Thank you to all those who have read and commented on my blog during the last year. Without you it would not be what it is.
May 2019 bring you lots of joy, adventure, and friendship. May you continue to find your creativity. Thank you to all of you who have inspired me to keep blogging.
Let us hope that 2019 will bring the world to a better place. In the words of Greta Thunberg, my 2018 hero, “you are never too small to make a difference.”
Happy New Year!
It is so had to pick one of two photos for 2018, so I have divided into a few categories.
Favorite new place we visited – Clare Island, way back last January.
Bog pool, Clare Island
Favorite wildlife photo, probably has to be the tiny frog in my daughter’s hand, just because it is sooo small.
tiny frog
Favourite bee photograph because I just love bumblebees, is this carder bee on apple blossom.
Carder bumblebee on apple blossom
Favourite garden we visited. I have two, Belvedere walled garden here in Ireland and Picton Castle walled garden in Wales. Photograph below is from Picton Castle.
Hot reds
And finally just because I like it.
Inspired by Lens artist photo challenge #26
Camomile flowers
Bumblebee on flower
Peacock butterfly
Inspired by Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge – It’s all about nature
On a walk the other day at Turlough Park, here in Co Mayo, I was reminded of Patti’s Lens Artist Photo Challenge for this week – Reflections.
Turlough Park, Co Mayo
Turlough Park, Co Mayo
Turlough Park, Co Mayo
Turlough Park, Co Mayo
Happy Christmas
Thank you to all who have read and supported my blog. It is a honour to be part of this WordPress community.
I hope you all get the time to share with the ones you love this festive holiday. These are the greatest gift we can give, love and time.
Happy Christmas.
Today, the 21st December is the Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere. Finally day length will start going the right way. We’ve had a grey few weeks and have not seen much sunshine. But the sun was there briefly this morning just as it rose about 9am only to be swallowed by a bank of cloud.
Winter solstice
Wishing you all a lovely Winter Solstice
In the west of Ireland, we have no shortage of farm animals. Among my favourite are the poultry. Especially chickens. I could watch them all day, they are such characters. This is Junior. He is very handsome.
This is Junior’s father and some of the hens. We can’t let Junior and his father be too near each other because they fight, and every morning there is a competition to see who can crow the loudest.
Just down through the fields this is our neighbour’s donkey.
Our other neighbours farm cattle and deer.
Inspired by CFFC – Farm Animals
I urge all of you to listen to the words of fifteen year old Greta Thunberg from Sweden who spoke so eloquently at the United Nations COP24 conference – you can find an article and video link to her talk here.
She is so right – we the people hold the power and we must make the changes. Greta is inspiring and I only wish our politicians would listen to her wise words. She will be my 2018 hero.
Our seasons are not how I remember them. There seems no firm definition of spring, summer, autumn or winter. The season appear to merge, in a confusion of weather. Snow is not common in the west of Ireland and so when we do get it, it is something to enjoy.
But when snow merges with emerging spring flowers one begins to wonder.
Still it is relief to see things growing again and the colours of spring warm the soul.
And then summer and happy bees.
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And autumn with ripening apples.
And then back to the strange mixing of seasons as the frost hits hard before the apples are harvested.
Inspired by this week’s Lens Artist Photo Challenge – seasonal
Murtagh's Meadow 