General Catch-Up's Back Art, Garden, Surprises...

Post

Through the post today came 2 lovely surprises. In our postbox was a lovely postcard made by Lisa of Greenbow

Lisa is a wonderful artist and has an interesting blog called Artsy Endeavors

This is the postcard she made:


I just love getting art through the post. Thank you Lisa. I haven't sent mine yet - on its way very soon.

2nd Surprise

A courier driver rang to ask for directions to our house. Jim and I were racking our brains to think what we had ordered. We always find it easier to go and meet the drivers up at Broderick's Furniture store on the main road, which Jim did.

Well, the big box had Thornton's written all over it but I thought maybe whoever sent it had re-used a box. But no. Inside was this lovely box, some superb green tissue paper and a little note from my daughter K saying she had 'Supplies because you ran out - intolerable! Hope they don't take too long to get to you. Love and miss you Momma.' What a lucky Mummy I am, and here is my present:


The box contains all the best bits of Thorntons from their continental chocolates to their amazing toffee (which can remove your teeth)!! Thank you thank you K. xxxxx

Spare Bedroom

Jim came back from shopping yesterday with a 3 section storage/wardrobe for the spare bedroom. We have been wanting something like this for some time but just needed to find the right piece, the right size, at the right price. And indeed now we have it. As often happens with boxed goods, none of the instructions made sense but Jim managed valiantly to put it together, with a little help from his able assistant (me). We struggled through into the room with it this afternoon, where he is finishing it in situ. I will take a photo when it's all done.

Jim's Health

Jim is feeling much better thank you everyone. The antibiotics seem to have knocked the abscess infection on the head - I just hope it's sent it away. We shall have to see. His heart still goes a bit weird now and then but knowing there isn't any damage to it, he isn't worrying about it so much.

Garden

I have struggled on with some of Jim's help to remove more brambles and blackthorn. It is really looking much better now and it's good to reclaim the land back from intrusive plants and shrubs/trees.


This is the path from the last post on my blog - now all clear of brambles and blackthorn. The hedge to the right is thick blackthorn and we have trimmed it back to try and keep it a bit contained. The trees to the left are mostly willow.


If you follow the path round and up in the meadow direction, there is a little entrance to our bluebell walk. This had become quite overgrown with bramble and Jim spent some time clearing the blackthorn, while I finished the bramble yesterday. Turn right and this is what you see:


In the spring, the bluebell walk lives up to its name and it also has primula and some lovely ferns and violets too.


In this photo, at the brightest part of the sunlight you can see the telegraph pole. The last section to the pole is very overgrown with brambles and will take some clearing.


This is from the inside of the entrance to the bluebell walk out onto the meadow. There is my bag full of tools as usual and a huge pile of rubbish too, in the sunlight.


We have just rediscovered this lovely tree. It was covered in grass, brambles and blackthorn.


Above is the next section of young blackthorn to be cleared. The right hand tree is a silver birch, newly revealed and just along from the evergreen in the photo above.

I took a photo joiner to show the work to be done!


If you click on it and enlarge it, you can see my hat hanging in another silver birch tree to the left of the photo. The telegraph pole is clear and all the humps and bumps on the meadow need cutting down too. Only 3 acres of that to do!! To show where this is in relation to The Deenery, I take a quarter turn to my left:


Can you see The Deenery in the distance? lol. And my shadow - the sun was very bright. All the bramble in front of me is yet to be cleared - you can see it creeping across into the meadow. To my right is the telegraph pole.

Can you see the large evergreens down by the house? The other day I called at Mrs Broderick's charity cafe up on the main road and took a photo of where we are from there. You can't actually see the house but you can easily spot the trees:

Of course the angle of the trees is different but you can see where we are!! This is taken with the camera on full zoom. Here is the same view with the zoom retracted:


Our trees are about in the centre, showing up against the background of Lough Graney. I do hope I haven't bored you with all this! I find it fascinating to see where we are in relation to the surroundings.

Daily Stones - A River of Stones (aros)

I am a little behind with my stones, but have done some since my last post.

Day 11, January 12th aros

I don't know what to say today

I've not been out - at home all day

I've looked at the cats and then the dog

My mind is in a total fog

So this little verse is today's contribution

I know - it's a very poor substitution.

Day 12, January 13th aros

I stopped the car and gazed at the stunning views; green patchwork hills, an amazing palette of colours and Lough Graney shimmering in the valley. 'Gosh' I thought, 'It's not a bad place to live.'

Day 13, January 14th, aros

Rain lashes the bedroom window. Birds cling on to the nut holders defiantly.

Day 14, January 15th, aros

I gardened until it was dark, then the light of the moon cast shadows as though it were almost daytime.

Day 15, January 16th, aros

As with yesterday, the moon's light bathed everything in its pale splendour, but neither I, not my camera, could capture this astonishing beauty

I think that's enough for today. I had a day inside today to let all my scratches heal! I'm going to start making another rag doll for Anne Broderick, who wants one for one of her Grandchildren. Plus I was determined to do a blog update. Part one completed. Hurrah.

Love to all.