Ballyvaughan Again

We were a week later this year but the countryside seemed to be two or three weeks ahead.

The hazel groves, festooned in previous years, were almost devoid of catkins.

 There were new flowers about that we had not seen before

 The ivy berries were huge, plump and black

 and here and there were primroses, 

 fungi

the gorse was in bloom, then gorse always is, but the blossoms were vibrant and succulent making a beautiful bright yellow contrast against the Burren limestone.

 The grass was greener than we've seen it before

 but the in the  little overgrown abandoned cottage time stands still, 

 poignantly frozen in the year the last occupant died.

 White blossoms sprang from thorny bushes

 and elsewhere there seemed to be a programme of hedge chopping of vast scale...for Ireland.

 We walked and picked up a lovely dog along the way. He walked with us for about an hour

 until further along the way we were joined by another  and they walked ahead , together.

 We discussed the possibility of returning through the wood, instead of along the road, but the dogs were ahead of us, read our body language and jumped the stile into the wood. They ran ahead and disappeared. When we reached this area of flat stones with low hazel bushes we sat down to eat our
sandwiches,

 and guess who reappeared? Both of them. 

Until we'd finished and they vanished again.

It made us laugh to think they must do this with tourists and walkers over and over again.

 On Wednesday we celebrated 25 years of my husband's work as a self employed freelance restorer.

On Thursday my friend and I visited Lisdoonvarna and The Burren Smokehouse where we bought some incredibly pricey handsmoked salmon, then on to Ennis and lunch in the Rowan Tree cafe.

 I recommend it , lively and friendly and vibrant with good food.

 I took my friend to the airport and then I drove home alone. I stopped at the Polnabroune Dolmen, a portal tomb high on the Burren limestone pavement just as the sun was setting.

In the evening  Noel Hill, the teacher of the concertina school my husband was attending, gave a concert with his daughter.

This was really why were in Ballyvaughan, County Clare. 

His music is sensitive and beautiful and his teaching by all accounts is excellent. A group of perhaps 20 from USA, Spain, UK, Sweden and other parts of Ireland attended to learn what he had to teach. I enjoyed their company in the evenings. 

 On Friday I met my own sort of people! I travelled to Le Gra craft studio in Claregalway to meet with Esther Kiely who has been a blog contact for some time. It was great to meet at last. She arranged it so that there were other textile people there for us all to have a chat.  Here she is (on the right) with     Breda MacNelis from Dublin , a facebook textile contact who had been to Ballyvaughan to deliver her work.

 We also saw the work of Margaret and Veronika  they both brought lovely pieces for us to look at. Thanks you so much for making it a great visit, and to Esther for making me so welcome with tea and cakes. Here's the rest of the shop. Its well worth a visit .

 Now for an unexpected treat. On Sunday we left Ballyvaughan early to drive to Dublin ferryport. We arrived at 1.15 for the 2.30 fast ferry and guess what? It had been cancelled. We didn't fancy sitting around at the port until the next ferry at 8.50 in the evening so we decided to visit Newgrange, a stone age site with a 5000 year old passage tomb. The chamber is amazing (no pics allowed) but I particularly liked seeing the carved kerbstones around the edges.

 At the entrance is a door and above it a window through which at the winter solstice the rising sun penetrates the tomb with a shaft of light. If you want to read more about it go HERE. Its fascinating.

 We drove back to Dublin via The Hill of Tara, but we couldn't see much.

 It was just quite good to be there at sunset

 watching the moon rise.

Enjoy the rest of the photographs.

I've come back with my head full of ideas.

A Day in Gort

 A trip to Gort. 

Every year when we come to Ballyvaughan I meet up with two textile friends. Ester who lives near Galway always finds us a nice cafe and usually a shop or exhibition to look at, and Breda drives over from Dublin and we talk…and talk. Not as much about textiles as we used to. We’re firm friends now after 10 years!

So yesterday Ester found us  The Gallery Cafe. and a lovely shop in Gort, a busy little town about 25 miles away. 

It was pouring down all the way, and as I arrived in the square and parked I set off looking for the machine to pay. It didn’t say anywhere how much it was and I saw a man with his car window down and said ‘ I don’t know how much to put in!’.

‘Don’t put anything in, he won’t be out today. ‘

He was adamant. I said I’d meet my two friends in the cafe and see what they said, and he said it was a shame I was meeting two friends! I asked him where the cafe was and he said he was just after coming out of it and pointed me in the right direction  

I asked the cafe owner about paying for the car park, and she said ‘oh he won’t be coming out today, don’t worry’  

We had a great lunch and talked for more than 3 hours. (No parking ticket) 

I had to be restrained and order small because we were out for a meal that evening. Beautiful bruschetta and salad followed by a very small cake. 

There was a surprise when I visited the toilets! Rather an unusual water feature  in the waiting area  

Hard to photograph. A deep well with goldfish. 

Then we went to the loveliest shop,  full of colour and pattern  Nine and Fifty Swans

In the shop I heard the owner chatting noticed she didn’t have an Irish Accent, I also heard her say she used to be a feltmaker. 

When it was my turn to be served I asked where she was from, Liverpool,  and that’s where she did her textile degree. 

I suddenly had an image of her in my head from over 20 years ago. I asked her name but I already knew it! Suzanne McCullough  who had a residency at the Platform Gallery in Clitheroe, who made amazing sculptural Felt pieces. I met her a number of times that year, as I had work in the Christmas exhibition! In fact I think she even bought a handbag I’d made. 

Isn’t that just amazing? In a little town in Co Galway, there was someone I’d met in Lancashire 23 years ago! 

As it was still raining hard Breda, and Ester and I couldn’t stand about much longer so we parted,  sadly until next year. 

Back at the car I was just about to dive in out of the rain, when a rather unsteady gentleman lurched over to me and asked me to help him back his car out. ‘Bang on the window if a car comes’ which I duly did. By then I was drenched! 

Got lost on the way back to Ballyvaughan, turned on the satnav and it righted me by way of a tiny road with grass in the middle. I came upon a huge black goat with immense horns in the middle of the road, a satanic looking individual who had a load of chums all trying to decide which field to return to. 

I do love Ireland. 

Tonight we’re going to a concert at Corofin, to listen to Noel Hill, who was the reason we first came to Ballyvaughan, and other musicians.

 We got a programme for the festival and we’re in it!

Marching on

You'd think by now there would be a sign of some buds on the bushes but its a very undecided year. 

Snow in Ballyvaughan was a wondrous sight but very unexpected and quite restricting. 

It started gently with a thin scattering,

but by the middle of the week it was deep and dangerous and driving was a not advised. That meant I couldn't meet my two lovely textile friends for our annual catch up in Clarinbridge.

The residents of Ballyvaughan were delighted ..well some of them, mainly the younger ones, and I've never seen so many snowmen. I met one lady who said her sons hadn't seen snow before. I must admit it is strange seeing snow on the seashore.

The Corofin Traditional Festival was cancelled so no concerts, and our usual trips here and there were out of the question. Ballyvaughan is in the Burren and the little roads over the mountains are narrow and steep and the snow made them quite dangerous even later in the week when it started to subside.

I checked the ferry sailings and and it looked as if we would be stuck there, as there were no sailings at all for a couple of days, but by Monday all ferries were back to normal and our journey home was uneventful

Hetty was so glad to see us that she couldn't decide if she was coming or going!

Now I'm looking forward to the Spring and I have an exciting event planned..another course. 

I'm teaching two days of felting then stitching a small panel. 12th and 13th May so the weather should be better by then. I'm spreading the word so I get a full class.

I've booked my favourite Village hall in Brindle, Lancashire for the full two days. It's a lovely location and a beautiful hall.

Last time I taught courses there we had a great time.

Its filling nicely but I could do with a few more so get in touch if you're interested or know anyone who might be.

I've been busy making a few brooches as usual.

This is my favourite.
Lots more stitching than usual.

Talking of stitching.....my second spindle on my machine snapped off when it was in transit so I used some SUGRU to repair it.

It's brilliant stuff, you can do all sorts with it. I previously made a support for a fridge door shelf with some, and once it dries hard it lasts for ages.

You can mould it into shape and attach it,

then shape it properly and when it dries it's really firm, well attached and solid.

I must admit that I received this packet free as I had previously bought more than I needed and allowed it to go hard, so I did promise to tell the world about it! However I only ever do that with things I really love.