GAZE

I'm tickled pink my drawing She Said Goodbye to the Circus will be shown as part of the GAZE International LGBT Film Festival in The Front Lounge Bar, in Dublin.
It's a real honor to be part of it and I can't wait to see where she goes up and what pieces will be around her. 
!

Things to do

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a hobby as: 

An activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure.

Recently, I realized that I don't actually have any hobbies. Everything that I do has a purpose. I know that reading is probably one thing, but it is rarely done in a relaxed manner...usually I eat up a chapter of something or other when I'm having a tea break, or over breakfast. I wouldn't call gardening a hobby because I see it more of a necessity in my life. I think it's an important element to my lifestyle...not really something I don for the fun of it (although I do enjoy it immensely).

So yesterday I surprised myself by doing something purely for the fun of it. I have a large collection of internet tutorials and inspirational images gathered over the years. I always mean to sit down and do one of them. So yesterday I actually did... mostly because I was up at the crack of dawn and had done literally everything else I could think of. 

Vases are a thing I don't have a heap of, and pots for that matter, but that's for another day! I do however have a handful of old glass bottles and jars, dug up over the last few years from our veg patch...they didn't really recycle 70 years ago. So, with tutorial firmly planted in my head, I set myself up outside and began wrapping...!

All you need is PVA and some wool or thread or string (or tissue paper etc). It's so easy and methodical, I could have sat doing it all day. The electric green one is a stringy wool made of lime green and a grey/purple which looks bizarre, but very cool (I think). The large bottle is a wool that is dyed like that, with all the colours changing. It's really nice to crochet with too. 

I know, they are a bit made, but I really REALLY enjoyed making them and can see the potential in them as well. 

Also, my hydrangea is beginning to bloom for the first time in...4 years (?) Check that blue out. I can hardly wait for the globes of prussian blue to appear! They will be here and in the house and in my hair and in my car...JOY

Happiness is...

The sunlight being so strong it can pass through the tiny gaps in my sun hat, creating this amazing pattern

 Being so warm outside, my indoor plants can come out for awhile...

This face, being in my face...

 Electric orange and sky blue...

Inside, outside, inside...

Going to Achill, dressed up to the 9's...

A mountain inside a cloud...

The sun still setting at 11:20

And now, after several amazing days of sun and heat, the rain has come. I don't know if you know, but the smell of rain after a dry spell like that is called Petrichor...it is such an indescribable smell, but so delicate and beautiful. 

It's so important to make the most of all things, the sun, the warmth, the rain. It is all so needed and wonderful. Now the plants are getting a drink. It's magic really.

It's time to make...

Elderflower Cordial!

The most lovely thing to do this time of year, is to capture that magic sun and bottle it. Stored correctly, you can drink up the sunshine throughout winter. With Midsummer fast approaching, make the most of the long days and short nights. Go on, get out there and forage!

Ever wanted to make your own? There's still time and it couldn't be easier:

20 bunches of flowers
2.5 pints of boiling water
3.5 lbs sugar
2tsp citric acid (you can get this in the chemist)

Put everything into a large bowl or saucepan (something you won't miss for a few days) and pour over the water. Stir and cover, leave this for five days somewhere it won't be disturbed. Strain into sterilized, sealable bottles, or make into ice cubes to store in the freezer.
Mix with sparkling water for Champagne!


Elderflower, or Boo trees, are literally everywhere. They can be found along hedgerows, growing next to old ruins of buildings, and in most rural fields. Be sure you know what your looking for before you go out. And if you've left it too long and are picking Elderberries instead, make sure to cook them before you eat them or a nasty case of food poisoning awaits you...trust me, I know.


Enjoy!