When we were kids, my Granny would often babysit us on New Years Eve and let our parents go out to celebrate. I’d think it was extremely witty to kiss my parents farewell and say wistfully, “See ya next year!”
Year: 2010
Storms, Solstace, Eclipse and Christmas – all in one week!
What a week it’s been! It all kicked off last weekend with the biggest storm we’ve since moving here two and a half years ago. We had just put up our Nativity scene (or “The God in Box” as its
Read More Storms, Solstace, Eclipse and Christmas – all in one week!
A word on weeds and a little something for those of you with snow covered gardens…
I’m linking in with Garden Bloggers Bloom Day this week at May Dreams Gardens. Many of the blogs posted have gardens under snow. Even the usually milder, wet Irish climate has been delivered a wallop of white so that my
Read More A word on weeds and a little something for those of you with snow covered gardens…
Irish wheaten bread with a Californian twist
It’s that time of year again – the Birds of Paradise flowers are blossoming, capturing the winter sunshine and giving it an extra vibe. The pomegranates are ready to harvest, though this year, we’ve had a disappointing crop. Here
What’s in the inside matters too.
They say that beauty is only skin deep. With plants, that’s true to a certain extent too. Take orchids for example. Without blossoms, an orchid is simply foliage. Boring foliage at that! I’ve been looking at the biggest of these,
Frost and foremost
Honest to God, you’d think it was the end of the world here. The News has carried it every night in their headlines, urgent voices warning of the destruction that is imminent, and whilst it’s not quite the end of
Seeding is believing
When little cotyledons (first leaves) punch through the soil and unfurl to soak up the sun, I get a thrill from knowing that I turned a dormant seed into a living thing. Well, oxygen, water and a little heat did,
The Bulb Garden
They’re in all the shops, being blogged about on all the gardening blogs and gardeners are boasting about how many they have. Bulbs. The promise of spring blossoms – or in some cases late winter blooms – is hard for
Yosemite National Park
The first time I ever visited California, I was amongst the ranks of the great unwashed – back-packing, low on funds and at the tail end of a two year long trip that took me around the globe. I headed
The ways of the road
Many tourist hot-spots create such a draw that very often beautiful places near them are largely ignored as people swarm to see the more famous sights. This happens with Yosemite National Park. The surrounding mountains and towns tend to get