White O'Morn Cottage

As promised - here is the finished scottie cushion. I used a pink gingham pillowcase, a piece of floral fabric from my collection of fabric and his doggie coat from red gingham fabric from a damaged baby's dress and two large white buttons for the closure from my button jar.

I am going on holidays for a week or so - I'll miss you all. See you soon...

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!

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?

Beware phone eating skips!

I have raided many a skip/dumpster in my day. But here is a cautionary tale about it...While raiding a neighbour’s skip one evening "Fingers Flynn" (me) was delighted to come home with a treasure but then could not find my mobile phone. I had a bad feeling it has slipped out of my pocket and into said skip. "So" - says I to my long suffering husband "We'll take the dogs for a walk and when we are near the skip you ring my number"

Well, of course it worked fine as I could hear a cheerful tune coming from the skip that had swallowed my phone. I was running around it looking for light from phone and managed to spot it right at the bottom of skip.

So I had to climb half in and poor hubby is holding on to me by the knees and the three dogs started barking and out comes all the neighbours to see what is going on.

I instantly froze ...but this only served to look like rigor mortis. So poor Paul looked even more suspicious and guilty stuffing a stiff woman into a dumpster.

All became clear when they realised it was just me. “I’m just trying to answer the phone and the signal is clearer in here” says I with a sheepish grin.

We all had a good laugh and I got my phone back but now if I even cast a sidelong glance at a skip hubby activates the childproof locks and growls..."DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

Need a Good Belly Laugh?

Laughter is the best medicine - so if you are in need of a pick-me-up tonic then prepare for a fit of the giggles. I wish I could say I wrote this but 'fraid not. They were sent to me by e-mail. I just had to share with ye' all...

Amazingly Simple Home Remedies & Household Hints!

If you're choking on an ice cube, simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and hey presto! The blockage will instantly remove itself

Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold the veggies while you chop away

Avoid arguments with females about lifting the toilet  seat - use the sink

For high blood pressure sufferers - simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in you veins, (remember to use a timer)

A mouse trap placed on top of your alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button

If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you'll be afraid to cough

You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and duct tape, If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

Remember - everyone seems normal until you get to know them

If you can't fix it with a hammer,  you've got an electrical problem

And finally a thought for the day...Some people are like slinkies - not really good for anything, but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs

Breaking News in Blogland!!!!:  Angie, my techno-phobe sister, has just left her first independant post on her own blog, "The Old Schoolhouse" on sidebar right hand side....I have been ghostwriting her blog for months and I'm knackered!) It is also a bellylaugher. Please, please leave a comment to encourage her to more hilarious ramblings, I know the stories she has to tell ...and they are well worth reading....but don't tell her I sent ye'...Pam (technophonic sis of technophobic Angie)

WARNING!

This post is dedicated to the following: Colleen, Mary, Teeda and Angie. .....you know who you are girls!

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick flowers in other people's gardens And learn to spit. You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat And eat three pounds of sausages at a go Or only bread and pickle for a week And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes. But now we must have clothes that keep us dry And pay our rent and not swear in the street And set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers. But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple. Jenny Joseph

Disclaimer for the post below this one.....

One of the things we love to do with our cottage is to offer it to friends and family for weekends we can't get up there. This is the poster that greets them. (I don't know how it got all gobbldygookish but I can't fix it so bear with me)...No, I have changed my mind - it's a design feature! Yeeeowh!

(Oh dear, I think I broke Typepad. Can they sue me do you think? Please don't tell them it was me)

Would ye' Like a Little Break in White O'Morn Cottage..At all, at all?

One of the things I like to do with the cottage is loan it to friends and family for weekends when we can't get up there. So- when they arrive this is a notice that greets them!

White O’Morn Cottage,

Curraghnabania Co. Leitrim

Thank you for choosing White O’Morn Cottage for your Country Life Activity

Holiday

!

I’m sure you will enjoy the calendar of events we have lined up for you!

…………………………………………………………………...

5am            Rise & Shine! Milk the cows

6am            Spread the slurry

7am            Get washed and ready – the A.I. man is coming

8am            Bring breakfast in bed to the Bean An Ti  (that’s me!)

9am           Turf cutting competition

10am          Drain the septic tank

11am          Milk the goat (the female)

1 pm           Sheer the sheep

4 pm           Walk the dog!

Kissing the Blarney Stone

You have all heard of the Blarney Stone right? Kissing it is said to give you the gift of the gab. So when I was on holiday near Blarney, County Cork many years ago, we decided we'd have to go and have a little smooch with it. I mean you can't visit Blarney and not kiss it's stone. Right?

Now, no one told me it was way up high. I thought it was a great big rock on the ground and all I had to to do was lean over ...

Nooo noo noo...It's high up in the ramparts of a castle...very high up -  and its outside the castle and you have to lie on your back and hang out backwards over this great height to give it a smackeroo (with a willing local holding on to your legs and don't try this while wearing a skirt!) Not for the fainthearted. 

All I could think of was as I was hanging upside down was  "How did I get into this position? And how do I get out of it? I don't care if I never utter another word ever. I don't want to kiss this stone after zillions of tourists left generations of germs on it"  The old lad had me by the knees and would not haul me up until I had done the deed and the kids were shouting "Hurry up Ma, we want a go" Well of course, I gave it a little peck and have not shut up since! It works!

Bring back hat pins! They're great!

This lovely collection of vintage hat pins arrived from Ebay today. I had been using this swan planter as a pin cushion but felt it was too big for them. The hat pins are perfect for it and they are great for keeping your hat on in high winds. While others are chasing their hats I can stroll along with confidence. They also give any hat a cool vintage look!

If that's not enough my friend Zinda swears she feels safer if she has a hatpin handy to use as a weapon in an emergency! (...and having stabbed myself in the head while attaching my hat I can vouch for their efficiency in this department!)

Tanya asked me how are they used. So here is Hat Pins 101!

After putting your hat on - very carefully push the pin through the fabric catching some hair and then push it through the fabric again. You can use one or two. You can put one on each side or back and front or well...just please yourself! Unless your hair is very short they will secure your hat to your hair.

Below is my everyday modern pink hat with two large pins as I would use them. They sure lift the look of an ordinary hat to an elegant accessory.

The other pictures show a vintage 50's veiled hat with a jewelled hatpin. The vintage one is for sale on my vintage website on the sidebar.