As most of our regular readers know, we like to recycle as much as possible and incorporate found and salvaged materials into our home and garden.
Ready for the storm.
March has arrived and with it the promise of the heaviest snowy weather Ireland has seen for over 35 years. We have stocked up on food, candles and other necessities, filled up the bird-feeders, brought in firewood and covered some our vulnerable plants with fleeces. We are ready for the storm.
A cherished day.
Recently I had the pleasure of venturing out on a trip with a friend to the beautiful Bellefield house and gardens, located close to Birr in County Offaly. We arrived around noon, in the brilliant spring sunshine to a world quite far removed from our home County’s of Mayo and North West Roscommon. Bees and bumblebees were buzzing around, the birds were singing in all the trees and the ground was carpeted in exquisite snowdrops and cyclamen.
White Magic.
Snow is not very common here in the West of Ireland. We have plenty of rain, sleet, hail and the odd thunderstorm. But this week we had one of those rare days when you wake up to a world transformed and we headed outside to capture it all on camera. The air was still and every surface was covered in snow that glistened and sparkled in the cold morning air. We had a similar day last year in December and we did write about it here but since it is such a rare occurrence we thought another post filled with shimmering winter magic would not go amiss.
Not too little and not too much.
As we look back at the month of January we would like to use a Swedish word that sums up our involvement in the garden during that period, and it is lagom. Lagom is a word that has slowly spread out across the world in the last couple of years and there is not really any one word in the English language that it translates directly into. The closest might be moderate, adequate, good enough or just the right amount. Not too little and not too much.
Burning bright.
In the winter we burn a lot of candles. It is relaxing and comforting to watch the flickering flames and feel the warmth they emit when the rain and snow hammer the dark windowpanes.
Open Garden for Amnesty 2018
Following on from last year’s very successful event we have decided to open our garden for two days this summer. On Saturday the 14th and Sunday the 15th of July, from noon to 5pm, you are welcome to stroll through our garden, peek inside our eco-buildings and enjoy some refreshments in our pop up Amnestea café. We are situated close to Ballaghaderreen, in the northwest part of County Roscommon. The weekend is in aid of Amnesty International Ireland and all proceeds will go towards their work.
December in retrospect.
The light is returning slowly, every day we have a few more minutes of day light. As we look back on the darkest month of the year, we realize that more time should have been spent in the garden.
Harnessing light.
We think that light is one of the most important factors to consider when building or renovating a house. We wanted as much light as possible when we extended our cottage a few years ago and as we also wanted to be as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible we decided to build sections of our walls from glass bottles and jars.
Another year.
2017 is drawing to a close and it is time to sum up the past twelve months in pictures. Sometimes you lose track of time and it is difficult to remember all that has happened so we find this practice highly rewarding. We have so much to be thankful for and at the end of one year it is enjoyable to look back, but also to look forward and think about options and opportunities for the year ahead. We found it suitable to write this post today, at the darkest time of the year, as the wheel is turning towards brighter and warmer days ahead. We have put in links to posts about the various projects, for easy access if you see something you like.
thegreenerdream 