Our St. Patrick's Day.

Our St. Patrick's Day was a full one with a busy morning in the house, then off to see the local parade then having family over that evening. Full and lovely!

My sister made us these shamrocks for our coats, matching ones for us all, to wear to the parade..... 

And Maisie wore her St. Paddy's seed pod hat.

The parade was cool, there were lots of tractors.....and also some green horses!

That evening we had our Mum's yummy Irish Stew, a perfect end to the day.

Hope you all had a good one too!

St. Patrick's Day Seed Pod hat.

Some last minute crafting happened on the evening before St. Patrick's Day and in the few hours before the parade the next morning.

I had in mind a pixie type hat for Maisie....but it turned out more seed pod!

I should have paid more attention whilst I was knitting and I should have jotted down the pattern as it popped into my head... but I do admit to having a lazy streak! This is roughly how it happened: First I knit a band, sewed it end to end, picked up some stitches then decreased quite quickly until I got to the 'stem' bit. Once I got down to three stitches I just kept knitting. 

My sister cut the shamrock from some felt and turned a Spring seed pod hat into the perfect St. Paddy's Day attire. And my little girl? Well she wore it pretty much all day, indoors and out, so I guess she liked it too!

...this moment

{this moment} - A Soulemama invention. A single photo that captures a moment from my week.

Searching for Glomerisks at the beach

A while ago we headed west and our had our first trip to the beach of the year.

Maisie and her Aunt spent some quality time.....

And a new word was invented...... "Glomerisk": meaning a rock that has seaweed attached to it or seaweed that has rock attached to it in such a way as to make it appear like a small "sea tree"!

Great word Aoife! Let's go Glomerisk hunting again soon!

...this moment

{this moment} - A Soulemama invention. A single photo that captures a moment from my week.

 

 

Beannachtaí Lá Fhéile Pádraig!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Mountain Fox!

Bakery window display on Shop Street, Galway.

Seachtain na Gaeilge!

Dán le Liam Ó Flaithearta do hSeachtain na Gaeilge.

A poem by Liam Ó Flaithearta for Irish Week, translated by Pádraig O'Catháin (my Dad!) into English below. 

Na Blátha Craige 

Adúirt mé leis na blátha:
‘Nach suarach an áit a fuair sibh
Le bheith ag déanamh aeir,
Teannta suas anseo le bruach na haille,
Gan fúibh ach an chloch ghlas
Agus salachar na n-éan,
Áit bhradach, lán le ceo
Agus farraige cháite,
Ní scairteann grian anseo
Ó Luan go Satharn
Le gliondar a chur oraibh.'

Adúirt na blátha craige:
‘Is cuma linn, a stór,
Táimid faoi dhraíocht
Ag ceol na farraige.'

The Rock Flowers

Said I to the rock flowers:
‘Isn’t it a miserable place you've found
To be out in the air,
Stuck up here at the edge of a cliff,
With nothing beneath you only the bare stone
And the bird's droppings,
A wretched place, full of fog
And sea spray,
The sun never shines here
From Monday to Saturday
To enhearten you’.

Replied the rock flowers:
‘We don't mind, sweetheart,
We are spellbound 

by the music of the sea.’

...this moment

{this moment} - A Soulemama invention. A single photo that captures a moment from my week.

Maisie's 'new' chair

Once upon a time a Grandad bought his little Grandson his own chair. By all accounts this was a doting Grandad and by all accounts this certain 1 year old loved his chair and would spent hours sitting in it much to the amusement of his family.

The chair spent some time stored in an attic then one day someone remembered..... and the little chair found a new owner.

I had heard about this chair before it arrived at our house. And I imagined that we would have to get it upholstered, thinking it would certainly be worn and probably out of date. How wrong I was. It's perfect in all it's 70's glory! I love its 'lived in' and retro stye. I love that Hugh sat in that chair when he was Maisie's age. I love imagining what he did when he sat there all those years ago, reading, thinking, playing with his cars certainly but probably not imagining that one day his own little daughter would be sitting in the same chair doing much the same thing as he.

She loves her new chair and it fits so perfectly in our sitting room that I almost can't remember it not being there! A little piece of history....the perfect present.

Another good find...

It's almost like I could hear a call.....a little voice suggesting, urging even, that I take a little peek in our local and much loved charity shop. So I wasn't surprised when I popped in and found another stash of hand knits. But I was delighted!

Five sweet little vests....one for Maisie and the others for two little friends.

Whoever is knitting these....Thank you!

...this moment

{this moment} - A Soulemama invention. A single photo that captures a moment from my week.