Two Women, a Man and a Horse

The other day Mrs H went to take a photo of horse and a man in Rahan,Co. Offaly. 

The purpose behind this, is that a photo will provide the basis of a new painting at some later date. Specifically it had to be a white horse to fit with the Irish mythology. For white horses are known for their mystical qualities and as being associated with the Goddesses of the land.

I went along for the ride and to take some photo's of my own for the blog here they are :-

The Owner

The Horse

The Man and the Horse

A happy Mrs H

Exhibition photo's

1. The Artist: Jane Brideson with her friends

2.                                     Three likely lads !

3.                                 An honoured guest & self

All photo's by courtesy and copyright of The Tullamore Tribune

A Saturday Jaunt

On Saturday we took ourselves off for a jaunt down the country to visit friends who live on the Ring peninsula in Co. Waterford. On the map above there is a red line drawn as the crow flies to indicate the start and stop, it does not show the twisty route we took. Or the confusion that faced us in one large town where we saw a road sign pointing us in the wrong direction which put several extra miles on our journey and left the driver exasperated!

Ring Peninsula - looking in an easterly direction

Dungarvan Harbour - & the sandbank

Dungarvan Harbour - the mussel farm 

and the Monavullagh Mountains

Looking north west from Ring 

to the Knockmealdown Mountains

Mrs H the Happy Navigator

Before making the journey I checked the weather forecast which said 'heavy rain moving southerly will effect all regions and may bring localised flooding'. When we left home it was slightly overcast and after twenty miles the sun came out and I turned off the heater. At our friends home we all sat in the garden enjoying the glorious sunshine eating and drinking with coffee for the driver!

The return journey was virtually as pleasant as the trip down though we did run into some fine rain for awhile but nothing like what was forecast and most certainly we never saw any puddles or signs of heavy rain. Which just proves that you cannot believe all that you read. Our total mileage for the round trip was 233 miles through stunning scenery and sunshine.

That Bird

                   See he is back and now properly identified as as A Welsh Redpoll Llinos Flodiog

and this will no doubt please John Gray of Trelawnyd in darkest Wales who is

very fond of birds!

Every time I clip my beard or have a haircut the clippings are put

outside in the garden for the wildlife to use as nesting materials.

INVITATION

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Sunny Meadows

A Nearby Meadow

I awoke this morning to a beautiful happy day. From our bedroom window the scene above greeted me as I opened the curtains. In the foreground of the photo nature has carefully arranged the colours of this nations national flag: namely green of the grasses, white of the old wood and the brilliant pale gold of the dandelions.

I know that some wag will ask about the blue so here too I have an answer - blue is the colour of The President of Ireland's flag emblazoned with a gold harp.''

The President of Ireland's Ensign

I have strayed quite sufficiently from my original thoughts.... this morning all around me is so very quiet and tranquil, which is like being enveloped in a blanket of serenity. My thoughts drifted backwards whilst drinking the morning coffee, it was in part the ambience and a slight movement of air swirled about me from the open window that cast my memory back to childhood. The remembrances of similar sunny mornings; those times when the households' laundry linens would be shining brightly white on the washing line and the air would be permeated with a clean smell of soap suds.

A few days ago we celebrated Bealtaine, the traditional start of Summer, on an ancient meadowed hill with friends old and new in warm sunshine. It was a very harmonious ritual, especially when one considers that our new friends from England had never met us until minutes before the ceremony. 

Afterwards we shared with them our picnic and they shared with us their music, no better exchange can there be I think.

STRANGE BIRDS ....

We have seen these feathered friends feeding twice now on the dandelion seeds in our front garden and have been unable to identify them, we seek your assistance ? (What they are not is goldfinches)

                                                                 

Strange and inconsiderate parking by two lady drivers (birds) at the rear of the council offices in Birr