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Friday 18 July 2014

Friday Finds in the Irish countryside

Emi, Maxi and I have been busy catching up with my parents this week, going around all our old haunts and doing some serious amounts of chillaxing ... does that word even exist?

This is our village, Aughnacloy, set amidst the rolling, green hills of South Tyrone:


It's a pretty little corner of the world with lots of lakes and rivers, all teeming with wildlife.


The weather hasn't been all blue skies and sunshine, but, hey, there's a reason why Ireland is such a green and verdant place ... . 


My mum has an old-fashioned cottage garden with beds of hardy perennials, and a vegetable patch that always seems to have something edible in it whatever the time of the year. She grows a drill of sweet peas in with the vegetables, just like my grandparents used to do. Here are this year's plants:


I so wish that I could blog a scratch card to give you a whiff of their wonderful fragrance; they are simply divine. We entertain ourselves arranging them in vases to spread their fabulous smell throughout the house. It's such an evocative scent. Wherever I am, the smell sweet pea instantly transports me back to Aughnacloy in the summertime. 

In July the garden is a kaleidoscope of colour set against the vivid green backdrop of the fields all around.


And there are lots of other perks that go with living in such an out-of-the-way place. There's no one looking over the garden fence to notice that you're riding up and down on a too-small bike with a HUGE motorbike helmet on. If you fancy taking a spin, you can go right ahead and throw caution to the wind - unless, of course, your mum's around to take photographs and show the world ... . Oh, and please, nobody tell his friends that it's a pink bike.


When we come over here we do lots of long country walks, dogs at our heels, and our heads bent together as we shoot the breeze.


In Celtic mythology the lakes, the rivers and the sea shore were important: this meeting of the land with the water was believed to be a special place from which it was possible to access the world of the spirits. And for my part I've always found the lakes especially magical. Maybe it's some sort of inherited sense of awe and respect that's come down the generations from my early ancestors. Whatever the way of it there's an hour, just before twilight, when the last sunbeams of the day sink through the leaves on the wooded banks leaving a gentle dappled light dancing over the water when it's easy to believe you've arrived at the gateway to some other ethereal side.


At this time of the year we have loads of wild flowers in the hedgerows.


And, whilst we're feasting on wild strawberries and raspberries, we have the prospect of the blackberries and the hazelnuts that are soon to come. With the warm, early spring we seem to be on course for a bumper harvest this year.


So there they are: some Friday Finds that are really very ordinary, but at the same time quite extraordinary because they are so commonplace. It's a fabulous country where ordinary people like us can stumble upon such beautiful things on our doorsteps without having to make any effort or spend any money to find them. They're there, within reach of anyone who will take the time to see them.


Anyway here's to the simple pleasures in life and a great weekend!

All the best,

Bonny x

As shared on Friday Finds


18 comments:

  1. So lovely Bonny we have visited Ireland a few times, Dublin and Cork and also Kinsale. Mark is a guitarist and we love the craic...

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  2. Thank you, Viv. There's nothing to beat the craic! All the best, Bonny

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  3. all of my favorites....lucky you to be there

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    1. Yes, we feel very lucky indeed. Thanks for stopping by. All the best, Bonny

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  4. I would love to come along on a wander through these beautiful places. Love the bike and motorcycle helmet :)

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    1. Thanks Sarah. He's very proud of the bike and helmet combo. All the best, Bonny

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    1. Thank you. It's a very happy place. All the best, Bonny

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  6. oh my ..... that dock shot is stunning.... the water looks so peaceful..... and the reflection.... perfect.
    love simple pleasures...... so very much......

    enjoy your weekend...... xo

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    1. Thank you, Kim. Have a lovely weekend too. All the best, Bonny

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  7. Your lovely post makes me want to visit Ireland even more. Beautiful photographs. Diane #22

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    1. Thank you, Diane. I hope you have a ball when you get here. All the best, Bonny

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  8. This is all so beautiful, both photos and narrative, that you've sparked my wanderlust! Ireland is calling me. My granddaughter has been at an acting camp all week run by an Irish couple from Carrickfergus {our sister city} and she has been thoroughly captivated by them.

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    1. Thank you, Dotti. I hope you have a great time when you come. How interesting that your city has been twinned with Carrickfergus, and that you've got some folk over from there helping out with the acting camp. Carrickfergus has got a great castle. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  9. Those photos are just stunning, what a beautiful part of the world you live in.

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  10. The meeting of the land and the water!!! Congratulations for the blog!!

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