THIS is how my son dresses to take a service for the children,
the shirt he is wearing is actually his rugby shirt which has
his nickname on the back.

MY HUSBAND IN COSTUME!

YOUR A STAR!

MY SON

Tomorrow I plan to travel across to my son in Swansea, Wales on the ferry. I hate early mornings and the thoughts of getting up at 5 o,clock tomorrow is killing me. He tells me he has taken the day off and that he will have written his sermon for the service the next day (as mentioned before he is a curate in The Church in Wales!

Its a strange feeling really watching him as he goes about his duties. He works in a very busy parish and has a lovely lot of parishioners around him and I will be greeting with open arms, which is lovely. Its funny really - when I go out and about near his house I am always recognised and am greeted with "Hello Adam's Mum"! Last October I went over to him as it was his birthday which happened to be on a Sunday and when he walked into the church to take the service the whole congregation broke into "Happy Birthday"!

REFLECTIONS

SNAPPED! AND HE DID!

ERNEST HEMINGWAY IN WICKLOW!

I have been trying to sneak a photograph of my husband lately, since he took up the acting lark. He is an extra in the Tudors and much to his delight he is not allowed to cut his hair or beard. When it rains he wears a type of baseball cap and when you look quickly at him he looks just like Ernest Hemingway! When he is out and about he gets a few stares but such is fame!

WICKLOW REGATTA

As part of the Wicklow Regatta a group of artists hang their pictures on the railings around The Halpin Memorial in Wicklow Town, mostly members of Kilmantin Art Gallery which is in the town.

So ......yesterday I turned up with a lot of other artists and set out my pictures ...............just finished when the heavens opened, covered them quickly and when it stopped uncovered them ...............heavens opened again, by this stage a few exhibitors had left and I was getting very grumpy but decided to stay and went in search of plastic sheeting which I duly got ..............just in time ............another shower. Did I sell anything? Yes believe it or not, the town was buzzing with lots of people, the rain did not seem to put them off, mind you sailors are not put off by a bit of wet!

Apart from the weather it was an enjoyable day chatting to others around the railings and to people who came up to me during the day although I think it will be a while before I do that again.

OUR MELTING WORLD

AT THE END OF THE DAY

CHIMNEY POTS

Unfortunately I missed the opening of the members exhibition in the Signal Arts Centre in Bray where I had my chinmey pots! On my way up to Dublin yesterday I called into the centre to look at the pictures and discovered to my joy that my picture had sold on the opening night, thank you customer!

I exhibit in "The People's Art Gallery" in Powerscourt Town Centre in Dublin as well as Kilmantin Arts in Wicklow so when I was in Dublin I dropped in my picture of the hens as they had not sold on the railings in Sandymount, I hope they find a good home too!

SIGNAL EXHIBITION

I am a member of Signal Arts Centre in Bray and was lucky enough to have one of my paintings selected for the members exhibition which opened last night. I unfortunately was unable to attend the opening. The paintings are displayed in the gallery in 1 Albert Avenue and in some shop windows around Bray, as I was unable to attend the opening I do not know where my picure is displayed, so if you are walking down the main street of Bray and see a picture of chimney pots - its mine! If by any chance you are wondering where the chimney pots are - they are in Church Hill, Wicklow Town.

I often walk along streets looking up, as you see some really lovely chimney pots and tiling details on the roofs of houses and shops - mind you I do get some odd looks!

CHIMNEY POTS

CONTACT!

Simon updated his blog today with loads of photographs, he and his girlfriend are in Phucket at the moment. I had been waiting for him to post the photo of him eating crickets, note it does not show him actually eating them!

He rang this morning too, a feast or a famine! He sounded in great form but although he has only been away since the beginning of May he has worn out the sandals he went away with.

EATING CRICKETS

MY HUSBAND THE ACTOR

Havn't mentioned before but my husband has taken up acting lately! He is an extra in "The Tudors" a BBC programme being made in Ardmore Studios in Bray. He goes in most weeks for a day or two. He has to leave very early in the morning as usually he has to be there at six and he is really enjoying it. He has always had a beard and now that he is doing this he is not allowed to cut his beard or hair, which he thinks is great! Yesterday he came into the gallery to me and because it was raining he had a baseball cap on and he is quite a sight! I would love to have a photo of him all dressed up in his costume but he is not allowed to take photos so hopefully we will see him in shot when the series comes out in the autumn.

MAKING REPAIRS

A Crew member repairing
the sail

SEA STALLION (HAVHINGSTEN FRA GLENDALOUGH

Made my way down to the harbour yeserday morning (Saturday) to see if the Sea Stallion was still in Wicklow Harbour and found the crew making repairs to the sails and one repairing an oar.

Myself and a few other people were milling around them, some taking photographs like myself, they must be well used to this as they just got on with what they were doing, I much prefer to take photographs (with permission of course!) of people when they are not posing for the camera. One crew member was explaining their intended route home and it seems that Portsmouth is their next stop.

Today I have not yet gone down to the harbour but intend to do so before I go to Monkstown to collect some paintings from an exhibition there.

AT WORK

THE TIRED CREW

THE SEA STALLION MASTHEAD

SEA STALLION IN WICKLOW HARBOUR

THE SEA STALLION IN WICKLOW

Great excitement in Wicklow Harbour - the Sea Stallion the viking ship - is docked in the harbour. Ran down during my lunch break to see her and take some photographs. The ship is much bigger than I thought and very long. The crew look very tired and I couldn't resist taking photos of two sleeping crew. There was quite a crowd around the ship but the crew did not seem to mind, just got on with the business in hand. I went back after I had finished work and found the crew lined up for their evening meal, it smelled lovely and as the ship is mostly open deck the crew had to find spots on the quay and surrounds to eat their meal, it was raining too, although I would say after the voyage they have just finished a bit of rain on "dry land" was no problem to them. The will be leaving on the tide in the morning and I hope to be able to see them leave.

POOLBEG POWER STATION,DUBLIN

ON THE LOOKOUT

DOLPHINS

THE POND

VIEW FROM THE OLD PIGEON HOUSE,DUBLIN

SEA STALLION LEAVING DUBLIN

SEA STALLION

On our way today - Sunday - to Sandymount, my husband and I stopped to watch the "Sea Stallion, the viking ship, leave Dublin Port, I had missed her coming into Dublin so really wanted to see her leave. By the time we got to the shoreline near Poolbeg Power Station she was nearly out at sea. There were many boats around her of all descriptions and it really was a lovely sight.

There were lots of people there with cameras like myself but on the small beach below where we were there was one man collecting something along the shoreline, he never looked up even though just above him were lines of people all looking at the spectacle out at sea.

SAILING IN WICKLOW HARBOUR

MOVING MOUNTAINS

How do you move a mountain?

I finished a painting of Wicklow Harbour a few days ago but by the time I had finished it I had a terrible headache. I checked it - ok - husband, please frame it - framed - thank you - brought it into the gallery - propped it up to show it to another member of the gallery (a more experienced artist than myself) for his opinion - then it dawned on me - the mountains were wrong. He was very kind and didn't say anything at first but when I said "the mountains are wrong are they not?" he agreed. Brought picture home - asked husband to take it out of the frame - YOU WHAT! Eventually later that evening he took it out of its frame and I studied it further and realised that I would have to repaint the background mountains - hence "moving mountains"!

I post it above for your consideration!

PECKING ORDER

NOT CRICKET

Went on line last night to check my son Simon's travel blog. He had downloaded some new written entries and some new photographs. He is in Siem Reap, Cambodia at the moment. OK , read the first entry good he is enjoying himself - next entry - he is describing the taste of fried crickets! I have to laugh when I remember how I had to battle to get him, and his brother, to eat anything new when it was put in front of them. One set of photographs just posted show him in Vietnam struggling to go down one of the Cu Chi tunnels that the Vietnamese used during the war with the US. The photos were taken in a series showing him gradually going down with his arms above his head looking very serious, the last photo shows him popping up and smiling, by the look on his face it was a relief when he was able to get back up. I have a daft son!

Havn't heard from my eldest who is in Tunisia at the moment............

GETTING READY TO SAIL

SUMMER IN WICKLOW HARBOUR

WICKLOW HARBOUR

wicklow harbour reflections

summer reflections

On my way home from work last night I drove to the harbour as I always do. The water was like a mill pond with lovely reflections just what I have been looking for to photograph. As I pulled up to park I saw a small dinghy coming into the slipway so jumped out and grabbed my camera before they disappeared. Got some lovely shots and delighted with myself went home. Downloaded photos onto my laptop and sat back to view them. Bummer! lovely photos but I forgot in my haste to get a good shot about the big black cable going across the harbour - lesson learnt - don't do that again!

if you go down to the woods today .......

Asgard 11

asgard 11 in Wicklow

Last night on my way home from work I went around to the harbour as I always do, just to check if there was anything of interest to see in and around the harbour. The Asgard 11 was moored right beside the lighthouse, what a lovely sight. Lots of people on the pier looking at the ship, the old sailing ships are so graceful to see, whenever I can I follow the Tall Ships Race when it comes near to where I live.

The early evening was just right, warm and hazy.

wicklow harbour, wicklow,Ireland

wicklow harbour, wicklow,Ireland

Spent the other day prowling around Wicklow Harbour taking photographs as the lifeboat was on the slipway. I was dodging around the trawlermen trying to unload their catch for the day, much to their annoyance! Wished I had three hands, two to hold the camera and one to hold my nose! Got one lucky shot of a distainful seagull.