Upbeat

Sorry that I haven't been around for almost all of February, at least in terms of posting.

It's been a busy month, I've been doing lots of knitting, and I've been eating the delicious stuff that you see in the picture!

Busy month - 2 lots of exams (not for me-yay! Mocks!) eldest daughter was doing Mock Leaving Cert and Son was doing Mock Junior Cert.

School for me has been very busy, with some intense and difficult meetings. To say that we were ready for mid-term break is an understatement!

But what a lovely break! I went to Brussels on Sunday, to visit my friend C and in particular her daughter Ais, who has been very sick for a year now. I wrote about the terrible thing that happened to her here. Ais has been making great progress in the Rehab centre that she is now in, but she still has a lot of breathing problems, and was re-admitted to hospital on Monday with a respiratory infection. She is such a brave lady who works very hard at her recovery. She is inspirational.

But, in spite of that, we had a lovely time for my three days there, I was able to give both Ais and C some little foot massages each day, and we had some delicious meals. The family are great cooks, and they also all enjoy sitting around the table over a leisurely meal. We had long chats, caught up with other mutual friends and some good arguments too!

And on Tuesday, C and I went to a favourite restaurant in Brussels, where the chef is a very talented Irish lady. Little Ais insisted that we go ahead with the planned meal even though she was now in hospital, and we were able to reward her with a takeaway of mixed appetisers and one of these chocolate mousse creations!

And tonight, another Opera!

Eldest Daughter and I have gone to all the Met Live in HD this season, courtesy of the Sunday Times (until tonight- they changed from first-come-first-served free tickets to lottery, and we didn't win their lottery!Boo!) ; we've enjoyed it so much that we were unable to contemplate missing this treat, so we bought two tickets. Placido Domingo and Susan Graham were the leads in Iphigénie en Tauride and both were suffering from colds, but they gave wonderful performances. I think it's safe to say that I'm completely converted to Opera.

And as I sit typing this, the result of our General Election is coming in. There has been a seismic shift in Irish politics, the likes of which we haven't seen since 1915. About time too.

Listening to Enda Kenny, leader of Fine Gael, who will probably form the next Government in a coalition with Labour, I feel some confidence that the country will be able to get out of the mess that Fianna Fail led us into, and that we will be proud to be Irish again. I haven't heard Eamon Gilmore yet, but I'm sure he must be delighted with the huge vote his party got. Looking forward, for the first time in about 2 years, to tomorrow's papers!

So much to be thankful for. Update, with photos, of knitting in the next few days.

Phoenix Park

Thought I'd share with you some of the beautiful views I am privileged to enjoy on my journey to and from work each day. The Phoenix Park has lots of these benches dotted around, and they are very inviting!

On the other side of the road the view is something quite different, all office blocks and commercial activity.

Often, there are cars parked along this stretch, but I can never see where the occupants have gone! They certainly are not sitting on the benches!

I pulled in on my way home on Friday and just took this out of the open window, cos it was a pretty miserable day. But sometimes, I do get out and have a little walk, then continue on my journey.

"The Park", as it's known in these parts, is 1752 acres of beautiful open space and is one of the largest parks in any European city. It is home to lots of wildlife, and to 450 deer. It is also where President Mary Mc Aleese resides, in Áras an Uarhtarán. Dublin Zoo is also in the Park, as is the Garda Headquarters, so it's a busy place. You wouldn't think it to look at these photos!

And, from the website, I just discovered that they have a Knitting and Crochet Group which meets every Wednesday morning! Now, if only I didn't have to go to work!!

Meet Me on Monday

Java over at Never Growing Old posts 5 questions that are fun to answer, and a good way of getting to know some bloggers.

Just click on the link above if you'd like to join in the fun!

Here are this week's questions:

1. What do you put on your hot dog?

mayonnaise. But I don't really eat hot dogs, maybe once a year at a BBQ.

2. Do you play Sudoko?

Not now. I have played it a few times, and found it quite addictive and not as simple as it seems. But I'm into knitting right now!

3. What is your favourite vegetable?

This is a really hard question to answer. I love all vegetables. Really.

But I suppose if pushed, I would probably say potatoes. I'm a real Irish girl!!

4. Do you colour your hair?

Yes, for many years now. I've had a bit of fun with it in the past year too! I started doing my own colour last year (recession- money-saving-ugh!) so now I try out different colours sometimes. I'd love to go a little bit mad, but it would probably be during school holidays. We have a "no unnatural-looking hair colour" rule.

5. What is your favourite brand of clothing?

Mmmm. Hard one!

I love Zara, Avoca, In Wear, Part Two, some Marks and Spencer but not the dull colours, and J Crew, which I discovered at Obama's inauguration, and shopped in when I was in Florida last year. I suppose that says that I don't go for brands but for stuff that I like!

Meet Me on Monday

Each Sunday, Java over at Never Gorwing Old posts 5 get-to-know-you questions that you can copy and paste into your Monday post. I'm enjoying this meme:

1. What is your favourite kind of fudge?

(Photo from Whatscookingamerica.net)

Chocolate, only chocolate! But I don't object to a few nuts in it too.

2. Is there snow outside your window?

Unfortunately not, you'd need to have been here in December for that!

3. What is your favourite meal of the day?

Breakfast. I just love that first sip of tea, there's nothing like it. And toast? Oh, just love it!

4. Do you text on your cellphone?

Yes, but never while driving.

5. Waffles or pancakes?

Pancakes, I'm an old-fashioned girl, who calls muffins and cupcakes "buns"!

(photo from Seattleweekly.com)

To me, it's the same mixture in waffles as in pancakes, but waffles are bigger and I think that's not necessarily a good thing.

For more Meet Me on Monday, or if you'd like to join in this meme, click on the button at the top to go over to Java at Never Growing Old.

No fear of heights!

When I spotted these three this morning, it struck me how tiny they are, perched on top of that huge tree. So I grabbed my camera and took this out of the attic window.

We've spent a lot of time indoors this week, and now that the weekend is here, I want a long walk beside the sea.

Spring is definitely in the air, but winter is holding on with all its might too. We're having frost every night, and some (a postman in Donegal who watches traditional weather signs like movement of animals and birds) say that the snow will come back.

So I'm off for that walk now, and hope you're all having a great weekend!

Finished Product

Finishing off took a bit longer than I anticipated, but the alpaca scarf is finished now. The colours are really beautiful- the light in this photo doesn't really do them justice at all.

I enjoyed knitting the scarf so much, and had some yarn left, so I made matching mittens

s.

I had completely forgotten how to use double-pointed needles, and how to make a thumb, but it all came back very quickly. I decided to do a deep cuff to make them really cosy.

So eldest daughter is proudly wearing them, and I'm now started on a set for younger daughter, with son waiting in the wings for his scarf. This knitting is addictive, I may not have time for blogging now!!

This is the yarn I used: it's alpaca, DK, imported direct from Peru

by a friend who used to live there.

I'd say it has lived in my attic for about 16 years!

I wondered if it would still be available, and I went on Google to see- it is!

This is probably bad news for me, cos I'm fairly sure I'll be on that site buying up more.

Anyway, here's the link to the site, just click on either of the yarn pictures here.

Llacta

Ruby Tuesday

Guess what has come down from the attic?

and along with that, this too made its way down,

and, in the wintry January evenings by the fire, clickety clack, something is being created, and it is almost finished. I love the colours, but the feel of that alpaca is also wonderful. And I had forgotten the satisfaction of feeling something grow between my fingers, something unique, something that is moulded and changed as the mood hits, that I am creator of.

Tomorrow I will post a picture of the finished work, when all the loose ends have been (tied up) darned in.

For more RUBY , or to join in , go to Mary T by clicking on the ruby slippers at the top of this post.