living heavy//travelling light

Hello again.

Excuse, if you will, the chorus of crickets that have consumed this blog these last few months.

Truth be told, I almost never made my way back here and even now it feels a little like I'm trying on an old dress that doesn't quite fit any more.

For a while there it seemed like life and it's wicked sense of humor had been pulling some of it's best moves to trip me up and send me out of step with the music. I let a few key events get the better of me until I literally stooped beneath the sad & sorry personal rain cloud I was totin'.

My bad run culminated in the death of my beloved Nana Kitty on Sunday who was, and will ever be, my hero. 

Coming back to Ireland for the funeral has slid all of my bad luck into a new perspective and I realize that any heart sickness I might feel now will somehow, over time, evolve into the footnote to a new, and happier, tale.

During a particularly rotten week when I was ready to crack some skulls my family whisked me away with them for a few days in Weymouth on the South coast of England. It's incredible what a dose of sea breeze, fresh, salty lungfuls of air and several rounds of tea and crab sandwiches can do for the bluest of the blues.

So here's to wiping the slate clean, picking myself up after yet another tumble, and finding comfort in old dresses.

goin' up the country

My last few weeks on the Emerald Isle have had the most round house kickin'/ fist pumpin'/ air guitar playin' kinda effect on my heart.

My beautiful cousin and soul sister Finn came to visit for a long weekend. I'll be sharing a house with this amazing girl as well as some other pretty rad house-mates when I move to West London tomorrow (TOMORROW!).

We managed to squeeze in a full day of sightseeing, Irish coffees and pub time in my parent's home-town before packing up the car to head off to Kerry for a big old family knees up.

A 5 hour car journey, way too many travel sweets and one retail park pit stop later we were in beautiful Killarney in Kerry to visit my aunt and her family. It was a girly affair with 4 aunties and three girly cousins staying up way past the witching hour at the kitchen table drinking wine, taking photographs and swapping family anecdotes.

I treasured the opportunity to connect with my little cousin Zio as it's only the second chance I have had to meet her since she was adopted from Vietnam when she was a baby. Such a funny, smart and kind little human being, she just adored getting to know her grown up cousins and we took every opportunity to play with her and get to know her beautiful personality.

When she jumped on my bed one morning and said "Let's play 'Mamas and darlings', you can be the Mama and I'll be the darling" (a game she learned from a tv show apparently) I seriously thought my uterus would go off like a bomb. Sigh. 

As well as the (several) maternal ticks and twitches I also thanked my moon and stars for being blessed with such a huge close-knit family and I relished the chance to bond with some seriously cool female matriarchs. 

Killarney is a treat to visit and if you're ever considering a tour of Ireland it will tick every box~ I particularly fell in love with this time capsule tea room which we all loved so much we ate lunch in it two days on the trot. Smoked salmon and poached eggs and eggs benedict for the girl who wanted to run away with the china. Delicious.

My flight to London leaves at mid-day tomorrow so it'll be an early night for me tonight. I can't wait to check in with my first post from my new home. Thank you to all of you who have left such sweet words of luck and encouragement for me on my journey. Hugs and kisses are on the wind to you all x x x

Thank you so much for reading! Why not hitch your wagon to Stars in Jars?
>.<

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big trees, small girl

 

Nothing could be better for the soul than a wander through the forest in the summer rain.

If only I could bottle the scent of freshly sprinkled leaves and dab it behind my ears on days when I'm blue!

The forest was abuzz with nature doing her thang~ dragonflies helicoptered, lily pads floated, green things grew  and the pine trees canopied way up above.

I felt like a very small girl in a big old beautiful world.

I collected sticks and counted crow feathers and listened to wild tales of Irish wildflowers and moss and wood-fern from my hiking buddy.

It's fun to be an explorer, to breath easy in the forest and get my toes wet and not care an inch. 

I hope you've enjoyed a little summer rainfall where you are, it's not too shabby at all!

Hitch your wagon to Stars in Jars!!

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head in the clouds/ toes in the earth

 Summertime, and the livin' is easy.

The living is easy, indeed. I've never known a summer like it. 

Once September hits and its back to work I know my heart will pine for these long, drawn out days of sun-chair lounging and Vonnegut reading, picking and choosing my waking hours and navigating the country lanes with only the wild horses for company.

I've been taking an hour long stroll most evenings. I love the natural euphoria that occurs when you mix cardio with visual stimulation and Sigur Ros ^.^

There's something about these ice cream flavour skies; blueberry blue and cherry-whipped, I wish I could take a giant spoon and eat up a scoop...

Such magic to be found in summer, 

especially for a daydreamer like me.

I'd love to hear your favourite parts of this season!

don't mind if I do, Mercury

Are we all here? Everyone make it out alive?

You're here reading this so I'm guessing that you did but I'd just go ahead and check your wit and wisdoms are all in order if I were you.

In case you're wondering what the hell I'm talking about, until a week ago Mercury was in retrograde.

For us earthly folk this occurrence signals all manner of personal and professional jiggery pokery.

Since the planet Mercury symbolises truth, travel, communication and clear thinking and when a planet goes 'retrograde' it appears to travel backwards in the sky, these things can start to go a bit cuckoo bananas for some us. A bit of a planetary shit storm if you will.

Scan back in your memory between June 26th and July 20th. Anything seem a bit "off" to you?

Were you feeling cloudy and tongue-tied? Experienced problems with travel plans or electrical equipment?

Trouble communicating in your relationship or on the receiving end of wrong information in your personal life?

These are all effects of the pandemonium caused by that little silver planet going retrograde.

BUT, my sources tell me, Mercury in retrograde can also present an opportunity for major emotional and intellectual breakthroughs. A chance for us to, essentially, "get our karmic shit together".

During those weeks that the cosmos spent tripping out I spent a lot of time walking the back-roads behind our house at the magic hour, catching some terrific captures of the sun sinking down behind the treetops along the way. As I pounded the pavements, listened to my music and drank in the sunsets I had ample time to think. To mull over my past and ponder on my future and mentally karate chop some of the doubts and fears holding me back from moving forward.

The outcome? I have a one-way plane ticket booked for London Gatwick in a few weeks time.

It's been nigh on four years since I last lived in the Big Smoke and my heart swells whenever I think about moving back.

So many haunts to revisit, streets to trample down, curry houses to frequent.

How do I begin to describe London? I'd say it's a bit like trying to grab hold of the wind... but here are a few snapshots of my favourite bits + pieces from the place that I am, once again, proud to call home...

<<Brick Lane>>

{{The Shampan curry house on Brick Lane~favourite ^.^}}

When I was 25 years old I announced to my Mom that I was finally ready to fly the coop. A week later I had moved in to a teeny wee bedsit in a tower block near the bottom of the infamous Brick Lane in East London. 

While it can err on the side of being too urban/hipster for it's own good, I will always and forever love this little corner of London for it's utter and unapologetic diversity. You can walk through a multitude of cultures, colors, styles, foods and tastes on just one single cobble-stoned street.

 Pop-up vintage markets and street festivals, book stands and street food riddle Brick Lane on the weekends and you can treat you retinas to Banksy art and graffitied walls, your taste buds to curry house fare and bagel stores and your ear drums to boom-boxed jazz to live Jamaican kettle drums.

In particular I can't wait to refresh myself after an afternoon's browsing with a mint tea in one of the several spit-n-sawdust tea rooms where you can take your pick from worn leather armchairs or Indian-style floor pillows. As I said, diversity definitely is the key word where Brick Lane is concerned!!

<<Notting Hill Carnival>>

I'm seriously happy that I will be back in London this year in time for the annual carnival in the streets of Notting Hill. 

Sequins and jerk chicken and calypso music, oh my!!

Plus the local upper crust loosen up for a few days and throw open the windows of their million pound apartments to have jamming sessions on their windowsills.

Can't beat that, friends!

<<London Fields Park>>

The sunshine suits London to a T and she wears it like a slutty dress.

The only thing to do when the summer is doing what it does best is to pack a picnic and go people watch in the green grass of London Fields. 

Strawberries, clotted cream and scones are non-negotiable!

If it's possible I just made myself even more excited to return!

So thank you for the mind-buzz, Mercury. An open invitation to take your future bull by the horns? Don't mind if I do!

London's calling...

Toot Toot!!

>.<

⋙⋙⋙currently⋙⋙⋙

⋙⋙⋙ planning⋙⋙⋙

Tired eyes and bed head~ I'm planning to sleep for the next 10 hours.

 We drove 8 and a half hours in the rain to collect this little sass-mouth today.

Folks, meet Buddy. The new man in my life.

 Just look at that belly.

Blurry photo c/o my equally exhausted mom.

Buddy post coming soon!

⋙⋙⋙ reading⋙⋙⋙

Currently reading this quirky little illustrated travel diary on my kindle.

 This is such a lovely little book, and proof that sometimes it pays off to judge a book by it's cover! 

⋙⋙⋙ watching⋙⋙⋙

Have you ever seen a wild rose? They are growing in abundance by our house.
They smell like beautifully clean sheets on a freshly made bed. 
I must pick a few to make some rose petal ice cubes.

⋙⋙⋙ eating⋙⋙⋙

I've been treating my sweet tooth here lately. In a clean way.

This week I made Almond Milk for the first time, with a few yummy flavourings thrown in. Perfect for making chai tea and pouring over muesli in the mornings.

The creamiest peach strawberry smoothie, I know it's twee but it's definitely more fun drinking them from a mason jar with a pretty straw ^.^

These ice pops were so yummy and easy to make~ just blend coconut milk, peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 banana and pour liquid into ice pop moulds.

⋙⋙⋙ writing⋙⋙⋙

I've been catching up on my letter writing this week. If your waiting for post from me, it's being sent this Monday I promise!

⋙⋙⋙ listening⋙⋙⋙

So excited about Fleetwood Mac's new single. It's all over the radio at the moment and I turn it all the way up every time.

⋙⋙⋙ learning⋙⋙⋙

print + paint

A week long sabbatical from the internet reminded my creative juices that they are still present and correct despite being redundant for some time so I set them the task of finally doing something pretty with the beach stones and shells I squirrelled away from my Donegal trip.

I love the results, especially on the shells. They look really lovely occupying tabletops and windowsills.

I also spent some time customizing a sad little multi-frame that has been boring me to tears on my bedroom wall for some time!

A pair of scissors, some washi tape and an afternoon on my bedroom floor doing some cuttin' and pastin' the old fashioned way has revived this frame and made it something a little more unique and personal to me.

My Mom brought me back this Parrot's tail feather last week after a trip to the Gardening Centre where she rescued it from the floor.

It's so beautiful and the other side of it is canary yellow. 

Being in the country birdsong, nests in our roof and watching for different species at the birdfeed in our garden has become part and parcel of our daily living.

We're even lucky enough to spy beautiful pheasants running through the fields surrounding our house occasionally. 

I'll be sorry to swap the sparrows and the starlings for pigeons when I move back to London!