Oh what a - -

- - brilliant weekend we had! Even the weather - and as you may know dear readers - British weather can be very unpredictable - was kind. Blue skies and sunshine greeted me as I woke - and although there was a chill wind - it remained with us all weekend. Our hotel was central - and so comfortable, the shopping was only 5 minutes away - and the new Titanic, Belfast only  a 20 minute walk along the waterfront.
We had booked out time slot for the Titanic building - good job we did - tickets were sold out for the weekend we were there.  It was PACKED - there were even monitored queues to get into the souvenir shop!!!It is a fabulous experience - in spite of the queueing - and we were there 3 hours - and I am certain there was so much else I missed! We did get in almost on our timeslot - only a couple of minutes late - so it is well organised even with its obvious, huge popularity - and I am sure it will calm down when the novelty wears off. It really is a "must see" exhibition/experience - and the building itself is - in my opinion anyway - beautiful. Very, very modern - and each of its 4 "points"really does look and feel like the prow of the "Olympic Class" liners. I really am glad we went - and I intend to go back again.

 

 Belfast is a great city - everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and we did take advantage of the City Tours to see the murals and other buildings of interest- as well as a trip to the Giant's Causeway, so we feel we managed to pack quite a lot into our weekend. Our hotel was one of the Malmaison group of "boutique" hotels and was in an old warehouse building, now converted into a luxury venue. It really was a great place to stay and the staff were lovely - at all times. The food was excellent too! I have added links but I am not receiving any commission or anything - and opinions are my own - Just thought you might like a little "nosy round".

Our Causeway trip was also very good value - and  on a very comfortable coach. We got to see some of Northern Ireland's beautiful scenery with an excellent driver as our guide - and once again the weather was kind - blue skies and sunshine! 

All in all we had a  really great weekend, and I am looking forward to adding my photos and thoughts to my "Week in the Life" mini album. Though it looks like I will also have to do a "Weekend in Belfast" one as well - for daughter number 1!! No crafty pictures yet - but will post when my album has a few photos in it!
Thanks for stopping by.
'til later -
Bannaghtyn - J x

Tea Party at the shop -- Storytelling Sunday

The shop was busy - it often was on a Saturday morning - and the small girl trotted purposefully after her granny as she went from the kitchen to the shop to serve her customers. She watched shyly from the doorway, wide eyed - as granny weighed potatoes, sliced bacon, weighed sugar or added home made cakes to paper bags for the women coming in for their weekly shop.
A steady stream of customers meant that cheerful banter was tossed back and forth over the counter - the housewives wanting groceries, men buying cigarettes and tobacco, children with halfpennies and pennies for weekend treats - Black Jacks, Fruit Salad (8 for a penny), Spanish and Kali (2oz for tuppence), Cadbury's Chocolate, Frys Five Boys, Shoelaces or 2oz of peardrops, sarsaparilla tablets, Uncle Joe's mintballs or caramels. To the little girl watching from the doorway between the kitchen and the shop it seemed like whole world came to granny's shop on a Saturday morning.
Soon it would be time to close - when she knew she would be able to have friends come to play with her in the backyard of the shop. It was a very large backyard - a rarity amongst these narrow streets surrounding the land which had once housed the mill - now blitzed -  and the little girls of the neighbourhood loved to play there, even though they were all older than J-------. They were accustomed to skipping on the cobbles, or making swings on the arms of a lamp post, however the yard was flagged - smooth and level - where they could play "house" and have tea parties, in what felt like luxury! There was a very large gate - it kept the boys out so they couldn't tease or get in the way with footballs!!
The shop bell tinkled and the door opened again to reveal two children, a fair child about 8 years old and a younger dark child with black curls and deep brown eyes, perhaps about 5,  followed by a smiling woman, her hair in a turban made from a scarf - "Here they are Janey." she said pushing the children forward slightly. "Oh hello Nellie" said granny - "come on in then" she beamed at the children as they scampered round the counter to the back of the shop and through to the kitchen. J------- squealed with delight to see them and hurriedly gathered together her dolls, crayons and a miniature tea set - thrusting them into the older children's hands as all three scampered outside - to find a small table and chairs already waiting for them.
The table was soon set - and much fun was had on that Saturday afternoon over fifty five years ago, as the three little girls, 8, 5 & 3  played with dolls, teddies, colouring books and crayons and had a tea party - totally enjoying the sunny afternoon, the sanctuary of the yard - (the boys with their football could be heard at the other side of the gate) whilst the gap between their ages just disappeared. . . . .

I was that 3 year old - and I can no longer remember any further details of that afternoon captured in this photo - I only remember that Aunty Nellie lived across the street from my granny's shop and that she was Elaine's mummy and that Kathleen lived next door to them and her parents were - I think - Irish. My granny's shop is no more -  - nor is the mill land - not even the streets remain - yet I was aware of such a strong sense of community there. I remember Maydays, the May Queen, a Maypole, costumes made from crepe paper, Whit Walks, Bonfire Nights - all community activities that all the street seemed to be involved in - yet I moved away from this area when I was 5 years old.
What a street party there would have been for that Royal Wedding in April this year!

Thanks for stopping by - this post is brought to you courtesy of Sian's Storytelling Sunday
and this months stories can all be found here.  

'til later

Bannaghtyn J x

He wore - -

- - blue velvet --da-da-da - - -played on the radio this morning as I was coming in to work - listening to the words triggered a memory. - - - the Artisan was wearing a blue velvet jacket the very first time I saw him. It made me smile so much - blue really is his colour - it matched his eyes! Actually I think his eyes sre getting bluer as the years go by - if that is possible of course.

The young man in the blue velvet jacket stood in the entrance hall - such a vast space - how was he supposed to find the meeting room of this club he had been told about? The stairs alone were grand enough for a stately home - and the doors and corridors off the hallway were just massive - and therefore intimidating. He looked round again then set off down the corridor past the stairs - hoping for a sign on a door which might help - nothing. Turning round again he returned to the main foyer - and set off in the opposite direction this time, just as the outside door opened with a flurry of cold air as several young men and girls entered chattering and laughing together, followed closely by a middle aged man and his wife, and a couple of tall and rather handsome young men. Richard and Nick saw him as they came in and headed straight towards him - slapping him in the back as they caught him up to him - "Hey good  to see you, come on up with us" said Richard and turning him round the three of them joined the other young people heading up the stairs. Richard & Nick chatted away introducing him to everyone in the group.
A slight girl with long blonde hair had also noticed him as she arrived - and that first glimpse had been enouigh - she felt as if someone had just prodded her in the back - yet she was the last person though the door - whilst the voice in her head kept on repeating -"Well - what are you waiting for? That is who you are meant to be with, Well - what are you waiting for - go ON!" It made no sense - another feeling of being prodded in her back jolted her into movement - she turned round - no one there! "How odd" she thought. She shook herself slightly, shrugged her shoulders and tried to put the feeling of knowing a total stranger out of her head.and headed up the stairs behind the rest of her friends - -

Moments in between - -

 - - a couple of  weekends ago on Amy's blog she posted a challenge to scrap the day - ON the day - I was going to have a shot at it - but life kind of got in the way so I didn't actually scrap any photos. However the challenge did set me off thinking about those kind of everyday moments - the moments in between the activity that fills our days in our busy lives - those big happenings in life, Births, Weddings  are all such big milestones - and we remember them so very well, but Amy's challenge was to scrap the other stuff - - so I found myself thinking of the mundane, the ordinary, daily life type of occurrences. Those that might be so ordinary  that there are no photos to go with any of my thinkings and from there it led me to a few very precious - moments ? not sure how to describe it best - feelings that keep me warm inside - I think - is the nearest I can get to putting it into words. Thinking about them made me realise just how important these thoughts are to me - and how frequently they pop into my head to make me smile inside- and I hope that I never ever forget them - so I am "scrapping" them here on my blog - just in case I do!

• the smile in his eyes as they meet mine across a room

• the feel of my daughter's hands in mine and my son's small arms round my neck

• the strength in my dad's hugs when I was small

• my grandad's whistle - (non existant really as he had lost all his teeth as a young man - so he kind of whistled through his gums!) and my granny's laughter

• shared hugs with my mum, dad and sister known in our family as "piggy-mustards" (Don't ask me why my baby sister called a huge family hug by this title - but it stuck - and has passed into the family folklore to my own children)

None of them especially exciting - nothing I could actually take a photo of really - but stuff I think I do need to record for me - so thank you Amy for the prompt - even though it led me down a slightly different path.

thanks for stopping by.

'til later
Bannaghtyn Jx

Remembering Rhymes -

- - do snippets of nursery rhymes ever float into your head when you least expect them to? They do mine and today I found myself thinking back again to times in our campervan. If you have ever had one you will know that the VW Camper really rather "plodded" along rather than zipped by - so getting to most destinations always took some considerable time. With children in the back I am sure you guess that keeping them entertained was a rather important part of our travel! One of the games we played was - see how many nursery rhymes you could remember. We all had to take turns and no one could repeat one that we had already sung! Oh how funny it was  - the Artisan was hopeless - well his children thought he was - because he always got the words wrong (deliberately? you ask - No he genuinely didn't know the words!) - and as for me - they would never let me finish mine! They always said I knew too many :(
I don't actually know how many such rhymes there are - but we did once get to a 100 before the game palled and we moved on to I love my Love with an A - - - but that's another story.

How do you entertain yourselves whilst travelling? And how many nursery rhymes can you remember?

Thanks for stopping by
'til later


Bannaghtyn, J x

The hands of time - -

- - - moved steadily round the clock face, eating yet more of her precious minutes, she knocked once more on the shop door - still no answer - other premises were beginning to show signs of life as it crept up to 7.45am - the newsagent was positively busy - and the green grocer was putting out his stands - whilst across the street - a light went on in the one shop that might be able to help her. " Please, please be willing to open" she thought waiting for a gap in the traffic to dart across the road. She could see a figure moving inside as she hurried to knock on the door - the young blonde women opened the door looking slightly bewildered -
"Can I help you?" she asked
"Oh I do hope so, I had an appointment over the road - but she hasn't turned up - I know it's a bit cheeky - but I don't suppose you could do my hair could you?  Please? Please?"
"You mean now? Right now? I'm not open yet!" said the shopowner
" Please - - If you could - -  I don't know what else to do -- please - - - I had an appointment with the hairdresser across the road - but I think she has forgotten me - she hasn't turned up  - I know it is an imposition   - - I don't have much time - -  Please ?Please? -   It is rather a special day for me you see - I would so appreciate it - and there is still no sign of life over there" The young woman realised she was babbling stupidly even as she pointed across the road and looking at her watch - -   "You see - -  I am getting married at 11am."
"Oh my - what time? of course I will, come on in - what do you want me to do? Do you have a veil? Or a hat. My name is Karen by the way" bubbled the younger girl - - -

That's how I met the young woman who did my hair for the fourteen years I lived in that area. She decorated my hair with flowers on that day and I felt like a queen - and it rained  - - as I arrived to marry the man I have shared the last 25 years with -my beloved, my friend, my rock, my partner, my mate, the father of my children, he is my everything and I love him now as I did then and yes I would do it all again  - - and it didn't matter a jot what the weather did as he has always brought me sunshine!. Today is our Silver Wedding anniversary - - and it is raining! Do I care? No, not in the slightest.  - - - only I just would really like to know where all that time has gone - because the hands of time never stop moving do they?

Thanks for stopping by,
the first part of this story can be read here

'til later
Bannaghtyn

A day for - -

- - making memories. It had to be didn't it? Because today was the kind of day which doesn't happen very often in anyone's life. They woke to pale gray skies and the threat of rain - but that didn't really matter -  what did was getting all that needed to be done fitted into the limited time they had, getting the house ready for anyone who might wish to come back, getting herself off to her appointment, the little one up, bathed and dressed in all her finery, getting ready themselves - - -
Rushing about madly she shifted furniture around to make space in the small front room, spread a clean cloth on the extended table and get out cutlery before heading out the door to her appointment."I'm off now " she called up the stairs - a muffled answer floated down - she had to dash or she would be late. They were opening especially early for her so she had to be there!
Running along the road she felt a few spots of dampness on her cheeks - "Rain, rain go away, Come again another day - - - - - " danced through her head in time to her steps as she hurried along the road. There was a brighter sky comimg in- -  so hopefully - - - - The bus arrived at this moment so she got on and paid her fare, just a 15 minute ride and she would be there. She checked her watch - time was really tight actually.
Reaching her destination she left the bus and crossed the road to the shop,  pushed the door handle to go in - only to find it resist her with a vengeance. It was locked - she knocked briskly, and waited fully expecting Trscey to open the door to her but got no response. ~Oh NO, the voice in her head almost screamed, she's forgotton me -- she knocked again this time with real desperation - still no response - what was she to do? how long could she afford to wait to see if anyone arrived? She felt a  little foolish now - standing outside THIS shop at 7.15am on a Wednesday morning - even the one across the street was all closed up, I'll wait 15 minutes she thought as she wandered disconsolately towards the bus stop, wondering what she was going to be able to do herself if no one turned up to open for her? - - - -

To be continued - -
Til later

Bannaghtyn J x

A Prom to remember

It has been a very busy week for me this week. Last Thursday was the official start of Study Leave for our year 11 students - - they have the Record of Achievement Ceremony and in the evening it is their “Prom” Ball. As is usual for me, I go along to take some snaps for the school plasma display – and though I can’t show you any other than this of these photos, but I am very pleased with how they have turned out. So are many of the young people in the shots – as I seem to have spent my week printing out copies for them to take home to various relatives. They all look so very elegant , handsome, pretty, beautiful, stunning and excited – and so very grown up!
The highlight of the event for me was seeing two of our Special Unit children arriving in all their finery – A -------- who spend his life in a wheelchair was looking particularly handsome in his “James Bond” outfit , he also struggles with language – but he made sure we understood who he was dressed like and his excitement brought tears to my eyes. C------- of course looked just like a Princess in a beautiful royal blue gown, silver shoes and bag and a diamante tiara in her hair. A------- had brought a beautiful bracelet as a small gift for C------- and she couldn’t wait to wear it.
They both had the most wonderful evening - - - the rest of their year group made sure they could get to the dance floor and included them both in the entire party atmosphere. Mum’s collected them at 11.45pm – and when asked if she had enjoyed the Prom, C-------- said “Yes – I keep thinking about it in my head, and when I do, it makes me happy”.
When her mum told us yesterday it brought tears to my eyes. She told us when she came to Crafty Corner – and it made my day.

I have a lovely photo of the two of them - so a page is calling out to me. Just wish I wasn't at work today!!

The Prom
Our last year now has flashed right past, schooldays are over now at last.
One more thing before we go. The Prom – a night for us to show,
How we can do you adults proud. Though we may get a little loud!
We’ll do our best to keep it fun, for staff and students, so each one
Will smile when this they look back on. We just wish the sun had shone.
We look so fine and scrub up well. In Tux and ball gown – Can you tell?
Just who we are? As we arrive in coach and carriage down the drive!
We laugh and giggle and admire, each and everyone’s attire.
The hair, the nails the polished shoes. Excitement , Cheers - and then we choose
The friends with whom we’ll go inside, for here we can no longer hide.
From Paperazzi mum and dad, whose pride in makes us so glad,
We made this effort to come here, to celebrate our final year!
J.M.H

'til later

Bannaghtyn Jx

A Day in Photos

See more photos here.

Easter Sunday

a beautiful Easter Day greeted me when I woke  - - blue skies & sunshine - warm air and birdsong - not the kind of day for staying indoors. The Artisan struggles to entertain himself indoors at any time - but there is no way he would want to be indoors on such a lovely day. Usually this would mean he would be off climbing but today we took a picnic to Ni-ar-byl for lunch. He did have an ulterior motive - because the first basking shark of the season was seen at Ni-ar-byl only a few days ago - but of course he doesn't think I'm aware of that!

 We took the coast path

 

 The drop to the shore is incredibly steep in places - and the path very narrow but the views are breathtaking

The sun is warm on our backs,  the gorse scents the air with that spicy, almost vanilla aroma, whilst under the hedges  - shy purple violets, delicate lemony primroses and sea pinks peep out through the grasses - as we climb the path to the headland the first swallow I have seen this year skims the path just in front of us, almost touching the small lavender stars of squill. The path turns sharply and below us is the beach. Steps lead down through the field of grass, which I think they use for thatch, to the hush of waves on the empty shore. It is quite some time since we came here, and a commemorative bench has appeared in between times - so we take advantage of its perfect position to eat our lunch, listen to the sound of the sea and watch - hopefully - for basking shark.

Sadly we watched in vain - but nevertheless Troie Vane is a perfect picnic spot - only a short way from Ni-ar-byl  - and from here it is very easy to see how Ni-ar-byl got its name - translated it means Road of the Tail of the Rocks - they really do look like a dragon or lizards tail in the water - favourite place for us to come even in winter - though we never come to this beach in winter as I don't find the path easy even at this time of year.  A lovely way to spend Easter Sunday.

Thanks for stopping by.

'til later,

Banaghtyn J x

Good Friday in the garden - -

- - beautiful sunshine greeted me today - - dragging me outside to breakfast in the garden. I love the small woodland clearing at the head of the glen that constitutes our little hamlet. This small cluster of dwellings has been here at least 200 years and show as buildings on the oldest map in the local museum - from the early 19th century. I feel they were all built as crofter's/fishermen's cottages with the exception of the tiny one-up, one-down which adjoins our cottage - as we believe that it was once the stabling that our property had according the deeds.
The small outside space which calls itself my garden is encircled by trees, high hedges, is well below road level and is always filled with birdsong and the soft whirring of small wings as sparrows, robins, chaffinches, blackbirds and thrush all go about the business of keeping the occupants of the many nests in the high hedges well fed. When I sit alone in the garden - as I did today - they soon ignore my presence and flit amazingly close to me in their hunt for food for their chicks. I feel priveleged indeed for this trust they show me.

Sheltered as it is we rarely know know if it is windy - and is probably the only place on my windswept island where you can peg washing out on a dry day before going to work - and it will still be damp when you get home at teatime!! It is still a bit of a mystery to me even after 10 years here! Only in the height of summer can I be sure it will be dry. Here is a small enclosed sanctuary for those little birds - we rarely see anything larger than the pair of ring-necked doves who nest in the glen, but who often sit together on my gate, and it is filled with a deep tranquility and peace.

A quiet hour in my garden refreshes my spirit after hectic working days and for that I am truly thankful.
Hope your Easter weekend is all you wish for. Thanks for stopping by.

'til later.
Bannaghtyn - especially on this day. J x

Books with Betsy - -

- - Betsy was the name we picked for our much loved VW Campervan which was our only vehicle when our children were small. She took us all over the UK - from Lands End to John o' Groats - our holidays were spent in her, we shared countless Bank Holiday weekends with her - - and many, many ordinary weekends in some of the beautiful countryside Northern Britain has to offer a couple of hours drive from the Manchester area. We had so much fun in the van - - whatever the weather, glorious days allowed our children to play outside - - but as you may know - in the UK there is no guarantee that it will be dry - let alone warm!! So in anticipation of those inevitable occasions - - I had a stash of chidren's books tucked into one of her many little cupboards. And I read aloud - by candlelight - all the stories I could find which would appeal to an 8 year old and a 30 year old - the baby didn't count until he was 2 - by which time the others were hooked and a tradition was established! At the end of every day after our meal - everything was cleared as quickly as possible, the beds set up for the night - then - treats were liberated, juice for the children and wine for us - and either chocolate, sweets or crisps - whichever was that evenings preference - the candles lit and "the book" fished out of the cupboard for the nights chapters.
I read - sometimes until I was hoarse - all the Chronicles of Narnia, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Elidor, The Owl Service, The Prydain Chronicles, The Dark is Rising Sequence, The Hobbit and many, many more. I tried to read a book which linked into the area we were visiting - so when we were in Wales I read the of Taran from the Prydain Chronicles, on Alderley Edge I read of Susan and her "Weirdstone", in Cornwall I read of Will and the Rising Dark and read The Snow Goose in Norfolk and so on. I think I managed to find a childrens book to read in the van which always linked to the area we were visiting.
Looking back on the few titles which I have listed - I have just realised that along the way my husband and children were indoctrinated with all the Celtic Folklore - which so fascinated me - of the British Isles. I do hope they forgive me for imposing my own favourites on them as I did. I know these stories, read aloud by the light of a flickering candle - were my husband's first experience of the wonderful world of legend and fantasy that was part of my childhood and early teens, and that the characters in some of those books still live in our family memories. Some of those characters gave us family "catch phrases" we use to this day - and I look back on those evenings in the van with nothing but pleasure. I hope my children do too. Maybe along the way I also preserved some of our islands wonderful legendary characters Herne the Hunter or the Morrigan - I do hope so. I wish I had taken photos of the 5 of us snuggled together  - but I didn't so those pictures will have to live on only in my head - I need to find a photo of Betsy though. Long live stories!

Until next time.

Bannaghtyn Jx

Garden treasures - -

found today in my garden - the remains of one small blue robin's egg. Softly speckled with tiny brown spots - it was so fragile, delicate and so completely uplifting. I haven't stopped smiling all day, though try as we might my son and I couldn't find any sign of the nest, yet we knew there had to be one there - I suspect it might be hiding behind the greenhouse somewhere.

Until next time.

Bannaghtyn J x

November - -

No sun--no moon!
No morn--no noon!
No dawn--no dusk--no proper time of day--
No sky--no earthly view--
No distance looking blue--
No road--no street--no "t'other side this way"--
No end to any Row--
No indications where the Crescents go--
No top to any steeple--
No recognitions of familiar people--
No courtesies for showing 'em--
No knowing 'em!
No traveling at all--no locomotion--
No inkling of the way--no notion--
"No go" by land or ocean--
No mail--no post--
No news from any foreign coast--
No Park, no Ring, no afternoon gentility--
No company--no nobility--
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member--
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds--
November! -  - Thomas Hood
- - here it is already – I am never quite sure where the year goes to and again it seems to have disappeared before  I had time to capture it. I found this poem surfacing in my head again as I often do when November comes around - - I love its evocative description - - I remember  many foggy November days that this captures so perfectly - - I grew up in an area surrounded by cotton & woollen mills – huge chimneys belching black smoke into the atmosphere, turning the sky a dirty grey, lit by the lurid yellow street lamps as darkness fell, hoarding  the smoke before returning to earth the gift - -  Fog - -  creeping in – silent and insidious,  dampening the pavements, slithering down from the yellowy skies throughout the day, so that by the end of school, as the day began to draw in, and darkness began to fall the buses were no longer running, and mummy’s were standing by the gates with scarves to muffle up to try to keep that dirty yellow mist out of their children’s lungs. We  little ones who lived further away were bundled up in our coats by the teachers, hatted and gloved, scarves round our mouths, marshalled together and “crocced” up the hill by Mrs Taylor - to be met by assorted mummy's waiting at the end of side roads to collect their own little ones, so that by the time we reached Springfield Lane there were just 2 of clinging tight to Mrs Taylor's hands. We would be handed over to either my mummy or Kenneth's mummy to be taken home to our respective homes (we lived next door to each other), there to be fussed over and fed on an old fashioned high tea - perhaps of hash, boiled eggs and buttery 'soldiers'.
Its not foggy here today -  - its raining very hard and very steadily -  - but visibility isn't good - which is why I think the poem came into my head!

Thanks for stopping by

Gura mie ayd. J x