Breathing Space.

So we have slipped past the longest night,

the storms that blew for days have abated, and we find ourselves out tramping the sodden mulchy pathways that criss cross the significant hills of our days. We have gathered together our families, eaten our fill, making merry til the long dark hours are forgotten, pushed aside by the rush of words we swap and share and weave together, for there are months of catching up to be done with those dear to us.

And here we find ourselves again, in the quiet time between the years, the lying low, the resting, mustering ourselves for the New Year to come. 

I find myself reflecting on this past, most eventful year, and looking forward down the path ahead to the exciting one to come. 

For the second year in a row I find myself standing looking into a great big Unknown - and last year did not disappoint. We didn't even know where we would be living by Christmas, this time last year, and now we are here we are amazed, for it is as though we have always been here. 

This year I was ~ packing up ~ losing India ~ leaving the marsh ~ moving house ~ attending weddings  ~  in Cork ~ at Inis Beg Estate ~ meeting friends ~ in Sligo ~ discovering Bray ~ climbing that hill ~ flying to Virginia ~ delving into caves ~ flying home~ swimming in the sea : Sandycove, White Rock, Killiney, Bray, Greystones, Kilcoole, Silver Strand, Magheramore, Morriscastle Strand, Clogga Bay, Baginbun, Carnivan, Coral Beach Carraroe, Mullaghmore, Bundoran, ~ at Lough Key Forest Park ~ doing yoga ~ starting work ~ seeing our co-op shoot towards the sky ~ organising pop-ups ~ taking photos ~ making drawings ~ stitching ~ walking ~ cycling ~ reading ~ feeling very grateful and heart-full and excited about the coming year. 

I want to say thank you, to all you folks who have stuck by Milkmoon, despite this most sparse years of all. There is still more to be told here, and I am not done yet. So here's to 2014, and all that it brings.

So, Happy New Year to you all,

may 2014 bring you Enough.

Sending love to you wherever in the world you may be.

~Ciara~

xx

After The Long Hiatus, Unplanned, A Recap.

First things first, dear readers, a Happy New Year to you one and all. I do hope the holiday brought good cheer and festive shenanigans, with lots of jovial folk around you!

Ours was lovely, with lots of walks and baking and visiting and do-nothing days. We've sadly had no snow so far this year, although last years white Christmas was a spectacular anomaly, and we do hope we get some yet.

And so, a quick recap of the season's festivities in the Milkmoon household:

Walking the Solstice Spiral in school.

Christmas Eve in our kitchen.

St. Stephen's Day walk.

Out Walking.

My MIL's Christmas tree.

Visiting Family, Friends, Neighbours.

Every good wish to you all, dear friends, for bountiful blessings,

both big and small, for the coming year.

May you be surrounded by lots and lots of love and happiness.

A Gathering of Happiness.

All through the festive days,
the childish chatter, the heartfelt delight,

it clutches at my heart.

Exquisite, bittersweet joy.

The easy mingling, the threads picked up,

the weaving of family ties continuing it's magic odyssey.

The generous table shared and enjoyed side by side,

and we are reminded it is never enough, our time together.

And our days become lingering quiet,

small moments we can pause and really feel,

when we take off our hasty wings

and practice the art of savouring. 

And I am blessed,

to be surrounded, encircled, by so many,

by so much.

And even though for some

we have to make do with a faraway voice

traveling halfway around the world,

our Christmas greetings are earnest, wholehearted and deep.

So, I'll sit in contemplation, and wonder.

And all those years of Christmases gone by fill my head and my heart.

And I raise my glass to you all,

family and friends alike.

For this year is closing, and a bright new one just around the bend.

~*~

And I tip my hat to Sara, and Pamela who I found of similar mind this festive season! And I have no doubt there will be more.

And I wish, I wish with all my might that next year Santa brings my sister!

I Wish I Had A River.

Finally the tree is up.

I admit to finding I have to dig deep for 'happiness and cheer' this year.

But their excitement was infectious. And though I found it emotional I was careful to guide their choice of music as we decorated the tree, which helped.

There is nothing like children to ensure the magic comes creeping in through every crack and crevice in spite of everything.
And that magic and excitement is a balm for the heart.

So, this morning there is snow on the mountains, something that is a rare treat here this time of year. And the promise of a white Christmas for some seems like a real possibility. And there is something wondrous and soothing about the sight of snow. A cleansing, heartening something.

And so, on this eve of the Winter Solstice, I'd like to dedicate this post to all of you who have lost someone dear this year gone by. May you find some solace this coming year.

'In this deep season of darkness and

introspection, seek the sun at midnight,

the rich treasures that lie in the lap of Winter.' 

 ~Caitlin Matthews~

A Christmas Art Fair Thing.

As the Christmas season gets underway I love to see the commitment so many bloggers have to supporting both handmade and local art and crafts. This year I haven't managed to produce anything myself, but I thought it might be nice to share a few things with you all. And where better to start then at home, so to speak!

Any regular readers here will be familiar with one of my younger brothers, the multi-talented Chris, as I can't resist often featuring his warm, uniquely funny artwork. So, this Saturday he's having a Christmas Art Fair Thing in his little studio in Dublin city. Anyone who is in the Dublin area is welcome to pop in for a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie or two, and have a look at what he has to offer. I promise you a good chance of finding something for that discerning art lover of yours with a love of the bizarre and humorous.

Details of when and where can be found over on his blog.

Do take a moment to pop over and check out his website which includes a stunningly extensive array of paintings, comics, including one to download for free, illustrations, many of which you will recognise if you live in Ireland, and a favourite pastime in our house, spotting his work in action out and about the streets of Dublin and beyond!
And for those overseas visitors, he does have a fantastic postcard box set which gives a good cross-section of all of the above available for sale in his shop.

Happy browsing!

Re-Post: The Grandmother Memory.

I have never re-posted something before, but this particular post has been on my mind as Christmas looms. As we clean and clear and organise, I've been thinking about all the Christmas preparations women have done down through the ages. How some things never change, and many things do.

1st January 2009.
~This is a wordy post. I apologise. But it's something I have wanted to share with you for sometime.

I believe in the Grandmother memory. The possibility of 'just knowing' things. Memories that we inherit from our Grandmother's Grandmother's. It explains the things I cannot explain. The things I have always just known. And I regret the word of mouth knowledge I have missed out on. My father's mother died before I was born, my mother's when I was a teenager and running a house was a distant speck on my horizon.

I often think about what it must have been like for my ancestral mothers, the hours they spent in their kitchens among the quiet sounds of running water, the breaking of an egg, kneading bread. I imagine a world scented with the strange and wonderful smells of orange peel, roses, spices and herbs. I think about the seasonal year, the turning seasons, the tasks, the making, the baking, the preserving. They were preserving their lives in each of those daily offerings. From their morning ablutions, to their night time prayers and every small task throughout their day. These women lived with routine and ritual their constant companions.

I do have one thing though. I have my Nana's notebooks. Her Household Book and her book of collected recipe's. I hadn't known of these when I started my own book of collected recipes about six or seven years ago. When I mentioned it to my Mum she produced these gems. I couldn't believe it! It was amazing to read her so familiar handwriting, to read recipes I knew well and associated with her, with family gatherings in Nana and Grandad's house, gatherings that are long distant childhood memories now.

Her household book is filled with things like paint codes from different rooms of the house, cooking temperatures in fahrenheit and centigrade, quantities of food for diferent numbers of people, E numbers, recipe for playdough, home cures for ailments, knitting needle sizes, things borrowed and from whom, phone numbers, spellings. My favourite though is her list of things to do in the week before Christmas. It makes me realise how some things don't change, although her list is a lot more extensive than mine!

I adore this little paragraph, both for it's humour and because it is such a sweet reminder of my grandparents.

"If when cutting up meat there is no room in the fridge, make sure that parcel of turkey etc is clearly labelled so it won't be put out as refuse! as in - 1976".

At this point I would like to say a huge grateful thank you to my Mum, for she is now the Grandmother. And she has taken the role to a whole new height. Far beyond what any of her ancestral mother's could ever have imagined. She is a shining star example to me and my daughter. She is an amazing role model to have. I am so grateful to have this.

I like to think that each of us in our own way are recording a little piece of family history for our daughter's and their daughter's. It means so much to me that I am aware of this. That this child paced time in my life will have meaning to someone in the future. Maybe even has meaning now. That we are creating family traditions of our own, to be passed on and learned from.

We are a link in the chain. All of us. And isn't that incredible! ~


So, how are your preparations going? I'm really only starting. But today was a breakthrough day in the organisations and preparations, partly, I am sure, because I didn't have my laptop to distract me!

And I do hope to have some little Christmas things to share over the next few days.

Winter Wonderings.

This weekend has been one big storm. We've had thunder and lightening, wind and rain, power cuts, and high seas. But thankfully the sea has stayed where it's supposed to, although I admit my sleep has been rather unsettled!

But the fire is lit, and we are weathering this storm as cosily as we can. Together.

And as a new week begins we look forward to the countdown beginning, and our festive plans being put into action.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

The Grandmother Memory.

This is a wordy post. I apologise. But it's something I have wanted to share with you for sometime. 

I believe in the Grandmother memory. The possibility of 'just knowing' things. Memories that we inherit from our Grandmother's Grandmother's. It explains the things I cannot explain. The things I have always just known. And I regret the word of mouth knowledge I have missed out on. My father's mother died before I was born, my mother's when I was a teenager and running a house was a distant speck on my horizon.

I often think about what it must have been like for my ancestral mothers, the hours they spent in their kitchens among the quiet sounds of running water, the breaking of an egg, kneading bread. I imagine a world scented with the strange and wonderful smells of orange peel, roses, spices and herbs. I think about the seasonal year, the turning seasons, the tasks, the making, the baking, the preserving. They were preserving their lives in each of those daily offerings. From their morning ablutions, to their night time prayers and every small task throughout their day. These women lived with routine and ritual their constant companions.

I do have one thing though. I have my Nana's notebooks. Her Household Book and her book of collected recipe's. I hadn't known of these when I started my own book of collected recipes about six or seven years ago. When I mentioned it to my Mum she produced these gems. I couldn't believe it! It was amazing to read her so familiar handwriting, to read recipes I knew well and associated with her, with family gatherings in Nana and Grandad's house, gatherings that are long distant childhood memories now.

Her household book is filled with things like paint codes from different rooms of the house, cooking temperatures in fahrenheit and centigrade, quantities of food for diferent numbers of people, E numbers, recipe for playdough, home cures for ailments, knitting needle sizes, things borrowed and from whom, phone numbers, spellings. My favourite though is her list of things to do in the week before Christmas. It makes me realise how some things don't change, although her list is a lot more extensive than mine!

I adore this little paragraph, both for it's humour and because it is such a sweet reminder of my grandparents.

"If when cutting up meat there is no room in the fridge, make sure that parcel of turkey etc is clearly labelled so it won't be put out as refuse! as in - 1976".

At this point I would like to say a huge grateful thank you to my Mum, for she is now the Grandmother. And she has taken the role to a whole new height. Far beyond what any of her ancestral mother's could ever have imagined. She is a shining star example to me and my daughter. She is an amazing role model to have. I am so grateful to have this. 

I like to think that each of us in our own way are recording a little piece of family history for our daughter's and their daughter's. It means so much to me that I am aware of this. That this child paced time in my life will have meaning to someone in the future. Maybe even has meaning now. That we are creating family traditions of our own, to be passed on and learned from. 

We are a link in the chain. All of us. And isn't that incredible!

All Is Safely Gathered In.

I do love the post Christmas slow down, a few days to digest the year gone by, before the new one begins, to gather my thoughts and plan what is to come.
We had a wonderful family weekend of the nicest kind. There was presents, food, and the best kind of company.



This year among my family, but excluding the children, we decided we would make our Kris Kindle present. I suggested it last year and was met with a rather weak response, but since then the word 'recession' is on everyone's tongue, and when my Mum suggested it again we all agreed it would be fun! And it was. I made an Amy Butler Gumdrop Pillow for my sister-in-law, Fiona. Did I take a picture? Eh, no... But I'm working on that one. (Andrew? Help me out here please!)

My present was from my youngest brother Simon, who made me a birdhouse that looks like my parents house! It is so cute. It's going to go outside my kitchen window, and as soon as it is I'll post a picture.



I hope you all had a wonderful, peaceful Christmas. And here's to some time to gently remind ourselves of what is important in our lives, now and for the new year to come.

Christmas Eve.

(Hmm... I was wondering where this went! I thought I had published it and I hadn't... so here it is now, to keep the continuity with what is to follow.)



I love the opening and closing scene in the film Love Actually. It shows the Arrivals in an airport, people coming home, coming to visit, people seeing loved ones again. There are tears and laughter and hugs, and it never fails to bring a tear to my eye. Here on the nightly news there have been tearful joyful scenes from Dublin airport shown. As our Christmas preparations come to the final hour, I find again and again my thoughts are filled with certain beloveds of our family who won't be with us this Christmas. How I long to have been there, at the Arrivals, in Dublin, waiting for you Emma and Mike, Marta and Sam, to welcome you home, to bring you home to share Christmas with us here.
(It has to be said though, they are in Guatemala and Buenos Aires respectively, so I am guessing they will be having pretty special, and warm, Christmas's!!)

We have had Sufjan Stevens Christmas Songs on loop in the car, we've had a Charlie Brown Christmas on youtube in the kitchen as we cook. We have been tracking Santa all evening. We have been baking, sewing, gluing, painting, cooking, eating, wrapping presents, cleaning, tidying, vacuuming, rearranging, visiting, and generally putting the finishing touches to Christmas 2008. And though I didn't get to do my wreath this year (something had to go!) and though I feel a cold coming on, I am determined to take some time to pause, and simply enjoy tomorrow, and what I am most looking forward to is spending time with my family, to actually hang out with my brothers and chat and relax with no one rushing off.

So, until the weekend, if I don't squeeze in a quick post tomorrow, here's wishing you all a wonderful, peaceful Christmas, with family, friends and plenty of laughter!

Pre-Getting Ready For Christmas.

We've had a hectic week! All the school activities have been going on. Costumes, rehearsals, performances, all to be taken care of and I've been driving around like a crazy woman.
(Below is The Smallest on stage as we waited for his big brother's Nativity to begin. The hall was full of parents, and he batted his eyes and jumped around and was insanely cute!)



We have a weekend of parties, lunches, friends and mad cookie baking lined up. What about you? What pre-Christmas fun have you lined up? Whatever it is, I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Christmas Creeping Slowly In.

So, there is no escape now. 'The Door Of Winter Stands Ajar', and Christmas cometh creeping in. I have succumbed.

Watch here for little things that give us away, as we bedeck our wee house, and the murmuring Autumn kitchen becomes a full joyful Winter song!

I love these pictures, taken last week by My Only Girl, age 10. They have a magical, otherworldly quality. So very Her. I long to visit her world... 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Holiday Snaps.

Some photo's from my parents house.

I just love these nutcrackers. The Little One in particular is fascinated with them. This is the first year he remembered the various stories we read over the holiday. And his eyes were agog at the story of The Nutcracker, after which he took these guys down again and had a whole little story going. No camera that day, oh well.



This is the Fairy Tree. It's the first thing you see when you enter their house at this time of year. It's just beautiful.

Happy Solstice.

On Friday, the last day of school, the shortest day of the year, we went 'down the town' in Bray, for a look around and to see the lights. We made our way to the christmas market which sadly did not live up to it's 'spectacular' promise. (Surprise surprise...) It was very flat. But The Little One was happy to sit on the carousel and be pushed around by some older girls who got tired of waiting for the guy to come back.



We finished off with fish and chips in Malloy's. A place where the food is ok but the friendliness of the owners make it worth the occasional visit. And no visit would be complete without a take-away from the bakery on our way home. Meringues, iced buns, mince pies, and of course, gingerbread men!



And so the holidays begin.

More More More!

So much to do, SO LITTLE TIME!

Little Shopper.

They were getting anxious. Eager to put some presents under the tree. So we headed up to Dundrum and they did some christmas shopping. I have to say that once again, having had quite a few conversations recently with other mothers, I am so proud and impressed at how modest their wish-lists are.

I promised The Little One he could see the fountain all lit up.



And he did.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...At Last.

Yes. At last, we got our tree today. Those darling kiddies were so patient. I think this is the latest we have ever waited. So we set off to The National Garden Exhibition Centre, which is a favourite of ours. What is it about garden centres that are just so much fun! Although this is a special one. We didn't go into the actual gardens today as they were too set on the whole tree business. Santa was paying a visit when we got there, much to their delight. I just love how magical it is at The Little One's's age. He gets all bashful and wide-eyed. At the school fair last weekend as we waited to go in I asked him what he would tell Santa when asked what he wanted. Well, the look I got! (I'm not sure if it was scorn or disbelief.) "But he KNOWS what I want!" (Tut). Though he never twigged that it was our good friend Tim behind the beard on that occasion.
However, I digress.

They took their goodie bags outside and had a run around in the freezing cold, flying from one thing to another. The place is crammed with life-size animals, statues, fountains, hidey-holes, hot-tubs, wooden chalets, and of course rows and rows and rows of plants and trees. They found a warm spot to guzzle the goodies!



We trooped inside for some apple pie and hot chocolate to warm us up. Picked up some presents and then, at last, at last the tree! Oh, the excitement!






So, the tree is now in it's corner in the sitting room, half dressed. We discovered we need some new lights!