The French Collection!

Son John returned from a week in Paris and brought me back a coveted box of Laduree macarons!
I learned about these from a blog i visit called parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com in which this lady who is an artist paints various watercolours of scenes in paris.She is obsessed with these macarons and paints them too in all their lovely colours. Her work is featured on flickr.com.
Anyway i gave john the address on the champs elyesses the easiest one to find and he did the job and took photos too.
According to wikipedia 15,000 of these macarons are sold daily in paris,and queues are a regular feature at the shops situated all over paris.The original shop was founded in 1862 and a branch is in Harrods and we are to get a concession shop in BTs in Dublin soon.
Anyway apart from the macarons the autumn colours looked lovely in his photos and a photo of my gifts (including the macarons) follows.
PS. They taste light and luscious!

Single Solitary Sunflower!

Well at last my sunflower has burst forth! I thought i would never see its the first one i have grown from seed.I had others around the garden and one was blown over a while ago just as it was starting to form the flower bud!
Anyway this one was staked and supported with care so as to safeguard it and now its a beauty to behold, i just missed a lovely butterfly having a perusal around the flower when i went to take the first photo but it was gone by the time i pressed the button.
Matthew is pictured with the sunflower showing just how tall it is!

Del Boy in Clonea,Co.Waterford!

Last Sunday we drove to Clonea beach and wandered into the nearby caravan park which happened to be closing for the season, and i spotted the famous yellow three wheeler!
I had a few words with the owner, who didnt resemble del boy at all, but produced the suede jacket for a laugh from the boot of the car!
He got it for his 50th birthday he told me, and added that the speed bumps around the park are a killer for him to drive over!

September in the garden

Below are a few favourites still doing well on the 18th September!
I am still waiting for the sunflower to emerge,and my lily on the pond is braving the blanketweed surrounding it!
With the bonus of the long awaited sunshine the begonias are thriving and my little patio rose has not stopped producing flowers all summer long.
The sambuca black lace is spreading out too and the japanese anenomes are still lovely.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Sunny Spain and the All Ireland too!

Below are photos of our recent break to majorca,including the all-ireland hurling finals which i had to drag myself away from the pool for!
Most of them are taken around Alcudia beach and the old town and markets,and a day trip to Palma to see the shops and cathedral, where a wedding happened to be taking place when we arrived.The wedding party looked quite small in comparison to irish weddings and copious amounts of rice were thrown at the happy couple when they emerged from the church!