the spring and some famous visitors

Well, you may all be expecting that I will say that the lovely warm sunny Spring weather we had during Easter break turned into a wonderful early Summer, but....no.
The Spring turned cold and wet and windy on Monday the 2nd of May, and it has remained cold and wet and windy since then. I had to dig out the winter type clothes again, as going to school and freezing in open-toed sandals and cropped trousers was NOT an option. I do not like being cold, especially when I am on yard duty. I really need to be warmly dressed those days, nothing worse than freezing out on the yard with 70 to 80 pupils milling around you!
Would you believe that we were on a beach on Sunday 1st of May? We drove to Barna, near Galway, that day to get some Boiled Linseed Oil to paint the wooden exterior of our (Swedish) Scandinavian house, from Lars, the Swede who owns Scandinavian Homes. After picking up the oil, we drove a short distance to the beach at Silver Strand. The kids went into the water, I didn't, but they don't feel the cold as much as I do. There were lots of other families there too, kids digging sandcastles and hopping in and out of the water. The tide was coming in, and when it had come up so far that it covered the sand, we left and drove home.
That was the last good day we have had this month, weatherwise. Let's hope that we get more summer weather soon...
Life here goes on, sports and school and study and housework squashed in between all the other activities.
The Queen of England came to visit Ireland today!! and she wore GREEN! I was so moved that tears came to my eyes when I saw her getting off the plane wearing green, I just think that's so sweet...
And President Obama is coming in a few days, aren't we lucky to have these famous visitors in Ireland this month.
Jedward did their best for Ireland at the Eurovision and we came 8th.
And our school got the Green Flag, what great news.
I will be going to Thomond Park, the stadium in Limerick which is considered the Home of Munster Rugby, on Friday to be presented with our Green Flag. WooHoo, never been to Thomond Park before, although my elest daughter has been there twice in the past year to see Munster play. Lucky girl! I gotta ask Santa for a present of Munster match tickets next Christmas.

sheep, Spring flowers and the President of Ireland

Today I met real sheep! (I’ve met sheep before, but not since getting my wheel in September, and starting spinning has changed my perspective a bit.)
Today at the petrol station where the pharmacy also is situated, a farmer pulled up his car and trailer, with 4 pure bred young Texel ewes in the trailer and 6 little lambs. My 4 old son was delighted and I spoke briefly to the farmer, that’s how I found out the breed. Made me all proud inside to at least recognise the breed name and understand the term ‘long staple’ !
anyway Mr SheepFarmer was taking the ewes and lambs to their spring grazing and on the way, picking up a prescription for antibiotics for the sheep…
I asked him about the wool, he said he sells it to the wool merchants, I didn’t ask to buy a fleece from him when that time comes, I was tempted but i think it would be too much for my long-suffering family to bear, ie sharing their bathtub with a big raw fleece come summer. The fleece looked really fluffy and thick and it’s only the 3rd of March! How thick will it be by the summer?!!
so that’s my news, photos below.




Come to think of it, if I wanted to I would be able to contact Mr SheepFarmer, as it’s the local pharmacy and I could leave a message there for him. I did mention to him that I had a spinning wheel, so he'll probably remember me from that detail.
Otherwise, Spring is here, photos of daffodils and primroses below also as well as the last of the snowdrops.








Also some roadsigns in the village where I saw the daffodils, it's called Doon, Dún Bleisce in Irish, "the fort of the chief Bleisce"
it's where my girls now go to secondary school, where I also went to secondary school as a boarder and where my mother comes from, so she went to primary and secondary school there, and finally my dad bought a small farm outside this village about 20 years ago, so all roads lead to Doon!
The road sign shows the name of two other nearby villages, Cappamore and Cappawhite, 'the big fort' and 'the fort of the de Faoite clan', respectively.







The President of Ireland? well she visited another local village recently, but hey, I've blabbered enough tonight already and so I'll give the President her own blogpost in the next few days...
Hoppas ni mår bra allihopa, det blir så mycket med jobbet och barnen och min nya favorit sajt Ravelry nuförtiden att jag knappt hinner att skriva alls i bloggen, ni får ursäkta min frånvaro...

St Bridget's Day

First day of February and it's St. Bridget's Day, also considered the first day of Spring here in Ireland.
Here are a few photos from a walk on Sunday.

den stora resan, eller spring pics, vårbilder

Hej på er!
Jag skrev när jag började blogga att jag skulle skriva om resor, men jag lurade mig själv bara, jag kommer nästan aldrig utanför ens Limericks gränser....
Istället så får ni stå ut med bilder och små berättelser om livet i den mindre skalan, så som jag lever det.... Tack till er som återvänder och står ut!
Imorse så vaknade Irland till regn, det första riktiga regnet på veckor. Det var ljust och soligt och det doftade fint i den lätta brisen, (håller jag på att bli för 'diktsam' av mig, så ropa bara!), och jag tog en morgonpromenad, och passade på att ta några bilder längs vägen.


ash tree next door,

remember this little cottage? it's being renovated very nicely...


my lilac in bud, syren håller på att blomma


I loved the colour of these cyclamens, had to buy them...


another cottage along our road...

Now I can go to bed, I got my assignment done and sent off for the psychology course, got my paperwork for school done, and got an assignment completed for the Maths course. phew... time for bed. The photos were taken this morning when I went for a walk along our road, everything was so fresh and clean and newly washed after the rain during the night...
good night, sov gott, oiche mhaith agaibh,
liz

signs of spring on Good Friday, Vårtecken på Långfredag

Idag är det Långfredag, det kallas Good Friday på engelska.
Förut på Irland så höll man denna dag heligt genom att inte äta kött, (fisk tillåts), äta bara 3 mål mat sammanlagt, gå i kyrkan kl 3 på em för ceremonier, och alla affärer brukade vara stängda, inklusive pubbarna.
Nuförtiden är det många affärer som har öppet, och jag måste erkänna att jag var inne i stan en kort sväng imorse för att utföra några ärrenden.
Dessutom så är det en rugby match på gång i Limerick just nu, Munster mot Leinster och pubbarna i Limerick ansökte om lov att få öppna idag, och det fick dem. Så det är mycket som har förändrats på Irland.
Själv så tycker jag att det inte skadar någon, de som vill gå i kyrkan får göra det, utan att dem som inte är katoliker behöver sitta hemma om de inte vill. Det är en fråga om individens valmöjligheter, tycker jag.

Jag tog en promenad på våran väg idag, här ser ni några vårtecken, celandiner, påskliljor, vårvivor, knoppar på min Cornus Alba och på en ask. Det var fler bilder men de kanske är lite för stora att lägga alla in i ett inlägg. Hur stora brukar ni ha era bilder?





Today on Good Friday, the pubs are open for 5 hours in Limerick, there's a well-attended rugby match on in Thomond park between Munster and Leinster, and earlier today both I and my husband were in town shopping and doing errands. All these activities would be unthinkable not so long ago in Ireland on Good Friday.
Things have changed in Ireland, for the best I believe, we need to go further along the road of Church-State separation.
I went for a walk at around 7.30 pm, the sun came out from behind the rainclouds, the road was wet and shiny, the country sparkling with raindrops and there was a lovely light, that clear light that comes after rain in the early evening, when there are still navy blue clouds and rainbows in the sky.
Hope you like the photos, I went a little mad, celandines, daffodils, primroses, yellow flowers on my Forsythia, black buds on an ash tree, buds on the red branches of my dogwood, aka Cornus Alba, as far as I know... What I don't post tonight I'll post tomorrow. Bet ye can't wait!

Regards
liz

more maths and signs of Spring pics

Hi all, staying up here a bit late, I know, I'm catching up with maths again tonight, I don't want to fall behind (Update: yes, finally, I got that last one right! Yoo hoo, onto the next chapter...)

I went for a walk last Friday evening in Glenstal, a monastery and sceondary school near us, and took some pics, but it was dusk and the pictures are too grainy and also 'bleached' by the flash so I am borrowing some pics from the web to show what I wanted to show you instead...

celandines, a true sign of Spring




catkins on willows





a crocus or two




and finally these very tiny, very pretty outdoor cyclamens



Couldn't believe my eyes to see tiny red cyclamens just like this growing ion two patches under a tree in Glenstal, I will have to go back in better light to capture them on my own camera, in the meantime here is a borrowed shot from the web,
such a wonderful colour!
all signs of Spring, and it gladdens the heart!
Saint Patrick's Day in 2 days time, day off, to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, It'll be nice just to have the day off, to relax...
here's some shamrock for you in honour of the day,



Good night for now, please do feel free to leave a comment on the blogg, I'd be delighted to hear from you!


Hälsningar till alla ni som talar svenska och som läser min blogg, jag blir så glad att några av er dyker upp om och om igen och lämnar kommentarer,
jag kommer antagligen att ha tid imorgon att svara på alla kommentarer och att gå på en vandring i 'bloggosfären' för att läsa om vad ni har haft för er,
dåså,
dags att försöka en gång till med matteuppgiften, och sedan läggdags,
go natt, må bra...
liz

St Brigid's day, the first day of Spring

Idag är den första dag av våren på Irland, och dessutom firar vi Saint Bridget's day.

Sankta Bridget, född 452, död 525, är Irlands skyddshelgon.
Det finns många berättelser kring Brigid. Hon var generös med de fattiga, och blev nunna och startade ett flertal kloster.
En tradition som vi har på Irland är att 'veva' en enkel kors med gröna tågväxter, (bild nedan) som man hänger i huset för att hålla sjukdom och brand borta under året.
Rushes Tågväxter

One of the traditions surrounding St Brigid's day is to make a St Brigid's day cross from rushes (in photo above)
.
St Brigids Cross.

Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland (Brigit, Bridget, Bridgit,or Bríd) (Irish: Naomh Bríd) (c. 451–525) is one of Ireland's patron saints along with Saints Patrick and Columba. Her feast day is February 1, or Candlemas, the traditional first day of spring in Ireland. She is believed to have been an Irish Christian nun, abbess, and founder of several convents.
Brigid was given the same name as one of the most powerful goddesses of the pagan religion which her father Dubhthach practiced. In that religion, Brigid was the goddess of healing, inspiration, craftsmanship and poetry, which the Irish considered the flame of knowledge.


According to tradition a new cross is made each Saint Brigid's Day (February 1), and the old one is burned to keep fire from the house, yet customs vary by locality, and family. Many homes have multiple crosses preserved in the ceiling the oldest blackened by many years of hearth fires. Some believe that keeping a cross in the ceiling or roof is a good way to preserve the home from fire which was always a major threat in houses with thatch and wood roofs.

Celebrating this day, ie Feb 1st, goes back before Christian times, as this extract from wikipedia tells us. The Celts used to celebrate the start of Spring at this time and called it Imbolc.

Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures, either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 1, which falls halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere.[1] Originally dedicated to the goddess Brigid, in the Christian period it was adopted as St Brigid's Day.

text in italics and photos are loaned from wikipedia.

Enjoy the day, whether it's spring(Ireland), winter (Sweden) or summer (Australia) where you are.
zile

first snowdrops

Here are pics of the first snowdrops, in my garden at any rate.
I love the spring flowers!

first signs of spring

Hej på er,
här kommer 3 bilder av vårtecken hos oss, vad glad jag blir att kylan har släppt greppet. Jag är ju född och uppväxt här, så jag är van vid regn och blåst, det gör mig inget. Jag känner mig hemma under moln, brukar jag säga till värmlänningen. Typ jag skulle föredra att semestra i Skottland än i Spanien.
Jag gillar januari månad: efter jul så känns det skönt att ta bort allt det överflödiga, allt som hade med jul att göra. Ljuset börjar återkomma också, sakta men säkert, allteftersom, och då blir jag glad.
ha det så skoj,
zile


Photo above: first shoots



Photo above: look closely and you will see two tiny white catkins just beginning to come out on the branch in the middle...


Photo above: a cat and a house, and what do you notice? yes, there's no snow!

Like I said, it's green out there, as in the snow has melted and the ice is gone, we had a little bit of black ice this morning, but tomorrow we'll be getting a deep area of low pressure in from the Atlantic and then we'll be getting wind and rain. But if that's what you're used to, (and I am,) then it's ok!
What I like about Ireland is the fact that spring comes so early, in fact I often think we have a long spring, and a long autumn, with a short summer and a short winter tucked in there somewhere inbetween. Whereas in Sweden, they seem to have a more pronounced winter and summer, with short spring and short autumn.
I was out today with my camera, and I took a photo of the house with green grass in front of it, also a shot of my weeping willow, with just two little white catkins peeping out and then a little pot where i have some bulbs planted, you can see the first little shoots peeping up. I absolutely think the first signs of life in spring are fascinating, and I love to go around the garden and check the pots and little places under the trees for the bulbs.
TGIF tomorrow,
zile