Spring Fever

Look at who was sitting tight on the nest this morning. This hen is a light sussex breed and is seven years old. Every year when she has laid 12 or 13 eggs she sits tight in an effort to hatch them. Within 21 days the chicks hatch out. Over the years we have had some great hatchers including a hen who hatched out duck eggs.

Leiny (Marjolein) is still working away on her piece for her end of year exhibition, her work and that of her fellow students can be seen at Exit Persued By A Bear.

hugs

Margie

Springtime

The sunshine this morning was a welcome treat for us all. The eggs in the nesting box were waiting to be collected.




Mr. Margie got into the planting mood and he prepared the ground in the plastic tunnel for the potatoes.



All the while my eyes were drawn to the entrance gate where the wood anemone and the daffodils and narcissus were in full bloom.

I hope spring has arrived for you too and would love to hear what you like or maybe dislike about it. Have you any spring stories to share?
hugs
Margie

Rest and Relaxation

Some of you may remember that Mr. Margie had a medical condition diagnosed last May. His condition required a procedure which necessitated a stay in hospital on March 4th. It was a total success.



Our daughter Mel and her Fiance, Chris (who live near London)are getting married in May in Rivesaltes, a little spot in the south of France near to the Spanish border. Mr. Margie and I travelled to Perpignan last week to meet Mel and Chris and help in the wedding planning and organisation. The snow capped Pyrenees formed a wonderful backdrop to blue skies and sunshine.



I took every opportunity to sample the local muscat and enjoy the simple local food. Mel and Chris arranged meetings with the florist, photographer, videographer, hairdresser, priest, restaurant owner and all the various accommodation the one hundred guests will need for the trip. Everyone was very welcoming, helpful and hospitable and they all asked the same question "Pourquoi Rivesaltes?" to which the answer was always the same.


We dined in Collioure on sunday afternoon spending two hours sitting on a terrace by the beach, soaking up the sun and feasting on lobster, prawns, oysters and crayfish.


We spent an evening at lake Raho watching the sun set over the mountains, eating fresh strawberries by the waters edge.

Leiny was meanwhile busy preparing for her end of year exhibition in April and we missed her very much. Mr. Margie was back home cycling today (recovery going very well) and Mel, Chris, and I were back at work.

I am looking forward to reading all the new posts on your blogs,thank you to everyone who left messages and wondered why I was absent. I am so pleased to have won the 400 post giveaway on Louise's The Whispering Poppies. I have never won anything before and am so proud to have won that special giveaway. As some of you may know The Whispering Poppies is one of my favourite blogs. I also have an award from Sharon at Manamoon to go check out.

21st Birthday

Leiny was 21 last weekend (thank you to everyone who wished her well after her accident, it was such a shock, I was so relieved to see her healing very well and so determined to make sure that spending quality time with family and friends was a priority). This post is the result of all that determination.

I spent two evenings making a birthday book for her, with lots of photos of her growing up, everyone who attended the party signed the book. Mr. Margie made a birthday trunk and we filled it with 21 presents including a sewing machine, Cath Kidston goodies, and links for the Love links bracelet Mel bought her as a birthday gift.




We set up an old army tent in the yard and prepared for the seventy family and friends who were going to celebrate with us. Red and silver were Leiny's chosen colours and cucumber and smoked salmon sandwiches (with the crusts cut off) were on the table as starters when the guests arrived. Everyone was invited to take a drink and browse Leiny's gallery of art.





Fresh flowers, candles and plenty of good will and help from friends and cousins (not forgetting the V slicer) preparing food (potatoe salad, coleslaw, pasta salads, watermelon and feta salad, chicken skewers, fresh prawns, cheddar cheese and lots of green salad), helped make the night a great success.



Leiny cut her cake of chocolate, fresh cream and strawberries.





By two o clock in the morning the 'party animals' had progressed to dancing the macarena and inventing new dance moves too



Soon after that the guitar came out




and before long a singsong was underway




At four am everyone was on the way to bed after a 12 hour marathon party fest.




Next morning we (the fantastic eleven) were all up at nine and had the tent emptied, removed and all the recycling, washing and sweeping finished, just in time for the post party party.

I am looking forward to catching up with all my blog freinds and replying to your lovely comments over the weekend.

Bike Accident, Shopping and Award

Leiny was involved in a minor accident on thursday last, on her way to college she was in a collision with a car, she has bruises and sore muscles, her bike is totally broken. We were all shocked and then so happy it was not any worse.



To cheer her up we went shopping with Ana yesterday to Cath Kidston in Kildare Village checking out gift ideas for Leiny's birthday at the end of the month.




There are plenty of bargains to be had and so much choice, I got a mug and tea towel for tea break in work.




Vale at Les Cotrions kindly added me in her list of awarded for the Your Blog is Fabulous Award, thank you very much Vale, she has made some really pretty looking candles (and fantastic smelling I suspect) and recently she made amazing chocolate covered lemon and orange candied peels. In accepting the award I must choose people to award and reveal things I am addicted to.

The Award goes to:
Deborah at My Mom's Work, she completed a fabulous St. Brigid's Sweater and has brought Seamus O Gnome to life.
Elly at My Everyday Things, her scrapping is so inventive and inspiring, I love the fabulous red and white work she does
Michele at the fabulous Cowboys and Custard who has worked so hard on the most incredible cards and badges
Jojo Caramel at Jojo Caramel fabulous artist designer and great photographer
Louise at The Whispering Poppies vintage lace and ribbons that are really fabulous
Abbie at The Vintage Moth a fabulous resource blog I have just discovered
Lulu at Coastal Sisters who is so creative and inspiring, her pretty jewelry is fabulous
Sharon at Manamoon a blog full of love, ideas, and fabulousness

I am addicted to blogging (I love to visit all my blog friends,leave and receive comments and have a browse around new blogs)

Snow Fever

When I woke up yesterday morning, the garden was covered in a blanket of snow, that really soft snow that squeaks underfoot. It is a number of years since we had snow that stayed longer than an hour.



A walk down the driveway confirmed that the roads were covered in snow too and that I would not be going to work anytime soon. The roads had not been gritted (those machines dont get too much use here).



Mr. Margie took a drive up the Wicklow mountains today and enjoyed a walk in deep snow.



The drifts were deeper in some places and the sky remains full of snow clouds.

St. Brigid's Day (La Fheile Bhride)

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Brigid of Kildare (she has many names and has been claimed by both christian and pagan groups), and the first day of spring.



A traditional craft is still utilised to make the Brigid's Cross from rushes, it is hung in the home to keep the house fire free for the year.



This morning in true celebratory fashion, with a clear blue sky and bright sunshine Leiny and I fed the chickens (Brigid is the patron saint of babies; blacksmiths; boatmen; cattle; chicken farmers; children whose parents are not married; dairymaids; dairy workers; fugitives; infants; Ireland; Kildare; Leinster; mariners; midwives; milk maids; newborn babies; nuns; poets; poultry farmers; poultry raisers; printing presses; sailors; scholars; travellers; watermen)and collected the eggs.




I whisked up the eggs to make an omelette 'a la margie' for breakfast,



with fresh basil and mozzarella chesse topping.



Leiny then set about baking something nice for afternoon tea





A dozen carrot cake buns




By lunch the snow clouds were on the horizon and we are already planning tomorrow Candlemas day, the feast of light.




Saint Brigid

Lady Gilbert

'MlD dewy pastures girdled with blue air,
Where ruddy kine the limpid waters drink,
Through violet-purpled woods of green Kildare,
'Neath rainbow skies, by tinkling rivulet's brink,
O Brigid, young, thy tender, snow-white feet
In days of old on breezy morns and eves
Wandered through labyrinths of sun and shade,
Thy face so innocent-sweet
Shining with love that neither joys nor grieves
Save as the angels, meek and holy maid !


With white fire in thy hand that burned no man,
But cleansed and warmed where'er its ray might call,
Nor ever wasted low, or needed fan,
Thou walk'dst at eve among the oak-trees tall.
There thou didst chant thy vespers, while each star
Grew brighter listening through the leafy screen.
Then ceased the song-bird all his love-notes soft,
His music near or far,
Hushing his passion 'mid the sombre green
To let thy peaceful whispers float aloft.

And still from heavenly choirs thou steal'st by night
To tell sweet Aves in the woods unseen,
To tend the shrine-lamps with thy flambeau white
And set thy tender footprints in the green.
Thus sing our birds with holy note and pure,
As though the loves of angels were their theme;
Thus burn to throbbing flame our sacred fires
With heats that still endure ;
Thence hath our daffodil its golden gleam,
From thy dear mindfulness that never tires !

LADY GILBERT (ROSA MULHOLLAND)

A Popular and gifted Irish poetess and novelist of the day, born in Belfast. She published one volume of delicate verse (vagrant Verses, 1886); all her other writings, which are numerous, being stories. In 1891 she married Mr. (afterwards Sir J. T.) Gilbert, the noted Irish archaeologist.

A sincere Thank You to Vale at Les Cotrions for the Award she passed to me last week. I will consider who I will pass it to this week and put it on my next post.