Christmas Open House

This weekend i visited DJ Murphys open christmas house in Ovens Co Cork.
Each year he opens his home in aid of charity, this year it was Marymount Hospice and Enable Ireland.
His home has a history to it, being the birthplace of one, Patrick Ronayne Cleburne who rose to high rank in the american confederate army, a plaque is erected in his honour by the front door.
You can read it by clicking on the photo to enlarge!
His home is beautifully furnished and exudes a lovely warm atmosphere with fires lighting and candles everywhere just what anyone would like at christmas time.
The flower arrangements are undertaken by local florists and are stunning each room looking different and with a different colour scheme.
Enjoy the photos!

Entrance to cottage

A little light music to add to the atmosphere!

Sales shop

More goodies for sale these looked like antique christmas tree ornaments they were of various christmas scenes, lovely!

This flag is hanging from the ceiling of the sales shop.

Fires were lighting in three rooms in the house itself and this one is in the sales shop as you can see it is very old but still very effective on a cold day!

All set for Christmas Day!

Enlarge photo to read plaque!

Bride View Cottage Kilumney,Co Cork

Santa"s shed ready for visitors very soon!

Peeping through to the back of the house from the gardens

Crafty Catherine!

My crafty daughter Catherine is preparing for the holiday season and these are the results of her labours!
The little silver pails and red boxes were ordered online from hobbycraft in the uk and she bought the embellishments in Vibes and Scribes in Cork and set to work!
These will take their place on the christmas tree when it goes up probably on the 1st Dec.!
I think she wants to fill the pails with mini gingerbread men or chocolate santas if i do not get around to baking the aforementioned item!
Her enthusiasm knows no bounds when it comes to decorating for christmas, if only it stretched to COOKING AND BAKING my life would be soooooo much easier!
As usual she proved she was ahead of the posse when i brought home a uk magazine called Good Homes and on page 14 were displayed the boxes and pails and she already had the mini christmas trees from a while back ordered from the same shop, all adorning a very well laid out christmas table!

Baking Blitz!

Well it is for me anyway!These are a pair of madeira cakes that never fail me thanks to catherine on www.dispatchesfromthedeise.blogspot.com who provided the recipe on her blog and then the queen cakes/fairy cakes that i had a recipe for myself but had not baked them in a long while.
This batch is being delivered to an elderly freind of my late mothers so i am glad to say i will not be piling on further pounds eating the lot!
Though i did have to give the cakes the taste test, just two, and they passed!
The following pics are of flowers in the garden this week still looking good and a white azalea in full flower in November instead of spring! Hope it comes again then!
It came from my late mothers garden and is settled in quite well to its new home!

Christmas Cactus and Mugs!

First off a picture of my christmas cactus which is in full flower at the moment, by Christmas it most likely will be deflowered! I have a second one which is also in flower but Christmas is still a way off!
Secondly my collection of mugs from places dear to my heart! Most i have been to but Prague i still have on my long term agenda, this was a prezzie from my son!
The little white cup and saucer was a "steal" literally from a lovely cafe in Verona, Italy! Dont tell anyone!

Oiche Samhain or Halloween (even witches gotta eat)