White O'Morn Cottage

Dublin City Soul Festival

My son, Steve, was playing with his band, Murder Plan, at the Dublin City Soul Festival in Temple Bar tonight.  We arrived just in time to miss them! However I heard they were awsome (doesn't surprise this chick)

The pic shows Steve with Paul.  Steve is the only one of our sons to take up music like Paul.

Below is Marie, Steve, Paul and Stephanie, the singer with Murder Plan

Dublin, of course, has many famous musical sons and daughters and some of them are featured at The Wall of Fame in Temple Bar - below: Window sized photos of Irish rockers U2, Rory Gallagher, Sinead O'Connor, Luke Kelly (Dubliners) Christy Moore, Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzie) and Van Morrison

Temple bar is THE cool place to be in Dublin and is akin to the Left Bank in Paris. It has a great buzz to it with colourful pubs and unusual street muscians

Below a Karma street sign reminds all that what goes around comes around!

Flags of many nations flying in Temple Bar which is abuzz with young people and tourists on a beautiful summer evening in Dublin's Temple Bar.

I love the original old cobbled streets of Temple Bar. 

One of the unusual musicians I was telling you about.......

Above this busker seems to be playing a skirting board but I can tell you it has a wonderful sound and he plays it really well. 

While I was in the city centre I took lots of pictures for you. Below is the main street of Dublin O'Connell Street showing the Spire

Below The Auld Dub Pub. A Dub is a Dubliner and auld is old. Here is my auld Dub - Paul

Colour everywhere.

An old door cleverly used as an advertisement for a pub/restaurant

 One of my favourite buildings in Dublin. It always reminds me of a Disneyland fairytale castle...It is actually the where I give blood, the headquarters of the Blood Bank!

Below is the River Liffey which runs through the centre of Dublin. Gorgeous lamps on the bridge.

For generations young dating Dubliners have been meeting under Clery's clock.  " I'll meet you under the clock" is almost a catchphrase at this stage. It is also on O'Connell Street.

Just down the road from Clery's is the Lir clock. It has a wonderful set of statues atop which depicts the mythical story
 of the Children of Lir who were turned into swans for 900 years.
 

and further down O'Connell Street....the young Dubliners who were successful at the dating game met under this clock and went into "The Happy Ring House" as it is called - McDowells, to buy the happy ring!

Lots of beautiful Georgian doors painted in bright colours.

Another lovely house front, this time a typical B&B in city centre with original wrought iron railings and flower boxes

So I hope you enjoyed your tour of Dublin with me this lovely Friday evening. I wish you all a great weekend. Pam
 

Lakeside Break...Gone Fishin'

We finally got to spend some time up at the cottage last weekend. The weather was glorious which is unusual so we brought Mam with us to give her a little break away from the city. Here she is relaxing by Garadice lake, it was so peaceful. We will bring our fishing gear next time.

More lake pics

 

 I got a present of some money and spent it all on craft books. I will have to live to be one hundred to make all the lovely things in them. Below is a "Green" one with some great ideas for recycling stuff.

Below is the satin flower I made from the lining of a gift box. A Before & After picture of it.
before.......and after

And a long dress for me made from a duvet cover!

close up of the yoyos, I used old buttons and a broken necklace to decorate them

And I made one for a baby too.

and another one

 

Next one was taken in Carrick-on-Shannon. It shows Angie in front of the smallest church in Ireland. Angie is saying "Do I look big in front of this?"

and here she is attempting a breaking and entering of an old abandoned schoolhouse near Ballinamore
Angie found these fabulous 30's or forties knitting patterns for me in her MIL's house. I love the hairstyles....

...and look at these male models. Both are SMOKING! Would not happen today.

Angie and Ed threw a barbie on the deck of the Old Schoolhouse and we ate ourselves silly. Look at all that food!

It must have smelled really good as we heard a loud rustling noise and a horse and two donkeys invaded the garden. They just burst through the hedge in the background of the picture.
 

 

  

The cottage garden was very overgrown and neglected so I am putting up this old pic of it to remind me what it will be like when I put a few hours of elbow grease into it.

This is one side of it today mid way through my tidy up. Oh how I love to potter in the garden on a sunny day!

I never tire of looking at and taking pictures of the view from the cottage. It looks so wonderful with the gorse in full bloom.....

With that I'll say goodbye for now. Have a lovely weekend! Pam