This Is It . . .

The Final Day of

Celebrating Five Years Of the Irish Garden House

with photos from our trips. 

I promise . . . really this is it . . .

Soon I will be back to great/grand children, fences, birds and flowers!

some  of these photos will be repeats

stay with me, this is the final

The white house above is the main cottage

where we have stayed when we have visited Ireland.

This is the garden house which sits below the main cottage.

(and yes, we really slept there overlooking Bantry Bay on our first trip)

This huge fireplace is the main heating source

in the cottage where we have burned peat.

The next few pics are just for fun.

I have no idea what I am laughing at.

I do know that I purchased that sweater in Dublin,

"one of the girls" we were visiting

took me to a shop where sweaters were known to not be

"too dear."

This was the day I became an official Irish Whiskey Taster.

Thanks to my husband who volunteered me.

One of my favorite pictures.

The Black Cat with The Black Dog

Old man, white plastic chairs, walking sticks, signage.

ice cream inside

makes me smile

Jack guarding Quills

where I went wild buying sweaters

Friends Being Friends

We think he had way to many Paddy's.

The girls, Marie and Ursula.

They sang in a Dublin Irish choir and they visited the United States.

Muskegon was one of their stops.

They met and stayed with friends of ours

when they were in Muskegon

and we met "the girls"

through these mutual friends.

Ursula and Marie are sisters and live in Dublin.

And Lyla,  their friend who was also with the choir

lives not far from Ursula and Marie.

We have met up with "the girls" on each of our three trips.

Delightful!

We searched out Standing Stones and Stone Circles

on one of our trips.

We also enjoyed reading the history

and visiting the many sites.

The Donovan's owned the cottage we stayed in.

This, the Donovan castle, is being restored and is located not far from Bantry..

My favorite picture. 

It is so Emerald and so beautiful.

Jack had this garden house built for me.

A replica of the Irish Garden House.

A friend and I laid the stone.

The circle above the doorway contains stones we brought back with us.

(I created a new fire pit area these past few weeks.)

~

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Sure It's Like A Morning Spring

In The Lilt Of Irish Laughter

You Can Hear The Angels Sing.

When Irish Hearts Are Happy,

All The World Seems Bright And Gay.

And When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,

They'll Steal Your Heart Away.

Traditional Irish Folk Song

RUNNING PRESS

PHILADELPHIA . LONDON

~

Thank you for your friendship and being

with me in this recap and journey

The garden house photo above was taken

in the rain on May 10, 2016.

Slainte' my friends . . .

Love,

Lynne

Saturday's Critters . . .

 

We found hiking on Sheepshead in the SW of Ireland challenging and gorgeous.

True to its name, the sheep were usually wandering nearby.
And oh my . . . the views!.

Look closely and you'll see "human critters" on those huge boulders. 

 

The sheep and the "human critters" are joining me for
Saturday's Critters
and my Irish Five Year Blogiversary

Thank you for hosting Eileen.
~
There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle
'Twas Saint Patrick himself sure that set it
And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile
And a tear from his eyes oft-times wet it
It grows through the bog
through the broke,
through the mireland
And they call it dear little
Shamrock of Ireland
Traditional Irish Folk Song

RUNNING PRESS
PHILADELPHIA . LONDON

~
Love ~ Lynne

Little Irish Bird . . .

this little bird and other "littles" just like him

visited the stone wall border

at the Irish cottage we stay in on our Ireland visits

this is a picture from a two thousand seven Ireland visit

and on this trip we had plenty of rainy days, gorgeous rainbows

it is a "given" that you'll have rain in Ireland

but it is a different rain . . . more like a shower . . . then some bright spots

the rains might continue like that off and on all day

and the rainbows are like no other

Crocosmia and Fuchsia are prolific, beautiful oranges and reds.

we rebuilt that stone wall on this trip

gathered stone from around the cottage and the roadways

the little birds were so friendly sitting there eating the crumbs

while we worked away on the wall

that is mister garden house giving me a thumbs up for finishing the wall

those rocks were heavy indeed

a few more views

the first photo was taken from the cottage

looking out toward the garden house onto

Bantry Bay

the final photo is of the road that leads to the garden house and cottage

very narrow road that both "to and fro" cars travel

cars are much smaller there, you just pull over, let the other pass

with hand on the steering wheel

the pointer finger is used to communicate

the moving over and a thank you

~

I will be celebrating my five years of the

Irish Garden House

in these next few weeks with photos and stories from our trips to Ireland.

Little Irish Bird

visits you today along with the many other visitors on Eileen's

Saturday's Critters

~

It's easy to be pleasant when life flows like a song.

But the man worthwhile is the one who can smile

When everything goes dead wrong.

For the test of the heart is trouble and it always comes with years.

And the smile that is worth the praises of earth

Is the smile that shines through tears.

Irish Blessings

RUNNING PRESS

PHILADELPHIA . LONDON

~

Love ~ Lynne

Random 5 Friday . . .

Here are my randoms for this Friday . . .

1.  I jumped on the "blog train" and "opened" Irish Garden House five years ago. This is the garden house we slept in on our first trip.  The main house and garden house belonged to friends of ours. There was a loft in the garden house where we slept which overlooked Bantry Bay and left to the Atlantic Ocean.  Yes indeed, we fell in love with all things Ireland and it is our favorite place to travel.  I'll be celebrating Ireland and our trips there in the month of May.

2.  I can't get in the mood for gardening when the morning temperatures are in the thirties.

I say enough is enough, it is time for some sun and springtime!

3.  I am watching the National Geographic, The Story of God, hosted by Morgan Freeman. Very interesting . . .

4.  I haven't a clue why I do this dot dot dot thingy . . . I can't seem to stop . . . it drives me crazy sometimes . . . It is different than a comma . . . more of a pause.  Just sayin' . . .
(I had to laugh right out loud, I previewed my post and I had written 'coma' instead of 'comma'. . . oh my, great laugh at self moment!)

5.  Have you ever thought about "friends" . . . friends you see often, friends who are far away, family friends, blog friends . . . wonderful to have friends, isn't it . . . and then there is just being "friendly" too . . .

~

Random 5 Friday

Thank you Nancy for hosting . . . and helping us think random!

~

What is the kindest thing you can do for yourself today?

Send some kindness forward too!

Happy Weekend My Friends

Love, Lynne

Ask Yourself . . . .

Ask yourself what is really important
and then have the wisdom and courage
to build your life around the answer.
author unknown

  





 

I am lost in flower joy

out I go with the scissors

snip, snip, snip

and I have flowers

for my vases

the bright reds are a combo of

crocosmia and montbretia

(first found in Ireland)

some bee balm in there too

what a wonderful world



 We lose ourselves in the things we love
We find ourselves there, too.
Martz

found on tanna's

The Brick Street Bungalow

~

"I want to take this day,

fold it up, and put it in my pocket

so I can have it again and again. 

What is really necessary in life? 

A blue bay to gaze on . . . sun."

Under the Wide and Starry Sky

Nancy Horan 

a great book about

Robert Louis Stevenson

~

"The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower,

share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's,

smile at someone and receive a smile in return,

are to me continual spiritual exercises."
  Leo Buscaglia

~

“The things that make me different are the things that make me."

A.A. Milne
Laura, Forest Dreams

~

enjoy sharing your beauty

Bliss of Ireland . . .

 

A few pictures from our trips to Ireland.

 

waterfall near the cottage

 visiting the Paddy distillery near Cork

where mister garden house guy

volunteered me to become an

official Irish Whiskey taster

 beautiful green and crocosmia

 sheep run

 abandoned castle

 inspiration window for the garden house here at home

 elderly Irish man waiting for his ride

 high above and a view of the hedgerows and green

 the Irish cottage where we have stayed

the huge, deep fireplace where we burn some peat

 we call them Hydrangeas, the Irish call them Mopheads

 ocean edge in the southwest

hiking Sheepshead

birthplace of JFK's grandfather

 here we are at the Kennedy compound in Ireland

the Irish garden house which became the inspiration for

Irish Garden House 

wishing each of you a very

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Slainte'

~

Love, Lynne