Dogs and Godlings

Kilfenora cathedral, Co. Clare.

This was a picture from last Thursday that hadn't been moved off my camera for some reason. I'm sure K got a better shot of this, but I lay on the ground to get the tower of this tiny cathedral through the west gate with the clouds boiling behind it as if the apocalypse were at hand. Thanks, Gina and Jim, for taking us there.

This is Trickster and Nute, who pretend to loathe each other, sharing the back of the sofa in the sunshine yesterday. The living-cum-dining room had been turned around to make way for a very special formal dinner, and that necessitated the shoving of the sofa under the window (and the door removed). I'm sure DK will blog the meal itself, all seven courses cooked and served by dear friends*



This is the mirror in the study.

I made it a week or two after we moved it - we neededa mirror and i had the space for a piece of art. It's grown a bit since - organic art always does here.

The rag rug below it was a gift to K from Gina , who made it herself.

*This is a PG rated blog, remember

Cats and Cages

When we were in Ireland, Gina gave me her very first Artist Trading Card. It really is a delightful piece called "Cat in a Cage" and measures only 3 1/2" by 2 1/4". Click on the image to have a closer look. Lots of fabric and stitching and utter feelyness.

I used to make a lot of ATCs myself but it lapsed in recent years. I shall have to revive the practice, if only to send Gina one in return!

Incidentally, if you click the link you'll see loads of pictures of our two days there, though be warned, there are pictures of me on display, so really not for the faint of heart. If you have a look, leave her a comment. She really has a lovely gardener's blog.

I have a fondness for the haiga form. This is a rather lazy way of doing it -- adding a haiku (or more often a Senryū) to a photograph. What I should be doing is hand painting a picture to illustrate and make a counterpoint to the words.

Still, I am noting if not lazy, as my friend Jasfoup says.

Unlike Gina, who has a saying (and I forget where it came from) to counter any adversity:

"We're not made of paper! We won't melt!"

It makes no sense to me either, but it's terribly appropriate for many situations.



Here's a photo K took of the three of us last week at Chatsworth. You'll have to click it to see, but Lu is holding a big steel ball, I'm in the middle and K to the right.