This is a picture I was commissioned to paint of 2 little girls… It took a while, but a likeness was achieved, and the parents and granny are thrilled… it’s always a little scary when you unveil a portrait- just in case the person says- “who’s that??!!!” But, no, in this case, they spent ages marveling at how they could see cousins and other family members so clearly resembling the little girls. (Whew!! Relief!!)

I’m linking up to Lush Friday, pop over and check out all the craft good stuff there!

We have had an eventful morning… spent an hour or two lying on the sofa bed reading the same books over and over..

(and just when I was getting into doing the voices and making it all very animated, I was usurped by someone needing to watch The Snowman.

Me: “Sweetpea, will we read “The Paper Caper” again?”

Herself: “No. Me like ‘Nowman now”…)

Then we wandered out to the garden to pick some tomatoes for lunch- our Autumn fruiting raspberries are only  coming into fruit outside, but are ripe and delicious in the polytunnel. We picked a bowl for our dessert, and  before we got as far as the back door …

Me: “Hey! Where did our raspberries go?” 

Herself: “Heh heh heh” (evil cackle) 

“We” made egg fried rice with some left-over rice 

(Me: “do you want to scoop some coconut oil out for the frying pan?”

Herself: “yes” (and scoops out a spoon. And eats it. Then we have a minor altercation over allowing me to have a spoon of it to fry the rice)

Someone had to test each tomato before I could cut them up

and artfully toss some over the rice

(“Isn’t that pretty?”

“No”)

And then after lunch we decided to be creative and cut up the felted blankets to make cushions and a photo tutorial too (cue: delightful images of mother and daughter measuring and smiling and working completely in harmony)

Well. That daughter of mine!

she is so bloody independent, decisive, impatient (with me!!!!) single minded (where did she get all these traits from, I’d like to know?) determined, creative…

funny and soft and cuddly and warm…

I have to run… Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go!!!

and isn’t the little gathering basket gorgeous? Beloved Husband made that a while ago from some of our willows (sallies) from our “sally gardens”… he has been commissioned to make many of these, as soon as the willows are harvested, for our shop. They really are incredibly useful, from gathering blackberrries, eggs, tomatoes… or as often happens in our house… dolls or lego!!

Here is our Wee One with a few delicious tomatoes we picked in the polytunnel… the little wrist purse is from Lush Stuff, it’s also lovely, and beautifully made… check them out here!

Using our tomatoes:

I made a tomato and cucumber salad and dressing a la Sophie (merci mon ami!!) The dressing was liberal amounts of olive oil, balsamic vinegar (oh holy moly, I use Llwellyns Irish Cider Balsamic Vinegar, and I could drink it from the bottle- actually, I have, for scientific purposes you understand – it is truly divine) and some basil… delicious…

 and then…

I chopped up some bell peppers, courgette, tomatoes, ginger, onion, and garlic, stir-fried, and doused in a good soy sauce, and of course some cider vinegar. Beloved ‘Ubby made the brown bread, (he has been closely watching my mother make hers when he gets the chance) which was the perfect accompaniment.

*Sigh*

Terryglass is an idyllic village on the shores of Lough Derg, amid the rolling hills of Co. Tipperary.

Andrea from Lush Stuff was there with all her gorgeous bags and purses (in a most picturesque setting),

and basketmakers,

musicians, (these are the Heathers, who were really great)

This electric bicycle was made entirely from recycled materials, including gorgeous little leather side-bag satchels- oh, I lusted!!!

There was an exhibition of Irish country furniture- I really want to paint my dresser and I’m sorely tempted to paint it like this- watch this space!!

Down by the lake there was music and water-skiing (we couldn’t resist taking a photo of this dog in a life-jacket: I think Pebbles may be getting a new coat!)

There is a small parkland by the lake, with a holy well, and small stream, playground and walkways…

There was a chainsaw-artist (didn’t get his name) who was carving with chainsaws, and produced amid a ton of sawdust, this:

The most enjoyable part for us were the floating figures on the lake by Gerardine Wisdom, a local artist who works with rushes she picks from the lake, making sculptures with a aquatic theme- aren’t they extraordinary?