New Well Drilled Today. Garden Photos.

The Deenery taken from The Fairy Hill.

Sorry it's small, you'll have to click on it to enlarge if you'd like to see more detail.


Well Well Well

A little chap called Oliver, a water diviner, came a week ago and said our well was empty! Fat lot of use that is. However, he said it wasn't anywhere near deep enough, so he 'divined' a new spot for the chaps to drill. We were expecting a long wait, but lo and behold, on Monday morning we had a phone call from the chaps with the drill and they were on their way. One drove a lorry and the other the drill rig on an even larger lorry.

Now that sounds all very simple, doesn't it? The drill rig got stuck on the way up our little lane! It hooked itself on a tree and couldn't go up or down. After much worrying and head scratching, they sawed down some of the tree while Jim attacked some of the bank and finally managed to get it up into our yard. Oh, they also slashed one of the tyres as they took the bend up to our drive. Jim did tell the chap to swing wide to the left - and he didn't!

Ah well, after a lot of shuffling of lorries, the rig was left in position and off they went, with a promise to return this morning to drill.


The drill rig as seen from the front door.


All in position. My cup off coffee on the car! Can you see the bits of tree stuck to the rig?


As each 20' section is drilled, one of these liners is tapped down inside.


These are some of the drills. Each one joins on to the next so they can drill deep. They look a bit nuclear in this shot.


X marks the spot! This is where they will drill.

Garden

Just a few garden photos - I'll finish the well story tomorrow.


A white dianthus after the rain. I love white flowers.


A wild rose on the allotment.


The vegetable plot - full up!


Peas galore, onions and broad beans.

The next bed along is for fruit:


We've had lots of strawberries and cream. Delicious.

Back in the garden, the foxgloves are still putting on a show:


The wild ones also look lovely together with grasses and other wild flowers.



There is a mass of blue on the Fairy Hill - the campanula is in flower:




The honeysuckle is showing its sunny flowers all over the garden.


Sandy found something in this little cave on the Fairy Hill.

I must to bed as it's 3am!

ATCs and Freestyle Knitting. 26 June 2010

Read All About My Freestyle Knitting Below



ATCs

We have reached 'Y' in our ABC of Artist Trading Cards and I have received a simply super and clever card from Joss in London.

She is so inventive.

I had trouble with the 'Y' so ended up doing Yellow, but I do like the result!


Joss also sent a pretty little Lily of the Valley card, which wouldn't photograph well as it was so bright outside and a super 'fishy' piece of paper:


I know I'll find some use for this.

The other ATC I received was from a lady called Beth Meador. I belong to a community of women only artists of all sorts, called Milliande Art Community for Women. Beth put out a plea for help with a project she would like to do before the Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) leaves her completely blind. She is hoping to send ATCs all over the world to spread happiness and awareness of her condition.

I readily joined her quest and have just received the most marvellous ATC which is of Buster. She saw a photo of him on my page at Milliande and copied it.



Isn't it wonderful? I have no idea how she does it, having so little sight left.

Here is a link to the Milliande Art Community for Woman if you are interested (and a woman)!

Retinitis Pigmentosa refers to a group of inherited diseases causing retinal degeneration. If you would like to know more about it, which is, after all, Beth's goal, please have a look here:

I am of course going to send Beth one too. She is trying to send one to someone in each of the States in the USA and then from all around the world. Beth has a page on the Milliande Community where she explains it all in her own words.


Freeform Knitting

The above art community has various sections with different interests such as ATCs, Photography and one on Knitting and sewing. I was interested in a section on Freeform Knitting - now this sounded like my kind of thing!

Basically, it's playing with knitting. You knit a bit, cast off a few stitches if you like, turn the work round, swap needles, anything goes. There are some books on it apparently. Anyway, I decided to have a go. I really enjoyed just knitting away, making holes, changing colour and took it with me to Suffolk. When I finally looked at my 'piece' it looked rather like a knitted woolen hat!! I put it on my head and Jim nearly fell over laughing.

Well, you just have to see it, don't you? So today we had a photo session. Jim took several of me full length but I look like a rather overfed whale, so I cropped them to just my head! Are you ready for this? The one at the top was just a taster for you.


I think the little peak at the front just finishes it off!!!

From the side! It even has a flap down the back to stop you getting sunburned! The red bit was a rectangle I had already knitted so I just incorporated it.




The other side - it's no better, is it!


I really think it needs a couple of ribbons where my hands are!

What - you want one?? LOL. I couldn't reproduce this if I wanted to. It's odd how it turned out that shape. I'm going to wash it on a hot wash when I eventually have enough water to use my washing machine again.

In the Garden

Can you believe we have a water shortage in Ireland? It's been a struggle to keep the plants alive. We keep looking at the weather forecast hoping for rain. Last year we were awash with the stuff. I was weeding and bramble clearing by our 'stream' today. It's like a desert. It's funny how the weeds seem to grow no matter what the weather.

Spotted Orchid

Every year a huge spotted orchid comes up in our meadow. We have to protect it with wire or the hares eat all the flowers off it. Jim took some photos of it recently, so I'll leave you with a pretty image:


Isn't it amazing? There is another one close by, but the hares got to that before we could protect it.


A close up. The flowers are just starting to fade. We do also get a few individual orchids dotted around the meadow. I love them.

Buster followed Jim up the meadow and was most interested in what was going on. Then he got bored:


He then rolled over and lay on his back but decorum prevents me from posting that photo.

Our delphiniums have been a picture this year. Here is a close up of one of them:


They are all different shades of blue, some darker than this and some quite pale.

Finally, a perfect rose:

Trip to Suffolk for Jason's 40th Plus!

Jason with his 40th Birthday Cake! Call the fire brigade!

I've been very naughty and not blogged for a week. Bad girl. Ah well, I was worn out from my trip. I set off late on Thursday 17th and Jason picked me up at the airport. It was about 11.45pm! Poor boy is normally in bed well before then. We stopped at a garage and Jason bought coffee for us both. We chatted all the way home of course.

Friday, June 18th. Jason's big day. Well, it was a funny day really. Sam had booked me into the hairdressing college for a trim and colour so we were up with the lark - took my lovely Jack to school then Sam dropped me off. What a strange experience it was. Everything the student does has to be checked and double checked so it's a bit of a long process. I chose a colour, 'light golden brown'. Well, it's almost black!! Still, I'm getting used to it. Luckily it's only a semi permanent so will wash out. Jason decided to work as we were out!!

It was back to J and Sam's and Ivor and Maureen (Ivor is J's Grandad) were there. We all went for a meal in a pub, which was lovely. Rene came too (Sam's Mum).

Jack was more impressed with his pudding than dinner:


Sam bought Jason loads of presents including an England football shirt with 'Green 40' on the back!


She also bought him a 40 year old bottle of wine! Plus lots of other bits and bobs. I chose 3 photos I thought Jason would like, that I had taken and Jim printed them off. Jason loved them and the frames we put them in.


Me and Jack before the meal.

We were all very full and headed back home to watch England play their next game in the World Cup. It was good of them to arrange it on J's birthday! Thankfully England won - but next we have Germany. AAAH!

There was an amazing sunset in the evening and I couldn't resist it, could I?


This is a joiner of the sunset. Do click on it if you have the time.

Sam took this rather lovely photo of Jason and me:


Jason and his Mummy - that's me!

And I took one of Jason and Sam:


I think Jason enjoyed his day - and we extended the celebrations with Jack's school Fete on the Saturday and a trip to a County Fayre on the Sunday. Gosh it was so busy.

I love school fetes, everyone was having fun, in spite of the odd heavy shower of rain! We had great fun in the 'Welly Wanging' contest too! Jason threw the furthest of the men and Sam threw the furthest of the women! What a pair of winners. No prize though, just the prestige. Here are a few shots:


Can you spot the Welly? This wasn't the winning throw.


I love this shot, not just because it shows Jack's fantastic throw (!) but all the people having fun too. Jack is so lucky going to such a lovely village school. It even has a little outside swimming pool.

Sunday was the Country Fayre and it was excellent too. It was a large affair, with lots of charity stalls doing tombola, craft stands and all manner of food stalls! There was also a dog show, but we missed that, although we saw dogs at every turn.


This gorgeous horse is known as a 'Suffolk Punch'. Everyone loved him.


Jack enjoyed a cuddle from this rather plush dragon.


Jason and Jack had a go at archery. Jack did very well and was very good. Jason scored 2 bulls eyes.

Kitty spent the day looking adorable!


She is beginning to form a few words now, such as 'ook' (look), Jack, Mum and Dad of course. She's not quite walking but stands for some time and has taken a step or two.


There were beautiful birds of prey.


This amazing chap decided to display its wings for us.


Jack shared his ice lolly with Kitty. Aaah.


Kitty collapsed!

What a great day it was.

On Monday Jason worked while Sam, Rene, Kitty and I went into Bury St Edmunds, having dropped Jack off at school.

We popped around the shops and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. We went to our favourite cafe for lunch, where Kitty charmed the waitress:


I did a bit of gardening in the afternoon, clearing a bed for Sam to plant with annuals.

In the evening, Jason ran me to the airport again. The time seemed to whizz by.

Back in Shannon, the sky was wonderful:


It was a lovely break but it's always good to be home.

Sorry it's a bit long - I took 100+ photos in all.