the recipe here. i'm looking forward to the leftovers tonight.

back with more adventures soon.

love X

2009-11-30T15:04:00.002Z

i'm sorry i have been away from here for so long.

i never realise how completely chaotic moving across the water to england would be, i mean its only a small stretch of water, right?

i have been working in peterlee since september 2nd and the culture shock has been huge.

i lived in a hotel for the first two months, the novelty of which lasted about a week during which i was searching for an apartment. my job here is really tough and the people are so different but i have learned to settle my heart and be content. i can't make myself ill over the shortcomings (or not?) of others. oh the agony of family business!

i have been so glad for julia, a girl i knew in northern ireland and who has married and had a baby since she left, she has been a complete joy so many times.

also, for a new hairdresser and restauranteurs and hotel staff who helped me cope along the way, and most of all for the staff at durham university hospital who looked after me so well.

along the way, i lost A. his muddled head and my inability to cope with my new surroundings, never mind his "will i, won't i?" attitude, was a toxic mix and wasn't helping either of us.

it has been tough but love should never be that hard to hold on to. it has been better since i let go.

these photos are from my sailing on thursday last. i brought my car over packed to the gills with a choice selection of my earthly possessions - it was so hard to chose!

bryan has moved to the UK too. definitely a more exciting part (london) but the north east is where the factory is located so here i am!

i have reopened my etsy store and will be posting batts more regularly now that i have my carder across the water. look out for that!

much love X

2009-09-01T12:30:00.003+01:00

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.

2009-08-19T19:46:00.006+01:00

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

2009-08-07T13:09:00.003+01:00

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

2009-08-06T11:29:00.002+01:00

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

2009-08-05T17:54:00.002+01:00

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

2009-07-30T11:00:00.005+01:00

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?

2009-07-29T18:30:00.003+01:00

garden pasta, monday evening.

2009-07-17T17:31:00.004+01:00

the sea has been seeping into my mind all week.
i am so happy that i will back there in less than 24hrs time.
and that miss seadoo is coming too.
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happy weekend :)
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as before, the links to the photos can be found here.

2009-07-17T00:03:00.005+01:00

where have i been?

well, first there were two days in rossnowlagh.

come on up the creek path and i'll show you...there were speedy bees around the ragworth.and a lot of cream sodas with lime.we went jumping off creevy pier at high tide. then there were two days in portstewart.a daisy on portstewart point.leftover beers at magilligan point.some new harper jeans courtesy of a spontaneous shopping spree on the way home. and a hotdamn pizza for tea (also on the way home). p.s. i had to have an interior shot of the car.

we travelled approx 500km together.

i can't say i've ever loved a car more.

2009-07-10T12:16:00.005+01:00

these are my favourites for today, july 10. some old, some new but all so perfect in their own ways.

you are view it large here.

the ones that especially make me squeal are

5-oh the cuteness! the top! the adventure!

10-i will jump up and down when these arrive in the post! thank you mav and cdr!

25-what a joy! and the sepia shade. perfection.

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have a happy and enjoyable weekend folks :)

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the photo links can be found here!

thank you for your inspiration!

2009-07-08T17:20:00.001+01:00

our days are looking like this right now.

berries, cherries, persimmon and nectarine for breakfast, roses rotting in the rain and grey skies.

a fairly typical irish summer :)

2009-07-07T18:39:00.003+01:00

i'm not usually an inspiration-type blogger but literally, the photography i'm discovering is blowing me away.
these are from studio7.
i think i'll be doing a lot of posts about this! i have so many to share!
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happy tuesday!

2009-07-06T17:37:00.007+01:00

my cousin louise invited us to her house in antrim for her husband's 30th. it was a blast.

i pottered around their enviably perfect garden a little while after we got there.

their picture-perfect cottage.

hearts on the hall dresser.

their sweet dog, charley.

on saturday morning, after a questionable breakfast at our b&b, my sis h and i headed out to the coast.

we stopped off at carnlough (above) and garron point (below).

some beautiful rocks with lichen at garron point.

misty saturday mornings = smile.

when we got to cushendun the weather had worsened but we still went for a dander along the beach.

some plants along the beach/cliffs.

and then headed through the caves...

...to a little secret cove that we visited 7 years ago and was as magical as i had remembered. the cliffs (a seemingly prehistoric composite rock) lean out over the pebble beach and appeared to close in around us (in a good way)...

...and the water is crystal clear.

afterwards we had some fish and chips for lunch at a greasy spoon café in the village.

and headed home through one of the famous antrim glens.

there is someone (that was there on friday night) that i can't get out of my head. i hope he feels the same. hei :)

2009-07-03T13:12:00.005+01:00

my favourite things from this week.

fairy lights in my bedroom in belfast:

wednesday's shoes:

a heavy summer evening sky:

the heady scent of an apricot rose:

a hosta, flowering:

friday's sandals, rose petals and rose:

i have been full of living.
i spent four days in downpatrick last weekend that changed my thoughts. i am still changing. this makes me happy, not sad. i needed it. happy weekend friends.

2009-06-26T12:27:00.003+01:00

last night we had a bbq at my sister's house. we had steak, leek&stilton sausages and beef burgers. for dessert i grilled carmelised pineapple which we enjoyed with some tickety-moo. altho it was windy we sat outside. at sunset jamie and i went for a long walk. i enjoyed whistling him some happy tunes (his favourite being 'the bare necessities'!!) and then he went for a catnap.

i took some rose photos before work this morning. i love how the light is flooding the petals in this one.

i hope you have a weekend that includes some or all of the following: fresh flowers (gifted or picked), friends or the enjoyment of your own company, bbq'd meat, sunshine, jumping in some water, a nice drive with the windows rolled down and the rustle of summer leaves. live easy. x

2009-06-25T17:26:00.006+01:00

last night i stayed in the office til 11:30pm. when i came home it was still a little bit light and a new moon had risen so i wandered across the road and took some photos from the gate--you could hardly call it sunset when the sun was so long gone.

this morning i finally got some photos of the red poppies in the garden. these are never planted but spring up all around the garden, most often in the vegetable patch. i love the purple ones :) photo 4 shows a hybrid of the red and purple ones--the bees were going crazy for its pollen! photo 5 is a rose called 'galway bay' -- it is a beauty.

happy evening friends. mine will include a BBQ with my favourite male, my baby nephew jamie.

2009-06-24T19:57:00.005+01:00

i had a glorious tuesday. the sun shone so bright. i had the afternoon off so on my way to my back therapist i stopped by the lake for some tickety-moo --the best jersey ice-cream this side of the atlantic.

i also had fun making more dancing videos. by the lakeshore. in front of the main road. oh the hilarity. i love this woman so much.

we had our last litlab of the summer last night. every brought amazing work, its a lovely group. its brilliant to get everyone's opinion on how they would edit your work--and its free!

on my way there i stopped off at lough sillan. there were five crazy wakeboarders out. you can watch one of them in motion here. i couldn't help but envy them. we haven't brought this baby out yet this season and i miss her so. i can't wait to get her in the water, fill up the ballast tanks and go flying off the wake. these guys definitely gave me inspiration!

on my way home i stopped off at cullies to watch the sunset. i could've waited a couple more minutes for something like this but i had fifteen jars of mum's chutney to bottle.

have a lovely evening. x

2009-06-22T22:01:00.004+01:00

i don't know how to say this.

i've just lost something that i had:not anyone or anything.

i've lost a feeling. right now, i'm just a regular blah. regular job, regular family, regular everything.

the most scary thing is i don't actually have the energy to fight it.

but i just joined the bench monday pool!

and i am really feeling this song.

this is the last week of susannah's unravelling course.

i can't believe we have come this far, i have meet a bunch of lovely girls. so supportive.

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okies. i need to have some fun.

so i'll search my flickr contacts and enter one word that describes the following:

1. enter favourite colour

2. enter feeling right now.

3. enter something you thought about today

4. what time is it?

5. where am i?

i like how they look together!

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i tag astrid, maria and neil :) but anyone can join in!

2009-06-19T18:11:00.003+01:00

my birthday was nice. no less or more.
it could have been nicer! oh yes it could've been much better.
but, alas, i live in ireland. it rained. in fact it rained this hard.
and work was crazy.
and this weekend will be busy.
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do you ever wish you could just escape everything?

2009-06-18T17:25:00.002+01:00

last night was great. brian mentioned a band on his blog and i downloaded their album. fantastic!

i carded 10 batts for my etsy store -- quite an achievement after a 9 hour day at work!

did i ever tell you i love to dance? my fellow unravellers have started a craze! and i have loved every minute of their videos so i decided today being my birthday how could i not have a little dance?! (even if its just a rubbish shimmy!)

birthdays tend to disappoint me but how could i possibly be disappointed when i got three parcels in the mail this morning, cake from my work colleagues this afternoon and an invitation to dinner with my sisters this evening.

so there'll be more tomorrow. in the meantime enjoy last night's sunset and nightfall. x

2009-06-17T17:44:00.004+01:00

i enjoyed the weekend.

we had some lovely weather.

i met my baby cousin for the first time. he was born in italy in january. we were instant friends :)

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the sunset on the way home on monday evening was beautiful.

hot oranges and cool blues and greys misting in the valleys.

i love sunsets.

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work is tiring me a lot lately.

tonight i'm going to catalogue the roses in our garden.

more tomorrow :)

2009-06-10T19:30:00.003+01:00

i brought some roses to work this week.last night the sunset was pretty spectacular.especially from the 15 acre field.my dad has started his first cut of silage. here are my boots by a freshly cut swathe...

...and the tractors approaching. it really was a dramatic sky!

also at our litlab meeting last night i found out a collection of my poetry will be published in an anthology of irish writers this summer. book launches and readings and exciting things!!!

2009-06-10T19:06:00.003+01:00

on monday night, my sisters and i took a walk with our nephew/pamela's son jamie.

we looked up at the trees.and stopped with holly, the neighbour's horse.and listened to my dad's cows mooooo.and then later, i took some photos of the gorgeous sunset. all flarey clouds and dramatic colours.it was the perfect end to a long day.

2009-06-07T23:19:00.003+01:00

welcome to our june garden.

2009-06-05T17:33:00.002+01:00

yesterday evening i had to drive to dublin to pick my parents up from the airport.

i brought dad's car. it took some getting used to--its easily twice the size of mine (a long wheel base 735i).

it was a four hour round trip after a 10 hour day so i guess i'm a little tired today!

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i found myself struggling a lot with the unravelling course assignment this week: the face.

but then when i got home yesterday evening i went outside while dinner was cooking and just let go.

i'm happy with that photo. its very me, right now--not estastic, just calm and accepting.

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is it really the weekend already? ok then, have a good one!

2009-06-04T17:49:00.003+01:00

i have been living full days, but feeling empty. love never sits easy with me, but this beautiful weather is leaving me no excuse to wallow in self-pity. i'm enjoying pampering myself with real food and sitting in the sun.
this rose is one of my favourites. and its right outside my bedroom window!

this was tuesday's breakfast. one of my favourite recipes ever -- nutmeg doughnut muffins from molly's blog. i'm sure you know her from her new book. i made them on monday morning and then dry-fried them on tuesday morning with a duckling egg.
and drank welch's grape--pure america :)and my view while i ate breakfast ;)wednesday evening i took a walk around our lovely summer garden. you've seen this view before.you can see a sneaky peek of my skirt here. i bought it in bangor back in march (wow!) and wore it for the first time on wednesday.
i'm thinking - why did it take me so long? i love it.some pretty, tiny white flowers.wednesday evening's dinner: tomato, basil and mozzarella on filo pastry and some roquette and lettuce from the garden on the side.
oh and a rose from portmeirion--because its june. cheers--some pear cider with crushed strawberries and ice (thank you declan for that sweet recommendation!)--it was still warm enough to sit out!today, afternoon: fresh blueberry cake? ultimate comfort? hell, yea.

2009-06-02T21:17:00.003+01:00

i had a lovely relaxing weekend at the coast. but now my head hurts and yea, that heartache has come back again. i thought i was over that stage of living but no, that man never fails to surprise me in the worst way.

i finished painting my bedroom, dark blue on one wall, light grey on the other three. i love it.

coastal living agrees with me. back here, everything grates on my nerves. there, well i'm as free as any bird.

i miss rossnowlagh.

2009-05-30T11:39:00.003+01:00

my mum and i took a little time out on thursday evening for a meal at my favourite hotel.
when we finished our meal the light was amazing. we took a little walk through the woods nearby.
it was a perfect summer evening. you can see the rest of my photos here.
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i hope you have a lovely weekend.
x

2009-05-28T17:17:00.004+01:00

what could be better than picking some angelic white lilac from the garden on my way back to work after breakfast this morning?
and then on my way home from lunch i saw, to my amazement, that the strawberry vendor had taken up residence along the side of the bypass again.that mesmeric scent of lilac has been wafting with the breeze from my window all afternoon. and those strawberries--10 minutes of heaven. that is if heaven is red, juicy and sweet.. have a beautiful evening friends.

2009-05-26T12:23:00.002+01:00

the second photo has a new moon. see it large here
i went for a lie-down after work and fell asleep for three hours!
i never sleep during the day so when i woke up i was completely disorientated!
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this morning we are having our typical alternating brilliant bluesky sunshine and heavy rain showers.
i had some yummy banana and rice cakes for breakfast.
i am enjoying some sweet williams from saturday's market on my office desk :)

2009-05-26T11:32:00.006+01:00

i woke at 7:30am on saturday morning.
after unsuccessfully trying to turn over and get some more sleep, i got up.
i had some spelt toast with unsalted butter and blossom honey for breakfast with some chai tea.

then, as it looked fairly dry (but grey) towards the horizon i decided to go for a cycle.
as i reached the far end of the beach it started to drizzle.
when i turned around the wind drove the rain into my face until water dripped off my nose.
then i went to town for paint and painting supplies.
i prepped the walls (with masking tape etc.) and gave the whole room a first coat.
the wall behind my bed will be dark blue, the others light grey.a pause for lunch...some basil pesto pasta bows and a kopparberg pear cider. mmm.the view from where i ate lunch = heaven.time for a drive on the beach with miss monroe.it was a glorious afternoon and the beach was respectably populated for a may day.these kids were having a lot of fun :)
back to the house for more painting, then a cream soda and lime break on the lawn :)some greek basil that i bought at tesco. yummy. can you see my new grey lace-ups? :)then some baking, for dessert. bittersweet chocolate and pear mini cakes.after my guests arrived, a beautiful sunset.no weekend would be complete without some late night light gazing.
the towns that twinkle from across the bay give me butterflies.
amazing.on sunday my nephew jamie came to see me. him and i went for a long walk/push to let his mummy and daddy sleep.
he has colic. mummy and daddy are constantly tired. raising a baby is not a task for the faint-hearted. its amazing how quickly you can discern what his cry means.
i have learned three so far--"food", "dirty nappy" and "tired".
the joys of auntyhood :)

2009-05-22T15:59:00.003+01:00

just sneaking this in before i leave work...

this morning i needed tea to warm me up (rain falling/chilly nip in the air)

this afternoon i need a calippo icepop to stop me from fainting (still rain falling but high humidity)

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i'm tired. excited about the weekend though.

10 minutes and counting...

2009-05-22T13:25:00.002+01:00

friday's thought: love has no fear and no vengeance. (a teabag label, 2008)

i feel small today. like someone shrunk me to within an inch of my life. i have also developed shaky hands. hmmm. this could make for an interesting 3 hour drive to the coast...

i am so darn excited. a whole weekend, so far away. my favourite place, my favourite people.

i'm looking forward to love, whatever form it might take for me.

happy weekend to you :)

(today's photo: the light on my garden path on wednesday)

2009-05-18T21:14:00.002+01:00

mum and i went for a wander in the garden last night. we found so many flowers.

maybe summer is here?

the rain that keeps falling makes me sad. i need some sun!

---

work was crazy today. i had monday blues too, mainly because someone kept me up til 1:30am last night--i feel like a teenager again! this video reminds me of us so much.

v2--"the sea filled in the silence, before you sunk those words..and now even in the darkness i can see how happy you are.."

i wonder if he can see how happy I am? :)

---

1=lilac, the most intoxicating smell of spring...2=one of the first roses of summer, bring them on!..3=the largest tree peony i've ever seen with pretty raindrops...4=one of our rhododendron bushes in full bloom...5=my v comfortable, slightly rad cushé trainers and the rhodo.

2009-05-16T19:08:00.003+01:00

i am out of words right now.

the past week has drained me.

we have been soaked with rain every day. work has been consuming.

i came to work today (i know its saturday, but..) and it poured even more than usual.

i'm going to share a poem from march with you.

---

there was rain.

it illuminated the grey.

saturated me.

it sank deep into my thoughts.

the colours sullied,

murky waters of conscience.

later we went dancing--

the puddles turned to discoballs,

the drops were drumbeats.

our bodies caressed the air,

found each other

and remembering, embraced.

this work is copyright, please do not beg, borrow or steal. thank you for your respect.

2009-05-14T19:01:00.006+01:00

can i just curl up into a little ball right here?

thanks.

these last two days have been the worst yet. i guess a three days week is not to be advised. ever. again.

---

i miss scotland. the weekend was amazing. you can see all the photos here.

debbie and i stayed at her flat on friday night. on saturday morning we drove up to a little village on the edge of loch lomond for the next four days. i met friends she had talked about for the last five years! then we travelled back down to glasgow and i flew home on tuesday evening. it went way too fast and i would give a lot to be back there with those people right now:

sam, jo, ryan, bekki, abby, john, lizzy, blair, johnny&lorna, johnny&kate. so many laughs.

---

jamie has come to visit me :)

it's 7:15, nearly 11 hours since i got to work.

i'm going home.

2009-05-08T23:10:00.005+01:00

i got to glasgow.

debbie has internet and a SD card reader.

lorna = happy.

---

i went for a long walk west on her street, then towards the city centre, then home.

it got darker and dodgy characters began to appear.

i was glad to get back and get a warm cuppa.

---

tomorrow we head to garto.

i get to meet new ppl :)

lorna = nervous.

2009-05-08T10:45:00.002+01:00

i'm going to glasgow today.

you have no idea how excited that makes me.

thank you for inviting me debbie!!

---

i uploaded my 4 photos to the unravelling group pool today.

this week's photo assignment was fun. although i can't share the details (because of copyright issues) i think you'll guess what the subject matter was this week--my favourite type of photo :)

---

i love...

the way the sunset looks through drops on the window (1)

the cozy mossy spring greens of the lawn (2)

that pink flower (3)

my favourite flat shoes (4)

i love that TOAST scarf (5)

our cherry tree in the evening light (6)

2009-05-07T13:29:00.004+01:00

i love...

the colour of my favourite cardigan (1)

the light that comes through my office window in the morning (2)

indian chai tea in my new starbucks mug. (3)

why were mugs ever given handles when they could have silicone cozies instead?

morning text messages from that sweet guy.

---

apologies re: the cameraphone photos but i wanted to share the right now with you today!

2009-05-06T18:58:00.006+01:00

if i'd had a blog a couple of years ago it would've consisted of about 50% dog photos!

i used to be with a guy who bred jack russells, scotties, yorkshire terriers etc. as a hobby.

i have unofficial custody rights as one of the puppies was kept for me in 2005 and i still get on really well with his mum so i went to visit on saturday!

it was so lovely to see her again and all the other dogs--i miss having a dog so much.

---

i spent monday afternoon and evening with my new nephew jamie.

he slept for two and a half hours on my knee--so adorably sweet!

my sister has some issues with me uploading his photos which i totally understand but i so wish i could share him, he is a total bundle of joy!

---

work is chaotic. i've started unravelling with susanna conway this week too! i wish i had more time to concentrate on it but it's just one thing after another in my life right now. no space.

i'm tired. sigh.

---

photo1:lucky

photo2:loflo (my pup)

photo3:muppet

photo4:tulips for B

photo5:monday's raspberry tart

2009-05-01T16:44:00.003+01:00

this week has been such a blur. a very stressful one at times (as i struggle indefinitely with my new job), but ultimately happy. i'm glad (really quite estastic) to say that me and that gorgeous man are on the same wavelength again (after two long weeks) which has calmed me a lot. we're not going to dance before we learn to walk this time is all i'm saying.

tuesday's sunset was surreal (2). i had some wool to spin for MAV (my first in a long time) but i wandered outside for a couple of minutes to take some photos. i think that was at the height of my 'blur'. the photos just looked better that way.

wednesday was brighter. there were gulls (yes, gulls!) screaming above our house but before i could get my camera they had soared off--there was only a blue sky left (4) but after all the rain we've been having, it felt like a blessing! i also found my first bees of the season (6).

happy mayday. summer is here. its 15 degrees today with a strong sun :)

and happy weekend. we have a bank holiday here so it will be luxuriously long. enjoy! x

2009-04-27T19:02:00.005+01:00

i made dandelion sorbet on saturday. the recipe came from nicole's post over at the habit of being -- such a source of inspiration.

it was a lot of fun making this, and such a delicate flavour.

but a lot of time and patience required!

it was a perfect retreat from a long saturday of baking and preparation for today--we had a lot of visitors!

see all the photos here.

---

someone has returned.

i am enjoying this song by the yeahyeahyeahs.

i got my april card society cards today. they are so sweet.

2009-04-23T17:58:00.007+01:00

i just listed some new batts at maisiehandspun.

I do love the satisfaction of finally seeing my fiber listed but it kinda does take forever from start to finish.

this is the process i normally follow:

bulk buy fiber>>delivery>>go get inspiration for colours>>dye wool>>dry>>select hand dyed fibers+other fibers like angelina for sparkle or sari silk fibers for texture (1)>>card these all together twice>>roll in a little ball>>take a lot of photos>>upload photos>>select best ones and resize (2+3) >>write listing>>add materials>>add photos>>hit list>>sigh.

its no wonder i sometimes feel a little tired :)

i am so tired.

---

before i go to sleep at night, i am enjoying listening to, among other songs, akon/birthmark --i just found this brilliant version.

i love when an artist can sing his song well live.

"it's your birthmark that reminds me to love you" -- don't we all have ways of reminding ourselves to love each other.

---

i'm still working out how i can love me again.

2009-04-21T21:59:00.005+01:00

i'd like to walk you through my weekend...(just for a minute or two!)

i had a really sweet saturday--i wound up meeting my friend debbie (dentistry/glasgow) for lunch at russell&donnelly's in enniskillen (my favourite place ever for lunch) and we had a great time chatting etc. she was so sweet to me especially since i was lacking in any sort of happiness. sometimes its hard to smile...but she made my saturday brilliant. we went and sat at the round O, a jetty on the shore road, for ages and just sunned ourselves while i took photos of swans and bored her silly with my chats. i helped moor a big cruiser which was exciting. miss monroe (my leon FR car) was in great form. i bought akon's new album which was perfect for cruising through the sunny day we had. (1-4)

later on, after we were finished preparing for our sunday visitors (i made the yummiest bourbon pecan pie ever!), mum and i had a walk around the garden and i meandered over by the wood on my sister's side of the road too. (5-7)

then on sunday mum, dad and i went for a walk along a lane near our house after our company had gone. i picked some gorse (8) which has dried adorably on my bedside locker and still smells so sweet. when we were headed back to the car my sister came tearing along the road in her Golf with the news that i had a brand new nephew. my other sister had just given birth at 3:40pm to a beautiful baby boy, which they have since named Jamie John. we went pretty much straight down to visit him and went yesterday evening too. he is sweetness in one compact bundle. last night he cooed and later slept on my shoulder. i am in love! (9)

before tonight's beautiful sunset faded (10) i carded 7 batts! (11) i have listed some here. there are more photos to come as when i finished the light was really poor, even outside! i guess it was 9pm and its still only spring. i will pop some more up tomorrow afternoon.

i had some back adjustments done today so i'm a bit shattered. and i'm missing that man so much. life is a complicated thing.

2009-04-16T18:59:00.003+01:00

i have lost count of how many times i had to curse under my breath today.
and our local shop has had to close. (it was already in administration.) i am gutted.
but the sun shone and it was a warm day!
---
over my lunch hour, i found this pretty flower in my garden. isn't it sweet?
and i finally listed some new stuff at my etsy store.
how about you click here and make my day.
---
x

2009-04-15T17:51:00.003+01:00

i've decided to become less introspective. it may sound like a small thing but for me its like a cow jumping over the moon.
when things happen that annoy or hurt me my mind plays them over and over like a worn out record until my forehead hurts.
well my eyes are already hurting anyway. i think i'd nearly forgotten what it felt like to cry like i did last night.
---
my pact to do two jobs instead of one is developing into a living nightmare too which makes existing especially enjoyable these days...
---
all i need is a little patch of blue sky to clear in my mind. there are way too many clouds right now.

2009-04-11T16:16:00.005+01:00

we can learn to move slow.
we can rescale and reposition.
its easy when there's two.
---
i had a small solo-adventure yesterday.
i had to collect some prints from my framer (she is the best lady around--i am so chuffed with her work!)
so i took a de-tour along a road i'd always wanted to take but never had the time--i'm sure you know the type--it led me to knockninny quay (photos 2,3,5). i just sat on the jetty for a while, took photos of the boats coming and going and listened to live music from the hotel by the water.
it was a bluesky day for sure.
---
i hope your easter is going well.

2009-04-11T16:03:00.004+01:00

i joined maria's card society.

i think you should too.

i don't know why it took me so long.

2009-04-09T13:24:00.003+01:00

i was in heaven.

but hell came back last night.

some things never work out right.

in my head it was so perfect, so right.

in his head it was too much, too soon.

---

every morning i wake up and the room is spinning and my head is on fire.

every day i go to work because i think i have to be here, not because i ever wanted to.

every night i miss the sweet, simple knowledge of something new and perfect being there.

2009-04-02T18:23:00.005+01:00

deadmaus/i remember is jo whiley's single of the week. listen to it here - perfect for the kind of chilled out, sunny, ab-fab spring day we've had. when i was driving my mum's car earlier it came on to radio 1. happy coincedences like that always make me smile.
---
i just wandered around the garden after work and took these photos. it really is a sweet day.
you can watch photo 3's eucalyptus swaying in the breeze here
i love that tree.
---
i met one of my bestest ever friends (like since before i had a memory nearly) last night--you can see her with peter in this photo.
we had dessert at a once lovely, now so-so restaurant in enniskillen. the chocolate pudding was dry, the sauce was bland and the ice-cream was sickly sweet but the company was sassy and the chat lasted two hours! i was sore when i got home at 11:45!
(i've pulled a muscle internally below my lower scar. the joys of returning to work too soon.)
---
happy thursday! x

2009-03-30T19:33:00.008+01:00

sorry i've been away. i missed being here. today was my first day back at work.

it was an eventful couple of weeks--first one of my best friends had her first baby--welcome to the world beautiful ethan :O) so i made him a fabulous blueberry cake (blue for baby boys and all!) and got him some neat aeroplane shoes and an outfit from NEXT that matches perfectly!

it was great having a saturday up north, hadn't been for about a month. photos 7-9 were taken just outside lisburn on my way home. the sunset was beautiful.

photo 5 is of my new top which i hoped to wear this past weekend but didn't get a chance--the back is amazing, buttons from top to bottom so really can't wait to flaunt it! also you can see some fluoro oxford down wool in the last photo that I dyed last week, I really hope to get some batts carded soon. i've just been so blaah and weak and sore.

today was tough. i guess i need to go slower.

one last thing......i love this song

it reminds me of that guy that texted me for the first time in eight years just over a week ago. yea i'm patting my nose right now--there's no way i'm telling on here!!

oh but i'm pinching myself. yes. x

2009-03-16T13:15:00.007Z

"...and the song was worldless; the singing will never be done." siegfried sassoon

" I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each" T.S. Eliot

these quotes have been roaming around my mind for the last couple of days--I recently retrieved my leaving cert (high school leaving exams) poetry book from a friend and have really enjoyed reading it. i had my first litlab last tuesday night and really enjoyed all the feedback from other members on my poem. i think there will be one next week again.

---

if i'm fit to go that is. on friday at 4:30pm i was admitted to hospital and by 10:30pm i was in theatre. i woke up at 12 midnight.

i don't remember what they did to me.

(feeble attempt at a joke.)

i know this much--my bellybutton ACHES!

i'm well enough now but it will be a while before my two wounds heal and don't feel like they are so darn tight. oh the discomfort.

---

so i have been catching up on bed hours since I was discharged yesterday at 1pm.

i have been knitting some really cute things for my sister's bump (due to become baby soon!)

and i've been writing (so that i have something more interesting for litlab next time!)

2009-03-10T17:00:00.004Z

Kinsale

The kind of rain we knew is a thing of the past--

deep-delving, dark, deliberate you would say,

browsing on spire and bogland;

but today our sky-blue slates are steaming in the sun,

our yachts tinkling and dancing in the bay like racehorses.

We contemplate at last shining windows,

a future forbidden to no-one.

--Derek Mahon

2009-03-09T17:17:00.007Z

i wish i could say i had a relaxing weekend--as although the photos i've posted look positively zen-like, they were a tiny reprieve in the midst of a storm of baking & entertaining.

we had interesting weather too. photos 1 and 2 are a good illustration of the "dark phase" which would literally blacken the room. two seconds later the hail hits land hard and the windows of our home harder. photos 6 and 7 illustrate the positively spring-like "light phase" where the living area would flood with light and no evidence of hail existed (apart from where it had banked against the wall..!)

i'm sharing some mahon tomorrow, check back...x

2009-03-06T18:43:00.004Z

it has been a kind of strange week and a half.
and yet wonderfully new and exciting.
hello.
---
i meet someone i hadn't met for four years this week.
it was so strange.
(edit)--removed
---
i was in belfast on tuesday night at the guild meeting.
then on wednesday i took a road trip down the irish sea coast side of the ards peninsula.
the sun shone and the scenery was as beautiful as i had remembered when i drove it with c years ago. but wednesday was all new and all me. sparkley happy me.
my favourite place was a little semi-deserted beach where i chose about 7 white and grey stones. they are works of art.
i am a bi-coastal wanderer (in between full-time employment)-- tomorrow i leave for our home in rossnowlagh on the atlantic coast, donegal. i am so excited to be going back and will bring you home some photos.
---
i will list some batts here in a couple of minutes.
they are part of my new batch of fiber from scottish fibers.
i hope you love them.
---
have a glorious, happy, sparkling weekend.
x

2009-02-25T18:22:00.004Z

i love this game. although i haven't been tagged to do it yet.
my favourite one is anke/miss linotte's.
i've also always loved sandra's writing, especially when its on the envelope of a new print :O)
---
i have a new friend.
am i excited?
yes, very.

x

2009-02-24T17:12:00.003Z

new shoes: (black=office, silver leather=cushe).
new skirt: gap (please forgive my sweatshop sins).
new flowers: M&S anemones. my favourite flower.

2009-02-20T17:41:00.003Z

i've enjoyed the sky today.
from early morning we had mist, then golden dusky pink glow, then bright sunshine and blue sky and now it has settled to an early-evening grey again.
---
i contracted COX B4 virus in my sinuses after christmas. this week it moved to my intercostal muscles between my first four ribs and my diaphragm. i have been in so much pain.
most especially after walking for any distance since i start breathing without even realising it. mostly i am on very shallow breaths.
so i have been resting a lot and didn't pick up my camera for two days! in the photo of my bed you can see a quilt my mum made for me and a poem i started. i love that quilt.
---
we had our cousins for lunch today so i made boston cream pie. it was delicious!
i forgot to take photos though. it looked a lot like this one.
my cousin's baby is the sweetest babe ever. so quiet and cheery.
---
i hope your weekend's plans are looking good.
have a great one.
x

2009-02-17T23:32:00.002Z

i feel silly writing about the weekend and its nearly wednesday but anyway--sometimes life gets in the way.

i got a delivery of 10kilos of merino on friday morning! happy valentine's day to me!! lots of dyeing in the coming weeks...

---

i went to my first circus on friday night. it was sensational! if only for the looks on the faces of our friend's little kids. the four-year-old i mentioned in friday's post just happened to have completely handmade a valentine's card for me with the help of his older sister. it was so sweet.

---

saturday, i took a trip to belfast to get my fringe trimmed by lou.

then i spent too much money, i think it might've been comfort-shopping.

there were way too many happy couples wandering around.

---

i've had a strange week so far. all afternoon and evening i've had a really sharp pain in my heart. i slept for two hours after work (so unlike me) and am looking forward to getting back to bed in about five minutes time.

---

i promise to come back sooner.

2009-02-13T16:23:00.002Z

today has been mild.

hello spring!

i have been enjoying my flower shoes and meeting a brother of an old friend--still as sweet as ever!

---

the weekend sounds fun:

tonight, a circus date with my favourite four-year-old :O)

tomorrow, a visit to my hairdresser louise for a long-overdue fringe trim (it has been in my eyes for the last two weeks!

that's in belfast--so i will be making the most of a nice day's shopping.

i have a sick (hopefully now a healthy) computer to pick up from the electronics store.

---

i hope you have fun in store. happy weekend!

2009-02-11T22:57:00.004Z

i just listed three batts here in my etsy store. my favourite is the purple one

today was such a busy day. we had a lot of visitors/meetings at work. when i wasn't in one I was ferrying tea and sandwiches and biscuits etc to my colleagues that were. and i wore heels--don't ask the logic behind that!

last night we had tea at my sister's house, i will upload the photos i took tomorrow--i baked boston cream pie and it was de-lush-ious. will maybe post the recipe too.

goodnight! x

2009-02-09T21:18:00.003Z

i had a lovely weekend--full of learning (a poetry masterclass at the farnham estate), snow, feasting (at my sister's for sunday lunch) and exploring (with my D90). bliss!

2009-02-06T22:24:00.005Z

i had another back adjustment yesterday. not nearly as bad as last time!
i carded some new batts on wednesday evening and they are for sale in my etsy store--one has sold already!
i really enjoyed blending these fibers--i'm low on fiber at the minute so i have to be a bit more imaginative when i'm carding!
one (top) was inspired by my new leonora dress--i've always loved toast but this dress fits me perfectly--it might be the reason i enjoyed last saturday night so much--but then there are so many other reasons too--aren't there?
---
photo5--this evening from my office window.
boy i love friday evenings. we finish early. bliss.
---
i'm signing off here for the weekend.
hopefully next week i'll keep up the daily posts and someday someone will hear me.
---
may your satur- and sun-days be long and relaxing and your dreams sweet.
goodnight
x

2009-02-05T13:56:00.002Z

another shower of snow came drifting down in the night.
there are still little flakes in the sky but not much is sticking to the ground!
i have to journey across the ireland/northern ireland border this evening so i hope the roads stay clear...
last night i carded three batts.
they will be uploaded here tomorrow evening.
i am excited about this and have favourited this
inspiration is never far away--if we chose to look...
x

2009-02-04T17:27:00.003Z

the first signs of spring have finally arrived! although we also had snow last night so everything's topsy turvy! i wore my new shoes for the first time today and can't decide whether they look like slippers or if they're sweet? what do you think?

it's my mum's birthday today--so we had lunch out at a lovely restaurant where i used to work. it was lovely. i spent last night finishing her present (knitted shawl/shrug and yoyo brooch). i will hopefully post photos of it sometime.

have a lovely evening. (we're more than halfway through the week now--yay!) x

2009-02-03T18:44:00.002Z

there's no point trying to outrun things that are obvious. like the guy that i really like--why should i bother trying to pretend any more? i really enjoyed spending some time with him this weekend and learning that maybe its not just me that feels the way i do. i think he might too.

it started to snow this afternoon at 4:30pm and hasn't stopped--the ground is starting to cover nicely :O) i even managed to take some photos of batts i carded ages ago seeing as i finally have a camera again. i never mentioned it yesterday but i got me a fancy schmancy D90--am i excited or what?! the videos are amazing, even the ones I've taken at night are good quality! so the batts are now listed here and here --quite different from each other but nice!

the frosty weather made the stone crack in my windshield spread when i was down in sligo on saturday evening. it didn't shatter but it ran right from top to bottom. i thought yesterday might be a good afternoon to get it replaced so i tootled off to enniskillen and the lovely guys at autoglass did a perfect job. its great not to have to look through a crack every time you need to drive! while they were working at it the girl in the office dropped me into town where I bought the gorgeous feather top in the photo above. last night wasn't my prettiest so I thought you might like to see it on a hanger :O) i love love love it!

top: the view from my sister and bro-in-law's house in fermanagh yesterday morning--yes i know i'm cheating :O)

i'm going home to spin or card (can't decide which)--i haven't allowed myself time for fibery things for too long now. i'm happy that i can try this evening.

see you tomorrow. x

2009-02-02T22:16:00.002Z

we had a lovely weekend.

the WRC opening stages were held in ireland this year.

so miriam, nathan and i headed to donegal--and enjoyed the rally and relaxation.

it was so cold. the wind gave us brain-freeze on sunday morning!

the views from our clifftop were beautiful. also, do you love my socks as much as i do?!!

2009-01-26T19:40:00.001Z

really loving this vid of chase jarvis--interesting guy!
i had never heard of him before i got interested in getting a d90.
i had another so-so weekend. today has been a drag.
x

2009-01-23T16:45:00.002Z

the day has gone so quickly..which is a good thing because i really need a lie-down! i had my back adjusted last night and it was p-a-i-n-f-u-l...so some serious r&r is definitely in order this weekend.

i still had some time to make the luscious white chocolate and caramel mud cakes from my new cupcake cookbook at lunchtime. these are so quick to make and we all needed a little something to get us through the afternoon here at work. (sorry about the fuzzy photos--they're from my nokia 6300)

white chocolate caramel mud cupcakes from cupcakes:yummy ideas by ACP Magazines Ltd./NEXT

125g butter, chopped--100g white chocolate, coarsely chopped--140g brown sugar--80g golden syrup--160ml milk--150g plain flour, sifted--50g self-raising flour, sifted--1 egg

preheat oven to 170>C. line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.
combine butter, chocolate, sugar, syrup and milk in a small saucepan; stir over a low heat until smooth. transfer mix to a medium bowl and cool for 15 minutes.
whisk sifted flours into chocolate mix, then egg. divide mixture among cases.
bake for approximately 30 minutes. (i checked mine after 25 and they were golden brown.) turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.
mix 2 tbsps of icing sugar with a couple of drops of water to make a smooth icing, then dribble a little over the cakes. add sprinkles--these are important for fridays!

enjoy! have a really sweet, happy weekend. x

2009-01-21T17:33:00.004Z

let's put the fun back in dysfunctional: Mum's kitchen windowsill calendar (today)

i'm feeling that! and still tittering away to myself...

i've moved upstairs to my sister pamela's office to "sit with nelly" and learn her tricks. baby j is due mid-april so we don't have long!

this afternoon we enjoyed a slice of warm apple tart with whipped cream and fresh strawberries from m&s. mmmmm.

it rained all day. how special then that sandra's print of happy men dancing in the rain arrived. the envelope alone cheered me up the minute i saw it.

yes, i was having one of those days til at least 3pm. nice breakfast, no lunch because of pains and aches in my tummy..you get the idea.

at 3pm though a double espresso changed it all. and then the tart and the funny calendar quote.

it's all good!

2009-01-19T20:53:00.005Z

i'd like to take you on a walk through my favourite parts of my university and greater belfast.
i've been enjoying browsing through old photos, a little like sandra who is always an inspiration!
belfast has always been beautiful.
x

2009-01-15T21:03:00.002Z

14 january 2009
it would have been our fourth anniversary.
don't tell me it isn't ironic that he left me a voice message that was three minutes long
and elaborate and messy and "without any of the old feelings he used to have".
that's him.
all over.
---
these were my favourite things--
waiting for the sunset to dapple through the cherry tree at charlottes-so i could sneak away and catch a half hour with him when he finished harvesting grass on summer evenings.
ruffling his tousled hair.
going for walks with our puppy, loflo.
listening to songs like these we always loved the same songs.
---
am i stupid to still miss him?

2009-01-08T23:03:00.002Z

i just listed some new fiber batts in my etsy store -- go have a peek!

i have used my own handdyed merino and some commercially dyed merino, sari silk waste and other wools.

---

just got some "interesting" news from a friend-by-association about my "best" friend.

i say interesting but i'm majorly annoyed.

sometimes i just don't know.

2009-01-08T13:03:00.003Z

good morning belfast city.
at 8am the whole place was humming:
outside (The Gasworks/Ormeau Road)
workmen banging away at a building site 100 yards across the road (with the help of a floodlight)
cars tooting and vrooming as they passed in a little crack between the buildings on ormeau road sirens wailing (2 fire engines!)
cranes whirring
birds twittering
inside (Radisson SAS)
showers whooshing
doors closing
voices in the corridor
---
beautiful hotel, dreamy night's sleep.
---
tues. night
guild meeting at cultra--hence why i was in belfast.
we learned about cotton and silk spinning and then tried it for ourselves.
i spun silk "thread" (it was the skinniest yarn i've ever spun!).
cotton is really frustrating, that's all i'll say--the staple is way too short for sanity.
i missed joanne--get better soon honey!
---
x

2008-12-31T19:13:00.002Z

monday started with a beautiful frost. it continued with my favourite breakfast. i had a lovely morning baking a lemon tart for our lunch at our friend's house where peter (bottom photo) enthralled us all, all day. this was part of a series of photos which i hope i can share more of some other time. he loves the camera (and me it seems-so sweet)!

i hope your new years eve is special. this time of year tends to depress me slightly but i'm holding up allright.

here's to a bright and beautiful 2009 with more laughter, hugs and kisses.

2008-12-27T21:21:00.001Z

i spent my day working on a hat for my sister and spinning this yarn.
also, here is the view of a beautiful winter's sky from my chair in the conservatory.
how did you spend your day?

2008-12-26T16:58:00.003Z

we had a little christmas evening at blick studios on the malone road in belfast last thursday.
it was brilliant - so many FABulous artists - and lots of friends dropped by!
thank you debbie, joanne (and gareth and charmer jack!), neal and the one-and-only miriam.
i sold quite a bit but not as much as last time and got 3 comissions - happy moi??!
the rest of the weekend was spent helping mario at the continental market - 10 hours standing in the freezing cold for two days straight? no problem!
---
we had a brilliant christmas day yesterday. i hope yours was brilliant! bonnes fetes!
22 for dinner!
today has been really dull, moping about, resting and looking at the interweb. joy!
---
i just listed the blue fiber at here - take a peek!
---
x

2008-12-17T18:25:00.002Z

the end of last week is a blur!

we left my sister's house at 5:20am on thursday morning and travelled to belfast intl airport.

our flight to newcastle left at 8 and was (thankfully) really short. since tenerife, I've been a bit sceptical of aeroplanes to be honest. especially one's that spend 4 and a half hours in the air.

we got to the factory at 11am and then headed for lunch with our clamp supplier.

then we headed to our hotel, a beautiful new raddison in durham city.

we had a lovely dinner, both homemade burgers, mine with lush BBQ sauce.

i will tell you a little more about friday and the weekend tomorrow.

---

top: playing with a double reflection in room 308's bathroom

middle: durham by night (castle illuminated in background)

last but not least: waiting for food at thebar (and studying a durham map!)

2008-12-09T11:16:00.003Z

my good wishes for your weekend brought me a wonderful one of my own!

i decided to escape from the work i had planned for saturday. i guess i needed a break...

so my sister, mum and i travelled to belfast by leon express (!)

we dropped my brother-in-law to the airport first

then we went to the christmas market at st. george's where we met lots of interesting stall holders. the most exciting one for me was the lovely man who had some anemones from his son-in-law's flower farm - flamelily in castlewellan. they are really amazing.

i had a delicious portion of paella (from the same spaniard as was at blick a week ago!) and the other ladies had (large) homemade beef burgers with all sorts of yummy dressings for lunch.

we called into avoca for tea and cake on our way to the continental market at the city hall.

there was such a lovely christmassy atmosphere.

i couldn't wait to get some delicious coconut macaroons. little did i know a short while later i would be behind the stall counter selling macaroons!

mario's help had gotten sick and returned to belgium so i offered to help for the short while i could. (he was exhausted i will be returning next weekend and possibly the weekend after! it is so exciting...

---

top: belfast christmas tree

middle: the crepe stall, belfast city hall and the belfast "eye"

bottom: flamelily flower farm anemones (my favourite flower)

2008-12-05T16:25:00.002Z

i wish you a weekend that includes some or all of the following:
a walk that makes your cheeks rosy, preferably with a furry friend as cute as charley conley (see above)
a bunch of holly
decorating your house with festive sparkle
warm fires and a snuggly duvet
a good view of the sunset
glittering town lights
a ride in the car or bus to some place nice
a meal in your favourite restaurant
a kiss from the person you love
a good belly-laugh
a warm cup of tea or coffee
a parcel in the post
an email you've been waiting for
a new friend
a visit from an old friend
---
i have a lot of work to do but i might just squeeze in a visit to the christmas market in belfast.
---
happy weekend! xx

2008-12-04T17:31:00.004Z

we had our guild meeting in belfast (well, cultra) on tuesday night.

i left cavan at 5:30pm (straight from work) and rolled over the grid at home at 12 midnight.

four-and-a-half hours driving.

it was a looooong evening and i was really annoyed with how one particular person approached me. i guess you can't win every argument. as always, the sweet people were sweet and that's why i'm their secretary.

---

my fiber art is slow-going right now. i'm knitting for the shows i have before christmas and still need to get started on christmas gifts.

overwhelmed?

mmmm, maybe a little.

---

top: shot of speedometer/revcounter whilst driving in a car with sports suspension = blur.

middle: the christmas lights in monaghan town

bottom: oh-so-chilly

2008-12-03T17:38:00.003Z

i can't believe it's wednesday and i haven't even written about the weekend!

i had a sale of my work in a cute little studio on the malone road with about 10 others. there were loads of cute things for sale from ceramics to screenprinted tees and appliqued pants! (and of course my warm fuzzies which were perfect for how cold it was!)

it was a really fun day. i forgot my camera so i've no photos of my stall but it was very cute :O)

---

the photos above are from a wee dander miriam, niall and i had around a new building at stranmillis. it's eco-friendly and was perfect for a photo essay they had to hand in on monday. i took a few shots too.

it was freezing.

---

i cooked us all spag bol on saturday evening and then sat up watching the rest of the architects work til the wee hours.

niall carved a magnificent model from styrofoam insulation for his current project. miriam and niall perfected their essays and nathan and i stared on in awe/boredom.

---

i have a lot of work to do to restock for the next fair - 18th december, blick studios - but hey, don't think i'm complaining that i sold so much...

2008-11-27T12:11:00.002Z

my dream was blue and silver and blurred at the edges.

when i woke up your love was in my heart but

the bed was cold and empty without your arms.

above, top: i had to leg it over to the house earlier to snap the beautiful silver lining in the clouds.

above, below: us in the kitchen prepping breakfast this morning.

2008-11-26T17:11:00.003Z

yesterday morning I noticed the fire burning in the bathroom mirror on my way back upstairs.

i love how dark the bathroom was, with just the mirror and window glowing.

i'm thinking the winter brings us some nice surprises - like wakening up before sunrise. then looking out and getting the full force of its orange glow.

where did you wake up?

2008-11-25T17:35:00.007Z

rossnowlagh was especially amazing this weekend.

on saturday night I had six for a small little dinner party.

we had chilli-lime king prawns on a bed of baby leaves for starter, butter-soft medium-rare fillet steaks with creamy diane sauce served on a bed of potato mash and diced carrots and petit pois on the side for our main course and blueberry and lime cloud tartlets with crème fraiche for dessert.

the most fun (apart from really enjoying the cooking and serving and being generally chilled out) I had was creating the table arrangement. I created three table runners from a roll of ikea paper.

then I drew knives and forks and glass coasters. I even drew a placename card- but instead of real names we had personal descriptions - so my best buddie miriam was the architect, I was the chef etc. my other guests were the entertainer, the one with the money, the culchie and the last minuter...

it was a night of laughter and craic.

bedtime: 4:30am

need i say any more?

on sunday miriam, nathan and I had some delicious bacon with nutmeg doughnut muffins - and they stunned as always.

we had the laziest afternoon. i did a bit of cloud watching. and a lot of dreaming.

there may be someone new in (my) town.

maybe.

2008-11-20T12:16:00.005Z

here's a photo of the first orchid mum ever bought for me. it's still busy being beautiful...

what does your bathroom window open to? :O)

i enjoyed the peaceful colours of the sky over our factory this morning. i don't often appreciate how we are so lucky to work in the country and not in an industrial estate somewhere.

2008-11-19T16:31:00.004Z

the last two evenings have involved these pjs (from boden!) before 7pm (at the latest!) and a lot of spinning and knitting. i am hoping to finish a project for my beautiful texan cousin. her yarn soaked to set the twist during the wee hours of this morning. i rinsed it earlier and it will hopefully be ready to knit tomorrow evening. will i get it finished for christmas?

i agreed to the project in august when she visited. sourcing the fiber, carding, spinning...boy has it ever been easy? i have kind of ending up forfeiting my winter collection because of it, instead focusing all my attention on the one project. hmmmm.

maybe i will get some of my AW designs completed yet. maybe indeed.

last night i had a little bit of fun at a long-term crush's expense. is that mean? i think he may have even enjoyed it. *chuckles softly*. i think i'm starting to feel a bit more human as regards love and its possibilities. note: i am not in love with the long-term crush.

its 4:15pm and dark. winter is a mean word. best whispered or perhaps not mentioned at all.

2008-11-17T17:14:00.003Z

mav's shop is open.
i think i have a favourite month already. purely for its simplicity but also maybe because its my birthday. i will be 23. sigh.
i wish i could hug her. her work is a constant source of inspiration. what's next?

[photo by mav]

2008-11-17T14:45:00.003Z

i really enjoyed the weekend. friday was dye night. i dyed about 2kg of fiber. more difficult (as regards the logistics of four heavy pots on a small gas stove) than it sounds.

even though saturday night was a bit of an emotional relapse, sunday was brilliant. i met my other half janet and her other half harv for a chinese and a real knees-up natter. afterwards marilyn and i had a good hot race with a subaru. i didn't sleep til 1am. TMA (too much adrenaline).

look at some more photos here

2008-11-14T17:00:00.006Z

i took a wander around the garden at lunch time, inspired by sandra juto's wanderings.

my new carder is running very smoothly and i am having a blast mixing and blending my fiber stash into exciting things for my etsy customers!

i hope you have a happy and relaxing weekend. i will be chin-deep in pans of dye and fiber!

2008-11-11T22:13:00.003Z

i'm still thinking about scotland (top: crossing over on the boat).

i carded my first batts on my shiny new drum carder last night - excited, me?!

and last but not least, this leon has been a while coming...but so worth it in the end. i am thinking of christening her marilyn - what do you think? she drives like a completely surreal dream!

2008-11-10T17:04:00.002Z

scotland put a little bit of grey in my soul. the scenery was stunning

on saturday i enjoyed meeting the dumfries guild and purchasing my first carder and a lot of sheep (and alpaca)!

i am looking forward to an evening of fiber...what will you be doing?

top: my bed at the CreeBridge Hotel, Newton Stewart. such lovely people and such a cosy place!

bottom: the view from Cairnryan just before I got the ferry home to Northern Ireland.