james and me after having a paddy jack farmer's lunch sandwich — while were munching we got a smile of solidarity from another sandwich eater — it was that good. I really regret not getting a whole one for myself.

terrible photos of my favourite vegetable stall in the temple bar farmer's market but this is to remind me to get out of bed early on saturday morning to swipe to best stuff! we got sorrel, sweede, black kale, new potatoes, and spicy salad leaves.

all their vegetable produce is from their own farm and they're always really cheerful and ready to laugh — mum if you're reading, i think you'd be really good at this kind of thing!

man: gives us three glasses of milk
sarah (seeing his amusement): "we come from a dairy farm!"

rachel's contribution to movember...

(sorry about the dodgy second picture sarah)

a portrait of sarah today

a shelf full of my teas and jars of herbs (which i drew last year) and part of my wall which i haven't looked at in months. this realisation has given rise to the...

new rule: no casual internet surfing for one month. (does anybody say surfing now?)
i'm going to be like a man shopping for socks.
where are socks
here are socks
price is good
purchase socks
leave

i'm not looking forward to this — all the more reason to do it.

bank holiday monday

Daylight savings time — we hadn't a clue!
and things on strings

sandcastle superheroes
— guess who's older (hint: not the taller one)

i should credit my dad with this photo!

I had a looooooooong lunch with Charlotte (of Charlotte MacDonald Textile Designer fame) at Gruel on Dame Street today.
The food is really tasty and the crockery is beautiful.

Their homemade lemonade is perfect and they pass my "soup test*" — which james, rachel and sarah will testify is pretty tough. (i sound like a horrible food critic but i just know what i like!)

*if you can make a good soup you can't be all bad — it takes a lot of love to make a good one

bee-fur i go any further, let me introduce, eric the dancing half a bee

this monster-sized fella flew in my window this morning — I didn't bisect him accidentally — I let him go free.

it's turning into an ode to james
but he's super cool [x]

— julia teaching james to play the saw last summer

dear  deer 

going to make a leek and beef stew tomorrow...
3hrs in the oven ought to do it!

Dublin + Paris

Some photos from my family's farm website. It's easy to forget how beautiful Ireland is. Especially when you're in the city most of the time.

Frau Holda

One of my favorite things to do when finishing a website is to make the favicon.

Micrographia

my birthday card form Sarah and Rachel.

Home on the Range this weekend. Where it's toasty and there's always lots of food.

The reason for the Rachel's birthday dinner menu particulars that are about to follow can only be put down to the fact that I saw Julie and Julia on Thursday night..

*** Pigeon breasts (with three balls of lead shot — we safely said they were wild.)
*** Rabbit confit and "baby bear" pumpkin risotto (James buys his books for their covers — I buy my vegetable seeds for their names. We didn't buy the rabbit.)
*** Carrot cake (made by Sarah — super delicious)

I did a little bit of making too.

Something for Halloween
Menacing Leaves

On my way back from having some delicious Salep with Maire and Claire I saw this!
***PLAYHOUSE*** — (which is Liberty Hall lit up)
It's supposed to be over on the 11th but it's still going strong!

I don't want to detract from the Salep though — which is mana in hot liquid form.

...the old 'creative light' setting got out again.

:*: the pattern from my new to me top. (1960's)
:*: my sweet tooth struck again...that brown bag is about A3 size (not really, I could hold it in one hand.)
:*: no wonder my room never gets tidied properly when I stop to arrange tiny yellow shells along my window sill!

This weekend I'm making some things (somethings) for two pretty cool girls. (maybe the coolest people I know?)
They already know what it is but not the particulars...

The nights are drawing in but I love it!

Legs eleven.
This appeared on the wall outside where I work a few weeks ago. A little bit like the Cheshire Cat.

Lewis Carol could have been inspired by*
:: smiling cat cheese
:: satiated dockyard cats
:: cat gargoyles
:: a lion at the mercy of hamfisted sign painters

*according to Wikipedia

Foodie tiles of Dublin
— The outside of Fallon & Byrne
— The floor of the burger place Bobo's on Camden Street. Fried eggs? (and my old shoes)
I feel a collection coming on.

My boy James

My boy James, the brilliant illustrator!
Eater of sushi (even though he prefers hot meals) and lover of small beautiful creatures (not moths)

Platycerium Men and Helen's kitchen

The Botanic Gardens in Dublin on a sunny day last August — complete with plants that look like men with antlers.

Helen's home kitchen is a lot like the botanic gardens! (beautiful)
Have a gander at her nude a day project

Here we see the rare 'thistle'. So important they cleaned out the cacti gave it a whole house to itself. Way to go thistle! — result