New Month, New Journal

It’s been a while, I know, but I have actually been keeping up with my new journaling habit. I’ve even gone and got myself a lovely little handbag-sized book I can carry around with me. I’m still using my original July spiral pad but I keep starting and not finishing pages in it. I’ll get back to that one someday soon, but for now here’s a couple of wee pics of my new one and it’s first page. I can’t wait to fill the whole thing!

 

I got the book for 30p in a thrift shop. I really must decorate the cover next:

It’s Enid Blyton’s ‘The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat’. I never liked Blyton, so I don’t mind messing it up!

And here’s my first page, as messy as usual. Hopefully I’ll start improving soon:

p.s I just want to say thank you for all your much-too-kind comments on my previous pages. I’m always really paranoid posting them ’cause I think they look like something from playschool.  But it was blogging that got me started on this so I sort of feel an obligation to share. Anyway, thanks again!

A Little Moonlight on a Cloudy Afternoon

Image by Faerwillow

I just realised there that I’ve forgotten to do a ‘blogs I like’ post this week. I don’t have much time right now so instead I’m just going to direct you to a beautiful poetic post  I came across this afternoon at ~serendipity~  I could wax on all evening about the wonders to behold at Faerwillow’s peaceful little sanctuary of a blog, but I think this post does a better job at showing you that than I ever could. It brought a little lunar loveliness to my rainy day.

Northern Lights

Copyright © Rune Guneriussen

 

I came across these photographs by Norwegian conceptual artist Rune Guneriussen ages ago and I’m not sure why I didn’t share them before. Maybe I just forgot, but I seem to remember not being overly fond of them the last time round. Strange, cause when I rediscovered them this afternoon I was really quite taken by their quirky charm. I suppose it all depends on mood, doesn’t it.  Today they’re triggering all sorts of weird connections in my brain.

One such connection involves a forgotten memory of being bored while visiting elderly relatives when I was little. To amuse myself as the adults yapped on I’d imagine all the furniture and stuff coming to life and escaping. Kind of like a depressing version of Toy Story. What is it about OAP’s homes? They’re always so dreary and hot and grey and with that pervasive tick-tocking clock they all seem to have. Seriously, when I hit my later years all time-telling devices will be promptly thrown out the window… Anyway, back to the actual pictures!

A Late Night Post

Just home from my regular pub quiz and tonight I'm feeling a bit corney again. There's no need to panic though, I'm not in a rambling mood. There'll be no cheesy rants tonight. I'll just share this instead. I love my own wee gypsy!

Elm Wood Wonders

Just came across these colourful creations by Tracy Melton on Etsy. I looked the guy up and it seems his work has been featured quite extensively elsewhere, so you may have come across these before. I, however, am just seeing them for the first time and I love them. So vibrant and striking yet emanating the calming power of nature.

A Poem and a Painting

© Matthew Porter

Sorry all’s been quiet on this blogger front recently, I’ve been having connection difficulties yet again. Not to worry, I’m back now! Today I have for you a lovely little poem by Irish antiquary Thomas Crofton Croker. The Brothers Grimm were fans, as far as I hear it, and even translated some the Cork man’s work into German. 

TO THE

DOWAGER LADY CHATTERTON,

CASTLE MAHON.

by Thomas Crofton Croker, 1825

Thee, Lady, would I lead through Fairy-land
(Whence cold and doubting reasoners are exiled),
A land of dreams, with air-built castles piled;
The moonlight shefros there, in merry band
With arful cluricaune, should ready stand
To welcome thee - Imagination's child!
Till on thy ear would burst so sadly wild
The banshee's shriek, who points with wither'd hand
In the dim twilight should the phooka come,
Whose dusky form fades in the sunny light,
That opens clear calm lakes upon thy sight,
Where blessed spirts dwell in endless bloom.
I know thee, Lady - thou wilt not deride
Such Fairy Scenes. - Then onward with thy Guide.

By the way, the painting is by my sister’s fella Poochie. I did a post on him a while back. The thing is, he doesn’t actually know I’m using it ‘cause it’s hanging over in my sister’s room and I sneaked a quick snap of it the other day. I’m sure he won’t mind, though, if I give his Deviant Art account another wee plug. So go check him out!

*gushing* I’d like to thank my mum, God, the next door neighbour's dog…

 

So today I intended on doing my planned weekly blog buddy feature and to be honest I wasn't looking forward to deciding on who to begin it with. How happy was I when I logged on to discover I had been given a blog award! Not only am I humbled by this kind gesture but it also made up my mind for me. The award came courtesy of the lovely Judit Molnar (thank you!), creator of the wonderful Teddy Valley Bears. Seriously, her wee critters are so adorable. Just take this little cutie for example:

You can view lots more of the tiny lovelies on her blog and website.

Anyway, the award came with a few fun conditions, which are as follows:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the Versatile Blogger Award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the Versatile Blogger Award along to 10 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!
4. Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the Versatile Blogger Award.

So, without further ado, here are my seven things. I’ve tried to think of ones I haven’t mentioned here before:

1. I saw a ghost once when I was seven. 
2. I get vertigo but only at a very particular height.
3. As well as being a fantasy geek, I also love most things Sci-Fi. Particularly Star Trek. Especially The Next Generation (Picard=Greatest Ever).
4. I am addicted to Fry’s Turkish Delight.
5. I can write Teeline shorthand at 100 words per minute.
6. I have visited 13 countries on three continents, though a couple were only for a day or two- including one of the continents.
7. I have no tailbone. I used to think it was pretty cool ‘cause I could tell other people I was more evolved than them but these days it’s causing me nothing but bother and strife. I also have a large birthmark on my shoulder that my childhood doctor used to say looked like a map to a secret world. And a scar on my back that looks like something from the X-Files. I’m a freak. Does this one count as three? Whoops, sorry.

And here are the lovely bloggers I’m passing it on to.  It was so hard deciding but the ‘recently’ discovered condition narrowed it down a bit. There are some guys here I already feel like I’ve known for years yet when I think on it it’s only been a month of two! All of their blogs are well worth a wander round:

1. Annalee at Absynthe and Arsenic

2. Faerwillow at ~Serendipity~

3.K. Michelle at Crafty Fae

4. Mademoiselle G at Mademoiselle G

5. Danni at The Whimsical Cottage

6. Rella at Faerieluna

7. Oonagh at Celtoi Croi

8. Romantic Heroine at The Secret Life of Daydreams
9.  Kathy at A Spectacular Mess

10. Laura at Gypsea Tree

(Ok, maybe I haven’t just recently met Laura but this blog is in fact the newest one here! She’s having a lovely little giveaway at the minute too, so pay her a wee visit.)

There you have it. Thanks again Ms Molnar!

Free Spirit Spheres

 

Welcome to the future, my friends, a utopian society where we all live in these eco-friendly spherical pods suspended from ancient trees. Well, it would be nice. Designed and built by Canadian boat maker  Tom Chudleigh, these ‘free spirit spheres’ are tree houses for adults- literally, there’s an age restriction of 16 and up for liability purposes.  Ha! Take that you pesky kids!

Anyway, if you fancy spending your days swaying in the branches of a wise old oak or pine (lets face it, who wouldn’t?) you can actually purchase a sphere and it’s components to construct your own forest dwelling.  If you’re like me, however, and don’t have a cool $150k to spare or the ability to hammer a nail into a plank of wood without chopping your thumb off, worry not. Tom rents out a few of his spheres in a wood on Vancouver Island for overnight stays. Hmm, let me think- a night in a hostel bunk bed, or one rocked to sleep by the gentle wind?  Tough choice. That little corner of the world is on my must visit list so I really hope to be looking them up at some point in the future. 

 

Is It A Bird? Is It A Plane?

I don’t care what it is, I want one! I was out a wander with my friend Siobhan this evening and as we were admiring the lovely sunset this guy came whizzing past in his fantastic flying machine. He nearly crashed into us at one point, and at another we thought he was falling from the sky! He wasn’t.  Anyway, my camera’s playing up a bit at the minute (it’s really unresponsive!) so I missed some great shots of him. Oh well, these will have to do:

And here are a couple of the sunset over Lough Swilly, which translates from Irish as ‘The Lake of Shadows’.  I wonder why…

Back On The Treasure Trail

Sorry, I know I’ve been a bad blogger this past week. I haven’t managed to get round to posting much at all. Etsy’s to blame, I’m afraid. I seem to be entering stage two of my treasury addiction. And I’d been so good there for a while too! I have had plenty of other things occupying my days, it’s just that whenever I’ve managed to get some spare time online I’ve found myself drawn straight to that most wonderful web market. It seems to happen anytime I’ve a batch of job application forms to complete. I’m spending my wage packets before I’ve even got them! Anyway, sorry the blogging’s been suffering. Hopefully I’ll be back on the wagon again by Monday. For now, all I can offer you are a few examples of the said treasuries. Check out the other fruits of my distraction here.

It’s Songs Like This…

…that make me wish I could sing. I usually hate having tunes stuck in my head ‘cause, lets face it, the catchy ones are generally awful. Raglan Road’s the exception to the rule, though. I’ve had it swirling around in there for about a week now and I really don’t mind one little bit ‘cause it’s just so lovely. The version I’m posting here is by Sinead O’Connor, who I’ve never really been the biggest fan of but who has been growing on me somewhat in my auld age. Neither have I ever been too fond of Paddy Kavanagh, whose poem it’s based on.  Still, this is truly beautiful. I could listen to it all day long, even if it does always remind me of funerals.

To the Best Blog Buddies Ever

By Eccenhilo-Carmen, the lady who made my day!

Hello all. How’re you doing on this fine Tuesday evening? I myself am having an especially good one and it’s all thanks to you wonderful people. You see I’ve reached yet another blogging milestone; first it was 100 posts, now it’s 100 followers! As such, I would like to take this opportunity to say 'go raibh míle, míle, míle maith agaibh'. (For those not familiar with my primary school level Irish I just wished thousands and thousands of good things upon you all, i.e. thank you so very, very much!)

Seriously folks, I’m both excited and humbled in equal measure. Excited by the fact that anybody actually cares enough to call in here, humbled by the amazingness of  those who do. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you lot really are the most creatively talented bunch.  Every time I see a new face pop up in my box there on the right I click to discover yet another land of whimsical wonder. Oh how I love blogging!

So I’ve been thinking about how to celebrate, and how to show my appreciation to you all for making this adventure even more worthwhile and fun. Ages ago I mentioned that I wanted to start showcasing my favourite blogs, yet I never really got round to doing it. Probably because there’s so many I love I didn’t know where to start. How could I chose from all that loveliness?!

Today, however, I’m going to begin with illustrator Eccenhilo-Carmen, my newest follower and friend! All the images you see below were taken from just one her arty blogs.  Aren’t they beautiful?  Click on her name for directions to more enchanting pieces, including some lovely children's illustration.

As I said, it’s humbling to know such talented folks are following my silly, silly space. I think from now on I’m going to make celebrating that talent a weekly feature. After all, I do spend a lot of time posting stuff I find elsewhere in webland- why not what’s at my own backdoor?  I’ll have to pick the pages completly at random, though, cause it’d take way longer than a week to decide on which of your blogs I love the most. You are all brilliant! And thanks so much again for making my blogging experience all the more wonderful!

Activate Your Rainbow Ray

"I believe our imagination is the key to creation and manifesting our magical realities. When I create, I am reminding us of the beauty and the journey in learning truth and love to understand life. Live, love and enjoy! Activate your rainbow ray. Remember, beauty is everywhere!"

The words of Australian artist Sioux Dollman, creator of enchanted sculpture, paintings and art installations. Having had her work displayed everywhere from Ikea stores to local zoos and primary schools, it would seem Ms Dollman is on a one woman campaign to spread a little magic wherever she goes.  Here are just a few examples of her various works of wonder. Check out her website for many, many more!

Flies On My Wall

A wee bit of Friday fun this afternoon, me thinks. Of the dead fly art variety, courtesy of Swedish photographer Lemuhr. There’s been a bloody big bluebottle flying round my room all week annoying my head and I wish he'd go join his friends here. Hey, it could be worse. It could be a wasp. Actually a wasp wouldn’t have lasted this long. I would’ve already got my exterminator to sort it out by now.

Speaking of, we’re fast approaching my most dreaded part of the year- dying wasp season- and I’m gearing myself up for a nervy couple of months. I was only ever stung by one once, and it was by a dead one at that. I was about six and I thought it was terrible the poor thing had been swatted down so I went over to give it a pet. I stupidly ran my thumb over the stinger and within a matter minutes my whole arm had turned black. I could see the blackness moving up through my veins and everything. That was the end of my sympathy for wasps. I still don’t kill any myself, but not for any ethical or noble reason. I’m just so scared of them now that I wouldn’t be able to get near enough to thwart the wee buggers.  Well enough of my moaning. Hope you’re all having a lovely start to the weekend!