Sunday, September 17, 2023
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Solstice Eve
For Ann
A lip of light extends long and low
above the headland.
It illuminates your house on the cliff,
pearly white in a shaft of sunlight.
Windowpanes flash silver on this Solstice Eve
and I wonder how your children are,
will they be home for Christmas.
Memories of you flood my mind,
times past when we were young mothers,
your newsy letters from Letterkenny and Cork.
I kept them for two score years
in a file under my bed.
It was a terrible misunderstanding you know,
years of refusing to talk,
inability to forgive
then the shock of your death notice
in the newspaper.
I glance to the headland,
clouds drift and merge
and there is only rain
and the crashing of waves
on the rocks.
A lip of light extends long and low
above the headland.
It illuminates your house on the cliff,
pearly white in a shaft of sunlight.
Windowpanes flash silver on this Solstice Eve
and I wonder how your children are,
will they be home for Christmas.
Memories of you flood my mind,
times past when we were young mothers,
your newsy letters from Letterkenny and Cork.
I kept them for two score years
in a file under my bed.
It was a terrible misunderstanding you know,
years of refusing to talk,
inability to forgive
then the shock of your death notice
in the newspaper.
I glance to the headland,
clouds drift and merge
and there is only rain
and the crashing of waves
on the rocks.
Monday, September 30, 2019
Poetry Monday
Marbled Chocolate
When I think back
to my first taste of chocolate,
it smacks of your seed cake
almonds neatly layered on top.
A treat on Saturday
after piano practise,
one thin slab on a white china plate
choked down with a glass of milk.
A penance,
but I never dared to tell you.
I remember your anger
when I came home from Mulligan’s,
told you they had shop-bought cake,
a triangle of marbled sweetness;
Battenberg.
They had sliced pan too;
white and fluffy,
and on Fridays, fish and chips,
lashed with salt and vinegar,
wrapped in newspaper.
I used to stand outside the chipper
watch people queue,
hungered to be like them.
You beat me senseless.
the cane snapped in two
as I bent over in apology.
You shouted that they
were common and poor,
and shop-bought
was a sin.
I lost all interest in food.
and spent years in therapy
learning how to eat.
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Birds and things ...
Wednesday 8 November
It is a cold day again only 3 degrees celsius but it was so bright and sunny, perfect for my morning walk.
Birds in my garden were feeding happily all through to day. The robin family were busy guarding their territory. They were stationed all around the garden and were quite successful in chasing blue tits over the back wall but failed with the starlings and bigger birds.
There was a little sparrow munching on nuts earlier. His name is Alan. He is from Ivy Terrace over by the Football Club. He comes from a large family so they need all the food they can get. He will send his siblings over for dinner before dusk tonight.
It is a cold day again only 3 degrees celsius but it was so bright and sunny, perfect for my morning walk.
Birds in my garden were feeding happily all through to day. The robin family were busy guarding their territory. They were stationed all around the garden and were quite successful in chasing blue tits over the back wall but failed with the starlings and bigger birds.
There was a little sparrow munching on nuts earlier. His name is Alan. He is from Ivy Terrace over by the Football Club. He comes from a large family so they need all the food they can get. He will send his siblings over for dinner before dusk tonight.
Alan
Monday, November 6, 2017
November Blog, BIRDS and Things....
6 November
This morning I opened the bedroom curtains to great activity in the garden. There were birds all over the trees feeding on the stations then flitting back to the trees. They danced amid branches, almost bare. The flame colour of the cherry tree and yellow and golden hues of the Silver Birch are glorious. The rambling roses along the garden wall are rich shiny red hips and there are offerings of riches from the ivy and solanum too. It was a delight to see the activity around feeding. I got some tea, came back to bed and watched a blackbird and thrush, then robins, sparrows, blue tits, coal tits, starlings and magpies. The whole neighbourhood was feeding in my garden. Jim had the binoculars, it was a wonderful to see them up close and for long periods of time. The Robin family who live here had their work cut out trying to defend their territory. The Father Robin (Maxwell) was on the compost bin issuing warnings to the tits. The Thrush was speckled and very beautiful. His name is Bram. There is a female Blackbird called Caroline. She is confident and well able for Max's abuse. She took up a position on the garden pillar where she had a full view of the front garden. The tit family children are Castello, Charlie, Melodie, Cobalt, Chloe and Primrose.
It was a mild November day by the sea. 12 degrees celcius, overcast and dark by 4.45 pm. The clocks went back two weeks ago.
This morning I opened the bedroom curtains to great activity in the garden. There were birds all over the trees feeding on the stations then flitting back to the trees. They danced amid branches, almost bare. The flame colour of the cherry tree and yellow and golden hues of the Silver Birch are glorious. The rambling roses along the garden wall are rich shiny red hips and there are offerings of riches from the ivy and solanum too. It was a delight to see the activity around feeding. I got some tea, came back to bed and watched a blackbird and thrush, then robins, sparrows, blue tits, coal tits, starlings and magpies. The whole neighbourhood was feeding in my garden. Jim had the binoculars, it was a wonderful to see them up close and for long periods of time. The Robin family who live here had their work cut out trying to defend their territory. The Father Robin (Maxwell) was on the compost bin issuing warnings to the tits. The Thrush was speckled and very beautiful. His name is Bram. There is a female Blackbird called Caroline. She is confident and well able for Max's abuse. She took up a position on the garden pillar where she had a full view of the front garden. The tit family children are Castello, Charlie, Melodie, Cobalt, Chloe and Primrose.
It was a mild November day by the sea. 12 degrees celcius, overcast and dark by 4.45 pm. The clocks went back two weeks ago.
 |
| Blue tit Charlie |
 |
| Max Robin |
Birds and Things November Blog
Yesterday we bought two Bird Feeding Stations in Aldi for 20 euro each. There has been no activity there but it will take a few days for the birds to get comfortable with visits and feeding.
It was James's 35th Birthday yesterday (Sunday 5 November) so he and Elaine came out to celebrate his special day. I do not know where time has gone to but it is gone!!. We are all growing older by the day. I made an apple cake with the last of the garden apples. It was delicious. We sat around the kitchen table chatting into the darkness and a Beaver moon.
Photos of the Bird Feeding Stations
 |
| Front Garden Station |
|
| Back Garden Station |
 |
| A swing with seeds and nuts for larger birds |
Greystones Coast Daily Blog on Birds and things.....
November 4, 2017
BIRDS and THINGS Blog
Finally we have time to welcome the Birds of this area into our Garden. I have been planning to do this for years but with work and other commitments, I did not get around to it until now.
Recently I watched Autumnwatch on BBC2 TV and decided to do some watching and note taking in my own back yard. There is so much that happens out there that we do not take time to see. Now that I have more time, I will invest in the birds, keep this blog going if I can.
It is November and I have a view of the South beach from my bedroom window here in Greystones. The train runs along the track from Greystones to Wexford on the half hour. I used to live next to the Railway track that ran from Waterford to Tramore as a child so trains are important to me. I love to hear the whistle blow, to watch the train trundle down the track beside the beach. I especially love to watch it in Winter, cabins lit up, people looking out as it passes into the darkness.
Sitting on the bed in the back of the house I can see the tree tops in my garden. I have a 20 year old weeping Silver Birch, a laurel of the same age, an 18 year old Cherry, a Bramley Apple tree and a Pittisporum which I planted in 2004 when we came to live in this house. I have various large shrubs, acers and plants in the beds and a huge variety of roses... tea roses and climbers and ramblers that span walls and trellises. It is not a very mature habitat but it is pretty at this time of year and full of ripe hips. I have other climbers such as ivy, solanum and honeysuckle that offer seeds and berries to the birds. They grow on walls all around the house. The garden is rich with Autumn colour just now. The Cherry is a flame red today and the birch yellow and golden hues. It is a beautiful time of year and a perfect time to feed the birds as Winter is here. The clocks went back two weeks ago so it is dark most evenings around 5.30 pm and first light is around 7.30 pm. It will of course continue to get darker until the December Solstice when I look forward to longer days again. We have a short period of Winter here in Ireland and it rarely gets below zero degrees celcius.
Today was chilly at 3 degrees celsius but it is usually around 10 degrees by the sea. We are lucky to have only passing rain showers on the East Coast.
Jim and I bought two bird stations in Aldi today and installed one in the front garden by the den window and one in the back garden by the conservatory. We will monitor and take notes of activities each day as we go about our lives here. We actually have a family of Robins living in our beech hedge in the front garden. They patrol the trees daily from the Silver Birch in the back to a Silver Birch in the front. I hope by inviting all birds into our gardens that we do not upset the Robin Family too much.
Below is a photo of the Birch and Cherry trees in my back garden.
BIRDS and THINGS Blog
Finally we have time to welcome the Birds of this area into our Garden. I have been planning to do this for years but with work and other commitments, I did not get around to it until now.
Recently I watched Autumnwatch on BBC2 TV and decided to do some watching and note taking in my own back yard. There is so much that happens out there that we do not take time to see. Now that I have more time, I will invest in the birds, keep this blog going if I can.
It is November and I have a view of the South beach from my bedroom window here in Greystones. The train runs along the track from Greystones to Wexford on the half hour. I used to live next to the Railway track that ran from Waterford to Tramore as a child so trains are important to me. I love to hear the whistle blow, to watch the train trundle down the track beside the beach. I especially love to watch it in Winter, cabins lit up, people looking out as it passes into the darkness.
Sitting on the bed in the back of the house I can see the tree tops in my garden. I have a 20 year old weeping Silver Birch, a laurel of the same age, an 18 year old Cherry, a Bramley Apple tree and a Pittisporum which I planted in 2004 when we came to live in this house. I have various large shrubs, acers and plants in the beds and a huge variety of roses... tea roses and climbers and ramblers that span walls and trellises. It is not a very mature habitat but it is pretty at this time of year and full of ripe hips. I have other climbers such as ivy, solanum and honeysuckle that offer seeds and berries to the birds. They grow on walls all around the house. The garden is rich with Autumn colour just now. The Cherry is a flame red today and the birch yellow and golden hues. It is a beautiful time of year and a perfect time to feed the birds as Winter is here. The clocks went back two weeks ago so it is dark most evenings around 5.30 pm and first light is around 7.30 pm. It will of course continue to get darker until the December Solstice when I look forward to longer days again. We have a short period of Winter here in Ireland and it rarely gets below zero degrees celcius.
Today was chilly at 3 degrees celsius but it is usually around 10 degrees by the sea. We are lucky to have only passing rain showers on the East Coast.
Jim and I bought two bird stations in Aldi today and installed one in the front garden by the den window and one in the back garden by the conservatory. We will monitor and take notes of activities each day as we go about our lives here. We actually have a family of Robins living in our beech hedge in the front garden. They patrol the trees daily from the Silver Birch in the back to a Silver Birch in the front. I hope by inviting all birds into our gardens that we do not upset the Robin Family too much.
Below is a photo of the Birch and Cherry trees in my back garden.
 |
| Trellis area is covered in Rambling Roses, Wisteria, Solanum and Ivy Acer is so red at this time of year. |
Saturday, October 21, 2017
September 2017 Cruise on the Shannon River
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inis cealtra and Mountshannon
On the road that runs behind the harbour at Mountshannon,
Apples hang bountiful from high garden walls.
There are figs and grapes too
As we walk through a maze
Enchanted.
All these towns along the Shannon remind me of my childhood years
In Gardens lush with Fuchsia, hydrangea, climbing roses,
The old Refectory, church steeple, grey stone, mossy walls,
Walks across fields of soft sodden years
The earthy scent of the forest.
I almost expect my grandmother to be sitting outside a house
Knitting an Aran jumper,
Nut brown hands
Chatting with strangers
Passing the time of day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inis Cealtra
A cormorant poised on a river marker,
Wings outstretched
As we say goodbye to Mountshannon
And I think of the saints who came to these shores
To Holy Island so long ago.
The round tower peak, still high amid Ash and Sycamore,
the ruins of a monastic site,
A place of peace on these lakeside shores
A place in my heart.
Shannon river September 2017
Notes and memories
Swallows follow our boat upriver
Silvery flashes in noonday sun.
Reeds nod in unison
And up by Corehlin Bay
A bevy of swans rise from inky waters
Into a blue noon.
15/9/17
A gaggle of ducks
Sweep over the brown marshland Of Lough Forbes
Where swans silently slumber
And hedgerows extend ruddy sweet haws and hips
Of early Autumn
The river is swollen
With sweet Autumn rains
Rich ripening haws illuminate
Buttercup meadows,
The shape of the breeze in tall reeds.
Passing showers
An alder sapling
In the lock gate
All along the river's edge
Nuts and berries
Autumn red
Rainbow
Bridges the town connecting
One home to another
18/9
River fog
The clarity
Of robin song
Fog
Caught in gorse webs
Day lifting
Jamestown Canal
September morning
Crossing the Canal,
Mist lifting all around
Along the bank
Fog trapped in webs
Draped across gorse
Swallows follow our boat upriver
Silvery flashes in noonday sun.
Reeds nod in unison
And up by Corehlin Bay
A bevy of swans rise from inky waters
Into a blue noon.
15/9/17
A gaggle of ducks
Sweep over the brown marshland Of Lough Forbes
Where swans silently slumber
And hedgerows extend ruddy sweet haws and hips
Of early Autumn
The river is swollen
With sweet Autumn rains
Rich ripening haws illuminate
Buttercup meadows,
The shape of the breeze in tall reeds.
Passing showers
An alder sapling
In the lock gate
All along the river's edge
Nuts and berries
Autumn red
Rainbow
Bridges the town connecting
One home to another
18/9
River fog
The clarity
Of robin song
Fog
Caught in gorse webs
Day lifting
Jamestown Canal
September morning
Crossing the Canal,
Mist lifting all around
Along the bank
Fog trapped in webs
Draped across gorse
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Christmas Cross Stitch Tree, birds, reindeer, ribbon and card
Christmas Tree wiht birds, Reindeer and Ribbon.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Essence from Paris with Pearl Pins on Lace and Mirror Gold Card
Collage of Vintage France on Card with Hessian, Lace, Ribbon and handmade Embellishments.
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