Trees

Where I grew up in a suburb of Cork City called Ballyphehane,the local corporation had the foresight at the time to plant these beautiful cherry blossom trees all along the main road on both sides.This was back in 1956 approx.To this day they flower and add so much to the area,a few of them have had to be chopped down due to disease or for safety reasons.The cherry blossoms were put alongside evergreen trees which have their own beauty too but I love to take a trip out to see the pink cherry blossoms which seem to be at their best around now.

Trees by Joyce Kilmer

I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the sweet earths flowing breast

A tree that looks at God all day

And lifts her leafy arms to pray

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair

Upon whose bosom snow has lain

Who intimately lives with rain

Poems are made by fools like me

But only God can make a tree.

Weekend Wanderings

Yesterday(Monday)was a bank holiday here in Ireland,easter weekend,so we made the short road trip to Cobh in Co. Cork,to see the much heralded arrival of the MS Balmoral which had sailed the previous day from Southampton in England to commemorate the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic.Passengers on board were dressed in the fashion of the time and seemed to be lending an air of celebration to the proceedings which gave rise to some objections to the whole affair being aired on local radio this morning!However on the quayside I believe there was a respectful ceremony held by those involved. It certainly brought out the crowds to the small town for a few hours and the weather held up for most of the day too.Traffic jams were the order of the day on leaving! First we made a call to the stately St.Colmans Cathedral which dominates the towns skyline and is so visible to all who sail in the harbour on their crossings to France and the luxury liners which have been coming here now in increasing numbers for years. On Holy Saturday night last Mass was televised on the national channel from St.Colmans and I am sure it led to a few extra visitors over the weekend.Cobh is a town notorious for hills and the following photo shows this row of houses in ascending order!

Intricate stonework on the exterior of the cathedral.

Not a great photo but you can see the lovely stained glass window,maybe it could be compared to that other famous Rose window in Notre Dame in Paris!
One of the many floral arrangements in the cathedral.

Confessional,do not think I would be brave enough!
The majestic interior of the Cathedral.
The bells ring out over Cobh and are truly beautiful!

Crowds lined the quayside to welcome the passengers and crew from the ship,the majority of people lined the upper streets which look down on the quay and some lucky people just stepped onto their driveways!
Storm clouds approaching!
The MS Balmoral,berthed at the quayside with a welcome marquee set up for the ceremonies.At this time a local band were playing on the quayside before the passengers disembarked,some dressed in the clothes of the time.

Just as we left the town a beautiful big rainbow arched itself over the ship!

Happy Gardening!

Spring Garden

Forget me Not from last years planting,a lovely bolt of blue in the garden..........and a selection of more that are good for eye candy at the moment!
My little wild primrose from Co.Tipperary! I think my husband dug half of this up last year,glad to see some survived!
Acer looking ace right now!
Camellia..........read somewhere that they have done very well this year!
Hosta just filling out now....
Rhododendron looking swell!

Front garden view,forest flame,azalea and heather.

Happy Gardening!

St. Patricks Day

4th Annual St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl~ March 13th!
Time for the shamrock to appear again,just getting organised for St.Patricks Day so things are looking a little sparse at the moment! Linking up with Kathleen at www.cuisinekathleen.com for her annual Paddys Day Party!
On the hunt for a suitable recipe for the day!

I wonder how many Irish tables will be serving this on Paddys Day??????
My crochet mat given to me by a lovely blogger Charlotte from USA! That shamrock in the bowl is the real deal ..........no fake here!
The Children of Lir............
Legends of Ireland.............and there are many!

And lastly the jewellery for the day.............what else but the shamrock! Happy St.Patricks Day to everyone out there!

Happy Gardening!

Road Trip

On a recent road trip to Co.Kilkenny we stopped off at Ring in Co.Waterford to see the graves of two of the world famous Clancy Brothers who are buried here beneath these Celtic Crosses.Liam Clancy was buried here just two years ago.


After a three hour drive from Cork city we arrived in the picturesque village of Inistioge in Co.Kilkenny,(we did stop for a light lunch in New Ross Co.Wexford)! Inistioge is famous for films which were made here,including Widows Peak 1993,Circle of Friends 1994,and Where the Sun is King,1996.

The above cafe takes its name from one as you see and was full both inside and out with people enjoying their lattes and cake! The nearby shop had the dvd of the film Circle of Friends on sale too which starred Minnie Driver and Chris ODonnell.

Signposts to all points east and west!
The lovely 10 arched 17th century bridge spanning the River Nore.
Lovely georgian doorway on this village home.
This brightly painted wall is the local restuarant facing the River,not yet opened for the season though!
Wall art on the side of the building!
Looking towards the main square.

Spotted this beautiful house in the village complete with tree rooted outside the front door and its branches spread like tendrils across the wall!I thought it reminded me of something you would see in rural France.The windows appear to be the old casement timber windows but are indeed PVC!
Drove up the long drive to see Woodstock House and Gardens which is near to the main square in Inistioge. As it was late in the day the gardens were only open until 4.30 at this time of the year so maybe a return visit during the summer is called for. There are tea rooms and various themed gardens to view though the house is just a shell after being burned to the ground by the IRA in 1922.Kilkenny County Council have renovated the gardens and grounds but the house is out of bounds to the public.
This is the view of the house when leaving the estate,maybe its the front facade!

On the journey home......................traffic lights of the Irish kind! Cattle crossing the road held us up for a few minutes,going to be milked presumably.

Happy Gardening!