Something Lovely.

It's a few weeks since I did a Something Lovely post, so here's something really lovely to share with you. They're by an artist called Katja Ollendorff who I found over at The Beholder. They don't give much info about her, but take a look. Aren't these great?

These first three are embroidery and ink on linen. So sweet.





And these gorgeous paintings are acrylic on canvas.





Now, to find out some information about her...

A Gaggle Of Family And Friends.

At Last.

School is out. Finally.
I breathe. I heave a sigh.



The house is quiet.
Waiting.
The forecast is good enough.

Let's have a party to shake things up.

A Little Bit Of Home.

Some of those little unessential touches that are always bottom of the list.

And nothing like an event to spur you on. These have been put off for a very long time.
And now they are done!








The top one is for you Rima!

Chicken Sitting.

I realise it's a long while since I posted about anything I've made. At the best of times I barely make a stitch or a mark a week, but I make that stitch or mark no matter what. The autumn is when I am most productive. I think it's the newness of cosiness that comes with the turning season that inspires me. And always, this time of year is when I am least productive. Though that has more to do with how hectic things get as school winds down and so many things get crammed into each week.

I am waiting for Friday, and the holidays it will bring, then I can breathe.



And in the meantime, we are chicken sitting for a friend who's away. And garden sitting. Which is a nice little oasis in the busyness.



So roll on the weekend!

Another Party?

Today, a little boy who somehow missed out on a birthday party eight months ago had his day.





Sure why not, seeing as we are in party mode?


And for some cool birthday cakes see here and here.

A Week Of Pictures.

Moving Swiftly On...

Last Thursday an exhibition opened in Monster Truck, a gallery in Dublin. The work was by a number of different artists and illustrators and each piece was an interpretation of a well known album cover.
It included these two pieces. The first by, suprise, suprise, my brother Chris.




And this is a photograph of our own dear Eldest! by the lovely Cliona.



How cool!

To see the rest of the work, check out their Flickr

It's A Washout!

Well, this is a first. After all the build up. By mid-day we had to make the difficult decision to postpone the party. After all these years. I haven't seen rain like it in quite sometime. One look at the rain radar online showed the whole country covered in rainclouds far into the night. The main focus of the party each year is the bonfire and sitting out under the stars at this magic time of year, so sitting in our little house was not going to do it really.
Boo!

A few people turned up and we spent the day and evening eating and chatting and it was lovely.
And next weekend we will do it for sure, and I don't care what the weather does. It can't possibly be as bad as today!

I took a photo of the ten minute peep of sun we had as dusk came. Then that was that, back to the rain.

And it rains...

Party Time!

Well. The forecast could not be worse. Rain, wind, and cold. This will be a first. Nearly twelve years of summer parties and we have never been rained out if it. Showers yes, but this?

But you know? This is Ireland. You just cannot predict the weather, and you have to have faith. So, we will bravely soldier on, and we will have our party!



And I'll leave you with a quote from, I believe, Billy Connolly:

"There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing"!

And So They Cometh.

And so it begins. The first party folk arrive and make camp.



As far as I know today is actually the Summer Solstice! Something about the leap year maybe? So:

HAPPY SOLSTICE TO YOU ONE AND ALL, WHEREVER YOU MAY BE IN THE WORLD!

Pause.

In the midst of party-ifying the house, cleaning, putting away, clearing, the everyday still takes place.



Tonight, I sit down for a moment. I rest. He and I sit in silence, side by side on the red couch and listen to Mark Kozelek sing AC/DC.

Beautiful. Unexpectedly.

Can You See Me Smile?

Oh My! Look what Jimmy the postman delivered today. Out of the blue. I had no idea.



I have been dreaming about owning this gorgeous print by Rob Ryan for so long.

Oh thank you dear Jay!

You know my heart so well!

My heart...

A Little Nostalgia.

I've been thinking about nostalgia lately. I've always had a thing for nostalgia. And lately I've noticed I'm not alone. What is that? Is it a desire to recreate something of our own childhood, or some imagined childhood? With each child I had, I found that desire stronger each time. It ranged from having those few precious garments that had been kept from when we were babies, to recreating similar era clothes, to actively hunting down things. From being mindful about what was in their toybox, on their bookshelf, put in their mouths.



I do get a sadness in my heart when certain little friends look blankly at me when I suggest going outside to play. When I insist, they reluctantly do, but they don't know how to play anymore...



Being clear about play being a child's 'work'. Active play as opposed to passive in-front-of-a-screen play. Of course there is room for movies and nintendo and flaking out in a bunch on the couch at the end of the week. But to have room in all the chaos for simple pleasures, for appreciation of uncomplicated entertainment that simply is what it is. That is what I strive for.



"In summer I am very glad
We children are so small,
For we can see a thousand things
That men can't see at all.

They don't know much about the moss
And all the stones they pass:
They never lie and play among
The forests in the grass."

from Playgrounds by L. Alma Tadema.

Edit: Oops! Forgot this most important and pertinent link! This is what myself and Lisa have been doing to keep a little bit of nostalgia going in our lives!

DJ's and Skaters.

I love unexpected visitors. (Well, when my house is reasonably presentable!) DJ's extraordinaire, my brother Simon, and Jeannie called yesterday. The Little One gets excited and the volume increases, but dinner was good and we got to catch up.



Skating lessons from Simon.





Later. Wondering if I can wrangle a week in a Tipi...

Bloomsday.

An at home kind of day.



Happy Bloomsday to you all!


Check out this gorgeous, cool kids wallpaper.

A Week Of Pictures.

O Sister.

It's late, but before I slouch off to bed, I simply have to share something with you.

It's so great to be able to show off family sometimes. I've featured my Mum, and one of my three brothers, Chris, a number of times, so far. Now it's my sister Emma's turn. When I popped over to her in Alabama to see what descriptive delights she had in store for us, I was delighted to see these brilliant drawings just waiting to leap out of the screen and start talking at me.







Fans of Moby Dick may recognise these characters: Starbuck, Stubb and Flask.

Is there no end to the multi talents of this girl?

A Week To Go!

The Solstice is approaching, our party preparations are underway. Lots of clearing, cleaning, moving, chucking out. It's great.
This afternoon I'm taking a break, off to the playground with the kids, where I'll be meeting up with some old school friends and their children. I hope the rain holds off!

Inspired by Elisabeth's gorgeous summer house links, here's an amazing holiday beachhouse in France, sent by my friend Michelle. Sigh...

And some cool t-shirts for kids from Odd Label. Love these.

Something Lovely.

Here's something different. Some gorgeous photomontages from an artist called Jennifer Mulcahy.








She says: In my art, I seek to capture the way I see the world.

Now there's someone I'd like to meet.