This decorative painted swag was on a pub on Baggot Street, and the building is the old Royal City of Dublin Hospital - it had got nice and sunny again by then.
Friday 22 October 2010
Scene in town
We were going down to friends in Avoca for dinner yesterday, so after work I had some time to fill in before meeting C at his office. I got some bits and pieces I needed, and some wool to knit a baby sweater for friends who have just had their first baby. I've plenty of wool here, but a lot of mine is not as smooth as I'd choose for a newborn. Then I walked through Stephen's Green, hoping to find a couple more pictures for last week's Fall Splendour photo challenge. Alas, it had got fairly grey and overcast by then, and with two shopping bags and a big bunch of sunflowers as well as my backpack, taking photos wasn't the easiest thing to do. But I had a lovely time watching this swan grooming itself.
This decorative painted swag was on a pub on Baggot Street, and the building is the old Royal City of Dublin Hospital - it had got nice and sunny again by then.
This decorative painted swag was on a pub on Baggot Street, and the building is the old Royal City of Dublin Hospital - it had got nice and sunny again by then.
Monday 18 October 2010
Bits and pieces...
Still plugging away winnowing out some photos and picking the best for uploading. I managed to get through a good few tonight while on the phone to my dad. I mentioned that the old town was on the hill - quite a few of the streets are steps, as in the first photo here.
These lovely red shutters were on the Port Authority building. We couldn't see it from the beach at all, but once you'd swum out a little bit, there they were, a lovely splash of colour.
And this cat on a roof under the moon was just across the road from it, on an evening walk.
There were two main churches in the town - one near us, much newer, complete with air-conditioning.
This one was up at the top of the hill near the castle.
No air-con in this one, but benches around the outside and lots of shade from the trees.
These lovely red shutters were on the Port Authority building. We couldn't see it from the beach at all, but once you'd swum out a little bit, there they were, a lovely splash of colour.
And this cat on a roof under the moon was just across the road from it, on an evening walk.
There were two main churches in the town - one near us, much newer, complete with air-conditioning.
This one was up at the top of the hill near the castle.
Sunday 17 October 2010
Beacons on the hill
When we were looking at the sketch map of Astros, we couldn't work out what one of the little drawings was - turned out it was a castle!
In the bakery where we used to get our breakfast, there were three photos on the wall of Astros going back to the early 20th century, from about 19-something to 1928. At that stage it looks as if it was pretty much a few houses tumbling down the hill with the castle on it. There's a small open air theatre, and a little lighthouse. When you walk up to the castle, there's a hidden bit of the headland, with another beacon on it, this one solar-powered. Someone in the village was telling us that one hadn't been there all that long, only since the area got developed more so that the original beacon was lost in all the village lights. The hill top was covered with almond trees - with tiny, very bitter almonds. There were also splashes of little cyclamen growing here and there - even in cracks in the rocks. I can't find a date for the castle; it was remarkably spacious inside those walls, but not all that old looking. However there used to be a much older settlement on the same site - you could still see traces of the walls. In the night photo, you can see the lit-up cross on the church that was downhill from the castle.
In the bakery where we used to get our breakfast, there were three photos on the wall of Astros going back to the early 20th century, from about 19-something to 1928. At that stage it looks as if it was pretty much a few houses tumbling down the hill with the castle on it. There's a small open air theatre, and a little lighthouse. When you walk up to the castle, there's a hidden bit of the headland, with another beacon on it, this one solar-powered. Someone in the village was telling us that one hadn't been there all that long, only since the area got developed more so that the original beacon was lost in all the village lights. The hill top was covered with almond trees - with tiny, very bitter almonds. There were also splashes of little cyclamen growing here and there - even in cracks in the rocks. I can't find a date for the castle; it was remarkably spacious inside those walls, but not all that old looking. However there used to be a much older settlement on the same site - you could still see traces of the walls. In the night photo, you can see the lit-up cross on the church that was downhill from the castle.
Sunday 10 October 2010
Athens Miscellany
Just a few snippets to wrap Athens up. On our Sunday morning there we started off by finding somewhere for coffee and then went for a walk in the National Garden just beside the Parliament building.
The Zappion was built in 1878 and donated to the nation by the Zappas brothers from Ipirus. This building was the first to hold an indoor Olympic event, in the 1896 Olympics.
On our way from there to the Acropolis we passed this brass band gathered at an entrance. We were hoping to hear them and would have waited around, but it turned out that they were just waiting for a coach, so we didn't get to here them. Last year in Zakynthos we heard a Cypriot marching band one evening - it was lovely.
Dionisiou Aeropagitou, leading up to the Acropolis, is a pedestrian street, full of street performers and buskers but also quite residential, and with a church. The balcony and lantern were along this street, as well as the church.
The Zappion was built in 1878 and donated to the nation by the Zappas brothers from Ipirus. This building was the first to hold an indoor Olympic event, in the 1896 Olympics.
Zappion Palace
On our way from there to the Acropolis we passed this brass band gathered at an entrance. We were hoping to hear them and would have waited around, but it turned out that they were just waiting for a coach, so we didn't get to here them. Last year in Zakynthos we heard a Cypriot marching band one evening - it was lovely.
Dionisiou Aeropagitou, leading up to the Acropolis, is a pedestrian street, full of street performers and buskers but also quite residential, and with a church. The balcony and lantern were along this street, as well as the church.
Athens continued...
Erechtheion (on the Acropolis)
Herod Atticus Odeon (I think - there were two amphitheatres)
Gate of Andrianos
Roofscape and cityscape
Saturday 9 October 2010
Athens
Thinking laterally about interpretations of "Berried Treasure" made me think of the bottom drawer of my freezer, and the fact that it has far too many packs of cranberries in it, given that they'll be appearing in the shops again soon. So I made these:
Cranberry Spice Squares
1 cup cranberries
1 tsp each soda, cinnamon, cloves, ground nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
Chop the cranberries coarsely. Sift the flour with the salt, soda and spices.
Cream butter and sugar together till light and fluffy, then add the egg. Add the flour in three parts alternately with the milk. Stir in the cranberries.
Bake in a greased 8" square pan at 350F / 170C for about an hour. Cool in the pan for ten minutes before turning out.
There's an optional frosting which I have tried but don't usually bother with - 3 oz cream cheese beaten till light, then beat in 2 tblsp cranberry sauce, then 3 1/2 cups icing/confectioners sugar.
This recipe comes from Boston Tea Parties - Recipes from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
A much loved and well used book. Back in the days when C started his job in a fine-art supplies company there were three members of staff and the boss, and I used to make a batch of cookies for them every week. By the time I joined the company there were six members of staff including a couple who were not too disciplined and the cookies didn't always last even a day, so at some stage I gave up making them, but by then I had worked my way through a considerable amount of recipes from Boston Tea Parties.
I'm starting my brief tour of Athens with a picture from our last day. We met relatives of C's sister-in-law and had a lovely time with them. They met us at the bus station and we went to where B works before they brought us back to their apartment. From up on the roof there was a great view across to the Acropolis!
I think we were lucky in that both times we were in Athens it was actually cloudy and overcast much of the time and consequently not too hot. It was such a mixture of old ruins in amongst all the buildings. The Parthenon itself is undergoing extensive restoration.
Cranberry Spice Squares
1 cup cranberries
1 tsp each soda, cinnamon, cloves, ground nutmeg
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
Chop the cranberries coarsely. Sift the flour with the salt, soda and spices.
Cream butter and sugar together till light and fluffy, then add the egg. Add the flour in three parts alternately with the milk. Stir in the cranberries.
Bake in a greased 8" square pan at 350F / 170C for about an hour. Cool in the pan for ten minutes before turning out.
There's an optional frosting which I have tried but don't usually bother with - 3 oz cream cheese beaten till light, then beat in 2 tblsp cranberry sauce, then 3 1/2 cups icing/confectioners sugar.
This recipe comes from Boston Tea Parties - Recipes from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
A much loved and well used book. Back in the days when C started his job in a fine-art supplies company there were three members of staff and the boss, and I used to make a batch of cookies for them every week. By the time I joined the company there were six members of staff including a couple who were not too disciplined and the cookies didn't always last even a day, so at some stage I gave up making them, but by then I had worked my way through a considerable amount of recipes from Boston Tea Parties.
I'm starting my brief tour of Athens with a picture from our last day. We met relatives of C's sister-in-law and had a lovely time with them. They met us at the bus station and we went to where B works before they brought us back to their apartment. From up on the roof there was a great view across to the Acropolis!
I think we were lucky in that both times we were in Athens it was actually cloudy and overcast much of the time and consequently not too hot. It was such a mixture of old ruins in amongst all the buildings. The Parthenon itself is undergoing extensive restoration.
Parthenon
Temple of Athene Nike (I think)
Thursday 7 October 2010
A Fishy Tale
I think I mentioned that Astros was a busy little fishing harbour as well as having some very (VERY) fancy yachts and so on.
Quite apart from the fleet of little fishing boats, this was also evidenced by the number of fish shops in the village:
Quite apart from the fleet of little fishing boats, this was also evidenced by the number of fish shops in the village:
Plus one other more sterile, less photogenic sign which I didn't bother with.
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Still no Greek photos
One litre of milk was lost in the taking of these photos...
C is very fussy about milk - he looks at the date on the lid, and if it's even a day over he will be very reluctant to use it. Me - I go by smell. If it smells OK, I'll drink it or have it on cereal, but if I had milk in my tea (I don't), I might hesitate a moment.
So, our milk had today's date on it and I thought I'd better buy a litre on the way to work this morning. (We had cauliflower cheese for tea, to use most of the old milk up).
I was crossing the bridge over the Liffey and saw a large cygnet with two swans - first time all summer I've seen one on the Liffey. So, I took my camera out of my bag and stuffed the milk in and took some photos...
Got into work and went to take the milk out of my backpack to store in the fridge. Out comes a geyser of milk - somehow, for the first time ever, I'd managed to shove it straight down onto a knitting needle. I was just lucky that while it was still in the bag, it didn't leak at all - and was I ever glad that I'd got just one litre instead of the two litres that I usually buy.
The photo of the swans and cygnet isn't so good but I've included it so that you can see how large the cygnet is - almost adult size.
Sloe gin - already that lovely ruby-red colour is seeping out of the berries. I read that you can freeze the berries for 24 hours which causes the skins to split and means you don't need to pierce each one, but I chose the piercing option.
C is very fussy about milk - he looks at the date on the lid, and if it's even a day over he will be very reluctant to use it. Me - I go by smell. If it smells OK, I'll drink it or have it on cereal, but if I had milk in my tea (I don't), I might hesitate a moment.
So, our milk had today's date on it and I thought I'd better buy a litre on the way to work this morning. (We had cauliflower cheese for tea, to use most of the old milk up).
I was crossing the bridge over the Liffey and saw a large cygnet with two swans - first time all summer I've seen one on the Liffey. So, I took my camera out of my bag and stuffed the milk in and took some photos...
Got into work and went to take the milk out of my backpack to store in the fridge. Out comes a geyser of milk - somehow, for the first time ever, I'd managed to shove it straight down onto a knitting needle. I was just lucky that while it was still in the bag, it didn't leak at all - and was I ever glad that I'd got just one litre instead of the two litres that I usually buy.
The photo of the swans and cygnet isn't so good but I've included it so that you can see how large the cygnet is - almost adult size.
Sloe gin - already that lovely ruby-red colour is seeping out of the berries. I read that you can freeze the berries for 24 hours which causes the skins to split and means you don't need to pierce each one, but I chose the piercing option.
Tuesday 5 October 2010
Berried Treasure
I am not doing well at catching up on my photos! My hayfever is still bad, whatever is triggering it.
So the Greek photos are still waiting to be sorted - especially as we were away last weekend.
We went down to Clare and had a lovely restful, lazy time. On Saturday we went out picking sloes, so now there are several jars of sloe gin on the go - it should be ready to start drinking at Christmas. By a coincidence (I suppose not, given the time of year) there was actually a recipe for it in the magazine section of the Irish Times over the weekend, which saved me looking it up yet again. Fill a jar 1/4 full with sugar, then fill to 3/4 full with pierced sloes and then fill with gin. Shake regularly for the first couple of weeks and then occasionally thereafter. Strain and bottle after three months. Some recipes I have read say it improves the longer you can keep it, but we've never had any last more than two or three years so I can't verify this.
Inspired by our weekend I chose the theme of Berried Treasure for the photo challenge on SCS this week. And even with that in mind, I didn't find any good blackberries, just a rather scrubby bush along the driveway. I can probably do better at the end of our own garden if it's sunny tomorrow.
So the Greek photos are still waiting to be sorted - especially as we were away last weekend.
We went down to Clare and had a lovely restful, lazy time. On Saturday we went out picking sloes, so now there are several jars of sloe gin on the go - it should be ready to start drinking at Christmas. By a coincidence (I suppose not, given the time of year) there was actually a recipe for it in the magazine section of the Irish Times over the weekend, which saved me looking it up yet again. Fill a jar 1/4 full with sugar, then fill to 3/4 full with pierced sloes and then fill with gin. Shake regularly for the first couple of weeks and then occasionally thereafter. Strain and bottle after three months. Some recipes I have read say it improves the longer you can keep it, but we've never had any last more than two or three years so I can't verify this.
Inspired by our weekend I chose the theme of Berried Treasure for the photo challenge on SCS this week. And even with that in mind, I didn't find any good blackberries, just a rather scrubby bush along the driveway. I can probably do better at the end of our own garden if it's sunny tomorrow.
Sloes on the Burren
Some sort of wild rose, I think - I know I've seen it in flower on the Burren
Hawthorn in the garden
Spindle berry in Dromore Wood
Sloes and unknown tree in Dromore Wood
Unknown Burren plant - possibly the little wild rose
As you can see from the blue skies we did well with the weather - apart from getting pretty soaked on our way back to the car after picking the sloes.
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