taking a break...

Hello all, it's almost 6 months since i started blogging. Not a long time but long enough to have dipped my toe in the water and to begin to get a feel for the whole enterprise.
It has been very interesting to get to meet and know you all, it has been a great journey.
However, I feel that the time has come for a break for me from blogging. Having the time and energy to write and add the photos is one issue, as is the growing 'addiction' to the whole checking the blog thing, and living my life at one remove from reality.
Is it really important how many visitors the blog has had, or if any new flags have appeared on the Feedjit thingummy , (these are the questions I'm asking myself.)
For now, I can honestly say that I will miss being a part of the online blogging community, but I feel I need to give myself and my kids that time back and I need to see if I can live happily for the next 6 months without blogging....

Hej på er allihopa,
det har varit intressant och givande, det har varit roligt att lära känna er, men nu känner jag att jag vill ta en paus i bloggandet, och jag kanske kommer att radera hela bloggen. Vi kanske ses igen nån annanstans, nån annan gång, jag kanske kikar in hos er av och till, men just nu är det dags för Au Revoir...
hälsningar
liz

wildflowers, vildblommor

Fläderblom, Elderflower, Sambucus nigra

Hi.
I was up early this morning, at 7am (yes you heard that right, 7am on a Sunday morning of a bank holiday weekend!) The eldest daughter who turned 15 yesterday, had to be at a training session for camogie at a place about 30 miles away (about 48km) and training started at 8.45am. So early rise this morn, but the reward for me was an hour long walk down country roads, in the beautiful morning air, just birds singing and me taking photos of wildflowers along the way. I used my camera, so not sure of the quality.
Here's a few...


Ovan: Ox eye daisy, prästkrage, Leucanthemum vulgare


Ovan: Meadow vetchling, Gulvial, Lathyrus pratensis


ovan: BirdsFoot Trefoil, Käringtand, Lotus Corniculatus, tror jag


Senare så såg jag de här växa vid vägens kant. Jag stannade till och tog en bild. De kallas för Ragged Robin, och de verka vara sällsynta, så jag blev så glad att se dem i år.

Lychnis flos-cuculi, also known as Ragged Robin, på svenska Gökblomstret (Silene flos-cuculi).

För att fastställa namnen på blommorna har jag dessa två böcker till hjälp...



Jag har börjat att sticka en kofta, så här ser det ut. Jag stickar fram och tillbaks med runtnål, det är så smidigt, man tappar aldrig ett nål!



Jag lånade en bra bok på bibblan, boken ovan, den innehåller mönster för t.ex. en vanlig kofta med flera olika typer av garn så man behöver inte leta efter olika mönster. Jag får hålla tummarna, att det fungerar för mig...

a school tour, en utflykt...

Today I took 23 children, aged roughly 7 years old, to the Hunt Museum in Limeriick and then on to a children's play centre, called Delta Adventure Centre.
The museum is not based on hunting, but on the combined donated collection of the Hunt family. It is based in the old Custom's House in Limerick, right by the river. It was a wonderful day, the setting was lovely and the museum was very interesting. I really must take my own children there some day soon.
Delta had lots of activities for the children including Bungee trampolines, climbing walls and a giant Pirate play ship.
We were all wrecked by the time we got back, tired, but happy...
let's see if I can find a few pictures for ye from the net...


This is a photo of the museum from the water, taken at night. The house faces the water, so it's more imposing side is towards the water.



This is the back if the house, which faces the street and this is the entrance for the public.


We saw these crucifixes and were told that the one on the right belonged to Mary queen of Scots.



This alabaster vase was so gorgeous, it's Egyptian and very old. We were told that John Hunt and his wife used to use some of the items which later became the collection in this museum - this vase was used by Gertrude Hunt for her cut flowers!



Delta Adventure Centre - lots for children and we were the only school group there so we had it practically to ourselves for a couple of hours...

God natt, vi har en extra dag ledig imorgon, nu gäller det att gå å lägga mig så att jag får nåt vettigt gjort imorgon!

alive and kicking..., jag lever,

couldn't resist this clematis catching the rays of the evening sun...

Indeed, I am still alive and kicking, although I haven't posted on the blogg for 10 days! School, life, kids, etc, combine to make my time busy. Hayfever and a cold added to the need for sleep, so the laptop remained closed after 9pm most nights. I may have posted comments on your blogs, but my own has had to wait. I'm off again shortly to deposit a child to a youth club, so this post will be edited later tonight...

Later, phew, thank goodness it's Friday and we can take a break for 2 whole days....
Off shortly to collect child 2 from her friend's house.
Just did a few maths questions online for the course, phew, they were not easy, complex numbers a + ib, and that sort of thing...

I got to see the giant blanket made by the art student Eilish Tuite in Limerick last weekend. I was even able to spot some of the patches I had knitted for it!




Last weekend was very warm, up to 24 degrees. My 4 year old got his allergy last weekend, it affects his eyes and I had to give him anti-histamine and eye-drops, as well as steroid tablets prescribed by the doctor to reduce the inflammation. This is his 3rd time getting this reaction, he got it early June last year and the previous year. Looks like this is part of his picture for now...

My 2 teenagers have only one more week in school, they've all their summer tests next week. Plenty of study this weekend then...

I have more than a month left till I get holidays. But it'll be almost a holiday not to have to get the 2 eldest girls up early for the school bus every morning. Plus they can help out more during the day! (That's the plan, let's see how the reality works out... blackmail and bribery may also play a part - no housework, no credit for the mobiles!)

Plenty otherwise to keep me busy, the last of the maths course, paperwork for school, cognitive psychology to read, housework, gardening, and knitting... I've started a blue and cream cardi top, self designing a bit.... we'll see how that goes too... pics to follow...

_____________________
Hej på er, jag lever...
Vi har det bra, det knallar och går, måste tyvärr kila nu, för att hämta en dotter, men återkommer säkert under helgen...
hoppas ni har en bra helg alla dem som kikar in här hos mig...
liz

my first Award, min första Award!

I was delighted to be nominated for an award from Irish Mammy on the Run, so thanks to Irish Mammy for this 'Kreativ Blogger' award!
As part of the award, I have to share seven interesting snippets of information about myself and then pass it on. So here goes...

1. I have a saxophone in the attic, and I know how to use it! I always wanted to play the saxophone and I finally went and got lessons in 1994, 1995. I bought myself my own saxophone but then in mid-1995 I had my first child and the saxophone has taken a back seat since then. It is now waiting with the accordion, the tinwhistle and the Irish flute, which are all also in storage. Their day will come....

2. I worked a few summers as a Youth Hostel Warden in my twenties, in a youth hostel in Dublin, in a hostel in Killala Co Mayo and in a hostel in Arthurstown Co Wexford. I got free board in a Sydney (yes, Sydney, Australia) youth hostel in exchange for cleaning.

3. I met my husband-to-be in a youth hostel on Achill Island off the west coast of Ireland in 1989 and we are still together 21 years later.

4. I've had 3 big trips in my life: first one was interrailing in Europe aged 20; second one was to Thailand, Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand Hawaii, San Francisco and JFK NY on a round the world ticket, 11 months away all told; and the third one was a holiday when I lived in Sweden, to Norway, Faroe Islands, Shetland and Orkney Islands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland and home to Gothenburg via London, using only ferries and road transport.

5. I like observing wildflowers and I like to know their names in Latin as well as English and sometimes even Swedish.

6. I am forgetful, disorganised, not a good cook and not good at keeping time.

7. Other jobs I've had include working as a shop assistant in Roches Stores in Limerick, a cleaner for a dentist in Gothenburg city centre, a teacher of English to Swedish adults and a home language teacher in Gothenburg to children with English as their mother tongue. I worked in a hospital in Randwick, Sydney. I also taught English to young Chinese adults in Sydney too. I even tried to be a housekeeper for a rich Australian woman and her 16 yr old daughter but that wasn't my best monent.... I lasted 3 days, I let the swimming pool overflow, I let the pet dog escape, I couldn't get a lizard out of the house, and I forgot to defrost the chicken kebabs in time(see nr 6 above!). I quit that job.....

Thanks for the award Irish Mammy, you'll be glad to know that it's going to Sweden next.

_______________________

Nu orkar jag inte översätta allt detta till svenska, vi har uppemot 70% luftfuktighet och jag håller på att gå upp i ånga....

Jag skulle vilja vidarebefordra denna Award till följande, vars bloggar jag har läst ändå sedan jag började blogga själv:
Skogsfrun på Dal
Lambergsfrua
Soffie69
Bagarbertan
och
Cottage by the Cranelake.

Torsdag kväll och inga matcher, bara läxor, barnen sitter på altanen och läser läxorna.
Vi hörs till helgen,
liz

four legged guests next door, fyrbenta gäster

Hej!
Vi har dessa 2 skönheter som gäster i ängen bredvid vårt hus. De tillhör min bror och hans fru och äter upp gräset så att min far inte behöver slå det med lie!



Hello all,
These 2 beauties are on their holidays in the meadow next to us, for a few days, to eat the grass so my dad doesn't have to worry about scything it later. The horses belong to my brother and his wife.

Jag gick runt lite i trädgården och tog några bilder. Först syren, (syringa), en purpurfärgad sådan, som blommar för fullt nu.



Here's a photo of my lilac bush,(above) with lovely deep purple flowers.



Looks like I need to weed the grass from this little plant, below...

Ser ut som om jag behöver rensa ogräset här...



this is my weeping birch and a flowering cherry, followed by my cherry tree which should produce some cherries with a bit of luck...







These are the hurleys, resting after camogie training.



dåså,
vad glad jag är att det är fredag, hela helgen ligger framför oss, och inga matcher, för en gångs skull!
ha det!
liz

a soft evening, thank God...duggregn idag

Indeed it did turn out to be a 'soft' evening, which means it rained, softly and slowly, but nevertheless rain, and that's fine with me.
If you ever asked my dad what the weather forecast was, he would always answer "Fine and wet". Which is spot on, really, one way or another, for Ireland...
I'm feeling a bit mellow this week, not really ready to climb any mountains or anything. I haven't gotten out for any walks much, just a short stroll with Sean the 4 year old, he wanted to cycle his bike a bit so we went along the road a bit and then the drizzle came down, so we headed home again. We had the company of Trixie, a dog from a neighbour, for the stroll. But he didn't like having his photo taken, the flash scared him.


My cherry tree is blossoming beautifully at the front gate, pity it just got dark with the rain on the way.
________________________________________________________

Dåså, nästan en vecka till över, tiden går fort trots allt...
Det kom regn idag, regn och duggregn om vartannat, det vi kallar för en 'soft day' här på Irland.
Jag känner mig ganska trött denna vecka, har liksom inte lust att göra mycket, det är antagligen en reaktion mot all den körande hit och dit jag har gjort de senaste veckorna.
Jag gick ut en kort sväng med sonen Sean, 4 år, han ville cykla lite, vi hade sällskap av en grannhund, Trixie, som tyckte inte om när kameran blixtade. Och blixten behövdes, de annalkande regnmölnen gjorde att det blev mörkare, så jag tog bara 2 bilder, den ena av Trixie, den andra av körsbärsträdet vid grinden.
Torsdag ikväll, snart helgen, födelsedag i huset imorgon, det är värmlänningen själv som fyller år. Få se vad jag hittar på åt honom!
Annars går livet vidare, och nu tänker jag gå lägga mig snart....
liz