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    Memories, Poems & Fairy Ribbons ( Day 28 )

    The Challenge Today, I’m meant to be writing my own Eulogy. Thanks, but no thanks, Jeff! All I’d want on a gravestone is ” I tried, I really did.” Tried to be loving, honest and open-minded. That’s about it, really. Still, he got me thinking about my past and some early childhood memories, lovely memories, came back to me. And that’s when I started writing ” Fairy Ribbons”. Maybe you could call it a Eulogy to my inner child, the innocent me? Guess that keeps us all happy then, Jeff. I’ve written three verses so far this morning.  Little pen pictures of me before I was six, before life got complicated, …

  • A Creative Journey

    Noelle and Rosamund Ffrench, Photograph c 1903

    Noelle and Rosamund Ffrench Photograph This photograph of Noelle and Rosamund Ffrench was taken at Hill’s Studio in Galway city around 1903. It is a fairly typical child portrait of the times, though a little more relaxed than most. I love the way that they added a country feel by the use of props, like the gate and spade. Props were very important in those days and helped to convey the story behind the image. Indeed photographers often used them to distinguish between girls and boys at a time when very young children of both genders wore dresses. That is why so many vintage photographs of girls include dolls, while…

  • A Creative Journey

    Bushy Park House: Ivy Clad

    Bushy Park House: Ivy Clad Thank you so much to my mother, Helga Weiss Mullins, for supplying me with this picture of Bushy Park House.  The photograph of the house, covered in ivy, comes from her own personal collection.  This is what the house would have looked like when she arrived from Germany in 1946 and, indeed, it retained that facade well into the 1960’s.  Eventually my father , Larry, decided that the ivy had to go because it could cause structural problems with the building. Tractor Pulling My mother once told me the hilarious story about the day the ivy met its’ end. Larry, on the tractor, tugging at…

  • A Creative Journey

    Bushy Park House Roscommon

    Bushy Park House Roscommon Do you have a special connection with the house you grew up in ? Bushy Park House holds a special place in my heart.  My childhood home, my sanctuary, my inspiration. So much more than just a house. This beautiful, old Georgian building was the spark that ignited my creative passion and helped shape me as a person. The building, the furniture, the antiques, each held their own attraction and mystery. Also the gardens with their unique flowers, a throw back to a different era.  Plenty of places to find fun or solitude, depending on my mood. Definitely inspirational. History Bushy Park House Roscommon was built…