April Favourites

 My bad - here we are the 4th of May already and I've only just realised that I didn't update my header (now a mandarin duck from the Botanic Gardens last April) or share my favourite cards from April.

I had a blitz at using up bits and pieces from my desk, so several of the cards are using up "fragments that remain". The first herringbone card uses all sorts of mixed media backgrounds, gel prints, stencilling etc. I can throw scraps of patterned paper out without a backward glance, but tend to save all the offcuts from my own backgrounds. So when it came to the second herringbone card (a rainbow without a bow), I did actually have to cut all the strips I needed. 

We took another trip to Farmleigh last Sunday, but it was a busy week and I haven't yet had time to do anything with the photos. Today, after a quick visit to my aunt's house, we went on the the bird reserve not too far from her. It was of course the wrong time of year to see much, but the sunshine and the sound of birdsong was so peaceful and relaxing. I'll try to get along with a few photos from there too. 

Happy Easter

 Some Spring bunnies...

And just a couple of other favourites from March.

And a lovely stone bench made from old stone capitals - my sister and I went for a walk to this little park on St. Patrick's Day.

St Patrick's Day

 My bad - I meant to schedule this before I went down to visit my sister, but there was a lot going on last week. 

The greeting says "Happy St. Patrick's Day to you", and is the traditional old Irish script which went out of use in the mid twentieth century. 

The same chestnut tree in the park which was the first to green up last year is already green.  The forsythia is in my sister's garden - it was exceptionally good weather for St. Patrick's Day. 

February Favourites

 Thin on the ground... we've been short-staffed in work and I've had to do extra days, 

I spent a weekend mid-month with my sister. The weather was pretty dreary, but we went to a forest park beside a reservoir, also the national rowing centre of Ireland - it was a pleasant walk in spite of the misty drizzle, and there was a little van selling hot drinks which was a nice treat afterwards.

An abundance of red berries, which we presumed were not attractive to the birds as there were so many of them. 

I had a rather unnerving experience on Monday when my front brake stopped working shortly after leaving home. I had felt it was a bit loose and was thinking I must book a service sooner rather than later, when it went altogether. I was careful but not overly worried because I knew we had replaced the rear cable just before Christmas, so it was quite a shock when the rear brake too stopped working totally - luckily on the flat, and luckily near work so I didn't have too far to push the bike. And luckily a day C was working at home, and was able to come in at lunch and pick me up.

As I walked I passed this utility box, which has definitely been repainted as used to be something else altogether.

Two  new brake cables and everything is fine again, but especially when one was almost brand new it's a bit of a mystery to everybody how it could have happened.

January favourites and a beach

 Are very thin on the ground...

I spent a weekend earlier in the month with my sister. On the Sunday morning we went to a beach in West Cork for a walk and a fish and chips (fries) lunch. Although the weather doesn't look great in the photos, it was beautiful for our drive over, and was in fact lovely for our walk. Queuing for the fish and chips was very windy, the beach much less so. 

Long Strand, Castlefreke.

November Favourites

 Another busy month with not a lot of creating time. I don't have any other photos either - a too-blurred one of an interesting utility box cover which is sadly way off my normal route so I'm not likely to pass it again any time soon. Maybe I'll just share it anyway, blurred or not. There was a lot of traffic on the road so I was probably rushing trying to take it. 

 Being the first of December when this posts, I will include a couple of my more favourite Christmas cards from November - it was my main card-making focus as I tried to catch up with myself. Normally I can create enough during the year that I'm only left needing a half dozen or so.

Rainbow over the entrance to the Phoenix Park during Storm Debi

Poor photo of utility box cover in Donnybrook (actually October)

The header this month is an oystercatcher on the mudflats at Warrenpoint, with a low setting sun reflecting off the sand. 

October Favourites

 Hard to believe another month is over - but I can hear all the Halloween fireworks going off as I type, and we've had a handful of trick-or-treaters call to the door.

A few cards and a couple of crafty projects...

The Chinese Lanterns card will go to my aunt-in-law. My aunt who died in the summer always brought Mary Chinese Lanterns, because they won't grow for Mary. This I find almost impossible to believe, because I have always found them incredibly invasive. Anyway, I brought Mary a bunch in September and thought I'd make a coordinating Christmas card.

The hat was knit with leftovers from the sweater I shared last month, for C to bring as a present for his friend in Maine.  I added an extra colour in for the zigzag which did leave me with four colours in each row on occasion, but it was mostly straightforward. 

I was tidying fabric scraps so as to give away what I wouldn't use. I made place mats for my sister and myself from the cat fabric a couple of Christmases ago, and used what was left to make a tote-bag for a cat-loving friend.

The only photos I have from last November appear to be from Wild Lights at the zoo, so that's my header, This year's theme isn't one that appeals to me, so I think we will be giving it a miss. Last year's was biodiversity, and I would have gone twice if I'd been able to get more tickets.