White O'Morn Cottage

A Weekend of R & R in Lovely Leitrim

I'm back... restored, recharged and re-energised after a great weekend in Lovely Leitrim. Yes, it's officially known as Lovely Leitrim. .....because...well, there is no  other way to describe it... it is simply lovely.

All of our counties are known by their special names...the Fair City is Dublin, the Rebel County is Cork, the Royal County is Meath, the Kingdom is Kerry and the Lovely County is Leitrim. It's true!!! I don't make this up as I go along you know.

Paul couldn't go at the last moment due to work so I celebrated our anniversary anyway. Here is a pic that sums up the weekend in Lovely Leitrim...

Them's my tootsies in my "Mad Cow" slippers relaxing on the deck of The Old Schoolhouse on Friday afternoon. It overlooks the girls' playground, the apple trees, in bloom with appleblossoms, and the view looks out towards the nearest town, Ballinamore.

I was just off the bus from Dublin (three hours) That trip was lovely too. I had my Ipod on all the way (Dixie Chicks and Il Divo) the scenery was wonderful and I dipped into my book now and again and refused to make eye contact with anyone in case they tried to talk to me. "FECK OFF - I'm on me holliers!

Next we tried out the swing that hangs from a very high branch in the girls playground. A fit of the giggles followed...as you can see, because instead of going back and forward, the swing started to go in circles! We decided Angie was either water divining or was having a girl! (you know...hold a threaded needle over a pregnant woman and if it goes in a circle it's a girl or back and forward it's a boy...try it -it works!)

Then a little meditation down at the 'Dry Toilets' for me (a child of the sixties and a card carryin' tree hugger - but if you look carefully you can see a look of pure devilment on my face)

Next it was a case of ..."put on lots of slap (make up) and "you take a nice pic of me and I'll take a nice pic of you 'cos we are Glam Sham-Rock Chicks"

Actually, the wall I am sitting on is the one that divided the boys playground ...behind me, from the girls playground, in earlier pics. Angie is seen here revin' up the BBQ or as she put it..."Ridin' the range"

Fri. evening we were joined for a BBQ by friends who have also bought homes in Lovely Leitrim to get away from it all. This pic was taken specially for you Debby Perry of Sanity -no longer an option...(on sidebar)

....This is... "The Psycho Pats" ...(or)... "Those of us for whom "Sanity - was never an option!"

left to right Zinda, Angie, Katy

Ed and Darrin.

Anyway the next morning at dawn, (well to be honest - it was 11am - it just felt like dawn)

... Zinda, who could represent Ireland in "Shopping" if it was an Olympic event, called to take us (much against our will) shopping in Enniskillen.

Now those of you good at geography will know that that Enniskillen is in another country entirely! Cross border...international shopping if you don't mind! We even had to change currency to Sterling from Euro.

Ballinamore is very near the border with Northern Ireland and everyone here has a sterling purse...(well the women do as men don't care for shopping in any country -right?) They go to watch "The Match" ... in "The Pub" (any match...any pub)

Love u Zinda, but feck off! - if you think you are bringin' this trolly dolly shoppin' in foreign parts again!

Zinda dropped me off at "White O'Morn Cottage" at six on Saturday evening (make a note...NEVER go shopping with her again, - go to pub with men instead...Yes, men know a thing or three)

After Zinda released me from shopping duty I had a lovely evening cleaning the cottage (huh? ...a lovely evening cleaning? Does not compute!!!) Well, you see, any evening in White O'Morn is a lovely evening. Smalltzee wench I am!

I had to clean the cottage as we are having visitors soon! The lovely Kimme of Irish Cottage Dreams and her husband, Patrick, are coming to visit soon from Germany (and so are sister Teeda and her hubby JOB (Joe O'Brien) from Canada.

Kimme does the most amazing computer art from photographs and super mousemats and calendars and stuff...check her out....see my blog list on sidebar and Teeda does handmade jewellery...see sidebar, Beadiva

Anyway I had a peaceful solitudious Sunday morning and when I looked out the window I saw this sight which brings meaning to the saying " the view was breathtaking" ....The creator had painted another masterpiece for me to marvel at...I swear that every time I look at it this view is different. Check out my collection of photos of this view to compare.

Ten minutes later the view had changed again and I zoomed in as far as possible and took this picture of the church in Augahwillan (where Angie's schoolhouse is) right on the horizon of the above picture. Bear in mind that this church spire is at least four miles away from my cottage. ....(the church spire is the tall white thingy just left of the church itself which is the reddish roofed building, just above left of the white house in the centre of the picture.) This is the churchyard where famous Irish author John McGahern is buried. I will post a close up picture soon of this pretty little white washed church....don't you just love these digital cameras? Four miles away and I captured it!

29 Years Married Today!

Happy Anniversary Paul...how are you fixed for the next 29?

Here is the card I made for him...We're off to Leitrim for the next few days to celebrate! I'll be taking lots of photos to share next week. Cheers...for now.

Happy Birthday Catherine!

My sister had a birthday this week and I decided to make her something hand crafted for it. I bought this little wooden shack designed to hold a photo in the frame at front and it opens to store hundreds more.

It was as plain as can be so I added:  her surname- Sweetman, in plaster molded letters, I used Tippex to write "Photo Shack" added the gold sticks, roses, bumble bees, punched paper butterflies and vintage photo. It makes for a very personal and useful storage for all her loose photos.    

Three Things That Delighted Me This Week

Delight in the little things...that's my motto and I even have a rubber stamp that says that. If I ever find it I will show it to you.

So here's what delighted me this week. I found my antique silver thimble ( I had thought I had lost it but it was in the safe place I had put it (I blame the mentalpause)

Paul bought me this last Christmas...because...

What do you buy the girl (I use the term loosely) who has everything?

That is the problem facing my husband every time a birthday or Christmas comes along. I have the same problem buying something special for him too. We have been married for twenty nine years on 15 May and were together for six before that  find that we have exhausted the list of possibilities…a nice problem to have.

So how pleased I was when he came up with an original idea for me. I have been doing a lot of sewing lately so what could be more perfect than an antique/vintage silver thimble!

These digital cameras with the macro setting are wonderful for checking out hallmarks. This one tells me it was made by JC & S in

Birmingham

,

England

from sterling silver and the date stamp is P inside a lozenge shape. I looked it up and as far as I can make out it is from between late eighteen hundreds to the twenties.

What a little treasure and I can’t help thinking about the lady or ladies who used before me.

Next I have for you a peek at one of my favourite cosy spots at home. It delights me every week, every day in fact. I wake up here every morning....No, no, I don't actually sleep here - I said I wake up here. I get out of bed and sleepwalk to the kitchen make a cup of tea and take it in here to the couch and slowly wake up. It is my treasured ten minutes every morning and everyone knows not to disturb me until I have surfaced or they risk a vicious growl.

...and last but not least...this handsome man gave me a big hug! He knocked on my door on Saturday morning and declared..." I am José and I am back!" "Eh, hello" says I a bit wary. "Who the hell is at the door?" says himself "It is your Spanish son" says José "Ah sufferin' heart" says I...and what himself said is unprintable... I looked at him and he looked at me (I knew for sure I had not had any dallience with no Spaniards in my youth...and even if I had forgotten ...I know I would have remembered having a child out of it - Let's face it girls....it's not very forgettable is it? One might forget where one put one's rubber stamps or ones antique thimble but one would not put a child down somewhere in Spain and forget where one put him, now would one? Himself (hubby) was desperately examining his conscience and I could tell it was like his life flashing before him - when José (much to everyone's relief) made it all clear "When I was thirteen I stayed with you for the summer to study English in Ireland...I am José and I am back! I have never forgotten my Irish "parents" and I called in to say hello and give you this present" Well, it was seventeen years since he had been here and now he is in his thirties and had a touch of gray hair and is a pharmacist (God knows what he made of us!) Anyway that was one surprise visit and big hug from my Spanish son that delighted me. Imagine looking us up after so long! What delighted you this week?

Amazing Anna's Photo Art

I want to introduce you to Anna. This is an example of her work...it is  a self portrait

Officially she is a friend or ours..... unofficially, she is a member of our family. She is zany, certifiably happy and a confirmed red hatter.

She is also an amazing photoartist and Photoshop genius. Here are a few of the wonderful photos she has done for us so far....

This is the postcard she made for us for when we invite people to stay in the cottage. (She has taken years off me in Photoshop so don't expect to meet this gorgeous a creature in real life!)

Ohh, Christmas pics in May! forgve me...

Here I am swamped by my very tall sons...left to right: Jamie 22, Stephen 28 and Chris 29

This is one I commissioned for Chris's birthday to mark his interest and talent in creative writing. She superimposed writings from Shakespeare in the background. Click to enlarge.

 

And this one was commissioned for Stepehen's birthday to reflect his talent and interest in music. Stepen has a grá for the stage and is in a band and she has captured that perfectly! Jamie's is a work in progress and will be added when it is finished.

...and this is another self portrait...don't you wish you had the power to make yourself look like this? If you want to commission Anna to make you a fantasy photo for someone special or a virtual facelift for yourself she charges only 35 Euro inc. shipping for an eight by ten photo (and of course, cheaper by the dozen) You will need to email her an good quality photo and details of what theme or changes you would like to be in the finished picture.

Here are some more of her ideas, makeovers and virtual facelifts for you to browse    

Happy Birthday Da! Willa is 87 years young!

Today my dad is 87! I am going over there for a little party with Mam and Dad later tonight. Here is a picture of the birthday boy

In the meantime here is their wedding photo. I love old wedding pictures. Look at that fabulous dress. How I wish she had kept it.

I noticed that their crockery is blue Willow pattern...my favourite and the design I use in White O'Morn cottage!

DIY Art and River Gods

I was having my (Dublin) bathroom renovated a few years ago and decided it would be a good idea to go on hols while the work was being done. So off I went to visit Teeda in Alberta, Canada . One of the things I wanted for the new bathroom was some nudes. It was to be tiled in white with a black trim and I fancied pewter coloured pieces to finish it off.

I spotted them in the very first shop! In we went to do the deed but when we chanced to look at the price tag......Uh oh, not affordable, well, not without taking a second mortage on the house)....A small fortune! They were hand made and the price reflected it.

"No problem" says herself (Teeda) "we'll just take a picture of them and make them ourselves!"

We just had to buy the  clay and pewter paint as she had all the rest in her art room, tools and such.

Then came the challenging bit..."I'll make the male and you'll make the female" says she - as if she thought I was a dab hand at sculpting the odd female nude any time I felt like it!

"Sure I know what to do and I wont let you go wrong, and we'll open a bottle of Wizzz (white zinfandel) to be sure"

Well what a fun night that turned out to be! After my nude was made (ala Picasso style and gillions of laughter...It was looking scarily like a self portrait!) Teeda stepped in and showed me how to build up the famale figure and gave it a few magic prods and pokes and "Voila" ...

my first and only sculpture was born. Here they are in my bathroom. They need a new coat of pewter paint I see! Picture at the top also shows the mirror, which was an old one, that I painted the frame of in matching pewter paint. Teeda also made me this wonderul river god. The rivers and waters of Ireland each have a river god dedicated to them. The one on the left is the Atlantic God and the original is on the Custom House in Dublin (this one is in my bathroom in Dublin)

The next one is the original head of the Boyne river god.

Teeda's Hand Crafted Swarovski Jewellery

  Lucky me! I have a very talented sis, Teeda, who makes the most wonderful handmade jewellery. First three pictures show the aurora borealis necklace and bracelet set she made me for last Christmas.

In the next pic I am  

In the next pic I am wearing another Swarovski beauty she made me for my birthday. I am also wearing some of my own collection of vintage jewellery, the earrings are Napier and the amythist and silver plated brooch was picked up at my local thrift shop. Next are the close ups of the ones I am wearing in photo. What I love about vintage stuff you are never going to come across anyone wearing the same item.

She also made me this beautiful turqoise necklace. Teeda is coming home soon and has told me she has a sparkling hat pin for me! I will post photo here soon.

Here is another silver and glittering deep blue stone pendant made by Teeda

One of the things I love about these treasures is that each one is unique. She also uses fabulous "fixings" clasps and catches.

What a wonderful talent to have! What a wonderful sister to have! Her blog Beadiva is on my list of favourite blogs on the right.

Lullabye

I came across this old photo of my two oldest sons when they were babies. Stephen, on the left, and Christian on the right. It brought me right back. It's hard to believe they are big hairy men now.

Steve says he'll never forgive me for putting him in  pink pyjamas (they were probably on special) Aren't they too cute!

Steve (top) and Chris (below) today. (even their names have changed some -how did that happen?)

Love the bones of ye' lads...and Jamie too of course (this one is Jamie, my baby and I will be searching out a baby pic of him to add here. Ha! you don't get off that lightly Jay...oh, and his name changed too!)

Family and (Furry) Friends

Here are my two youngest and very handsome sons, Stevie and Jamie. Stevie is a musician and Jamie is a plumber. They hate getting their picture taken but as it was my birthday they could not refuse! My firstborn, Chris, is shown here with Paul. .

And this is my Paul (unique and free spirited soulmate) with my Holly (a unique and free spirited yorkie)

...and here is a pic of my Pretty (my heartlove) perched on a pillow like something precious! She has cancer and her days are limited but each one is as happy as I can make it.

My third dog, Chewbacca, is my hairy bundle of fun and is shown in recent post squeezing herself into a dog bed that is way too small for her!

Paul & Son

Here is my lovely hubby, Paul and my firstborn son, Chris. Handsome devils eh?

The door behind them is the only door in the house that any of my 6'+ sons can go through without bending or OUCH!...getting brained. Seems that 160 years ago Irish people were all much smaller. Even 30 years ago people were smaller (see Paul for proof) Sorry Paul...you know I love the bones of ye'

P.S Chris!...phone yer' mother!