Where does a week go?

Hi folks.

A week since I last wrote and I knew it would be a busy one.

Quick summary:

• develop 50 slide powerpoint with music for my Depaul Trust senior managers presentation of SKIL2. Runs for 8 minutes and looks great.
• up to Dublin for presentation. Goes very well and senior managers fully support SKIL2. Ask very clear and relevant questions. Will adapt powerpoint to reflect their perspective.
• go shopping and book into hotel.
• drinks with friend in Floridita – a cuban bar and private club on the northside. Eat great tapas and catch up. I was a member last year but didn’t renew my membership – mentioned this to one of the staff (who was really pleased to see me and remembered me – nice). She went and saw the manager and they have offered me free membership. Cool.
• next day back on train to Carrick for a meeting with Leitrim Tourism and Leitrim County Council. Doing a small contract for them that follow from a tourism product development report I wrote for them last year.
• lunch at the Oarsman pub in Carrick with Mary Mulvey – cab driver and all round lovely woman. Great food and chat.
• Work on Thursday. My 7 inch Asus laptop arrives and there is much rejoicing. I’ve called her Diva. Opened the package up in Priors pub and 3 people want to buy one. Showed it to Brent in Moo Bar – ditto. A few others want one as well. Will do a post on Diva tomorrow.
• Wine in the Moo Bar on Thursday.
• Derek’s book is now on sale. He gave me a signed copy. Well done mate. Will post photos and details this week.
• Friday – starting to feel a wee bit tired but looking forward to Sunny Funny Garden time. Photos to follow.
• Saturday - distilled my elderflower cordial into small bottles to be distributed to the neighbours. Also distilled 15 litres of elderflower champagne (alcohol content is about 3%) that will be vintage in about 6 weeks. Will make a new batch this week. Easy peasy.
• Mooched around the garden Sunday for hours. Had a visit by a dozen of the Hamill’s and D’Arcy’s – grownups and kids. Maggie has added some lovely twirly things. I added the rainbow with the star. Maggie also gathered stones and put them around our sunbeam planted areas - Thanks Mags.

And here I am on Monday.

Decided to start work tomorrow and just chill in bed today. Write a post and then read books.

Lynda’s mum Caroline sent us seeds from Georgia (USA). Caroline – you are a star and will be added to our Sunny Funny Garden gate.

The seeds look fab – wildflowers, herbs, salad, sunflowers (v.excited about them) and other flowers.

We will plant the seeds on Friday. It will be great for the kids to see seeds growing into plants.

James was the official photographer in the garden on Friday and took some lovely pics.

James is a great help in the garden and does all the strimming to keep some of the weeds down.

He also helped me carry a pile of new plants from Eamonn and Noeleen’s – our fab garden centre across the road (they have donated sooo many plants and given me great discounts. Thanks guys).

Some of the new planting included:-

• More strawberries – a dozen plants now. I just know when they all start ripening that the kids will love eating them. The more the merrier.
• Lavendar - for the flowers and scent.
• Fushcia – for the glorious coloured flowers

The strawberries are – strawberrying. I tasted one on Sunday – sweet.

All the plants are thriving – which goes to show that plants will thrive in spite of our lack of knowledge.

I know as much about gardening as the kids – but nature in this case seems to be very forgiving.

The soil is very rich and the moo poo is vintage 2006 – and the sun has been shining.

If plants grow well when there are happy and playful people – then this garden will flourish and thrive.

James had us do a group hug. Eoin kept whispering in my ear ‘I love you Liz’.

Ah – the clear hearts of 4 year olds.

As an aside – remember a few posts back where Eoin asked me why I wasn’t married?

Well – it’s firmly fixed in his mind and he’s decided to be by matchmaker.

He was chatting with his Mum Ber the other day and said

‘ It will be hard to find Liz a husband because she is a princess and very special’

He then proceeded to mention a number of men who he thought might be worthy – including his 16 year old cousin!

I asked him last week if he had any thoughts about who I could marry. He stood thoughtfully pondering my question and then said

‘ You can marry God’ – which is obviously the top prize for a princess.

I asked him which God I was to marry – Jesus or his dad or the other one that I think is a bit of a recluse (theology and discussions of the holy trinity – Ballinamore has it all!).

Hmmmmm – he thought for a second and then said

‘He’s already married.’

‘To whom?’ says I.

‘A nun’ says he.

So the quest continues.

Meanwhile – back in the garden.

There was much activity as the children watered and wandered and planted.

These are the great D’Arcy kids – Thomas (eldest), Aoife & Gavin. They were planting like professionals.

This is Thomas at our rainbow spiral. He had a great time planting a new sunbeam with strawberry, fuschia and nasturtium.

I want the garden to be sensate – colour, smell, taste, sound ….

The rainbow spiral was new to the garden and the kids loved it. There’s a star at the bottom and I told the kids it was to show that they were all stars.

At one point Eoin stood by the rainbow and shouted to us all

‘Who are we?’

We all looked at each other and said

‘What?’

‘We’re stars’ says Eoin.

‘What else are we?’ shouts Eoin.

‘Don’t know – what else are we?’ we reply (we are a well trained crowd!).

‘We’re moo poo shovellers’ says Eoin. ‘What are we?’ asks he.

‘Moo poo shovellers’ shouts the crowd proudly and loudly (I was starting to feel like I was in a Monty Python skit).

‘What else are we?’ asks Eoin.

Blank looks from crowd.

‘We’re the Sunny Funny Garden people’ says he.

Never a dull moment.

Children are a lot like plants in that their water – is attention. They flourish and thrive on being seen and heard.

At one point I had children coming at me from all directions with a multitude of questions.

As long as I smiled – looked at them – and said I’d be over in a minute - they were happy.

Attention and recognition for effort is the ‘water’ that helps children thrive.

When they come to the garden they know they are safe, loved and can express themselves.

They will be heard and acknowledged and respected – and they know it. So, there is rarely any negative behaviour.

They are a joy to be with and I’m loving the garden. It has become a space of great peace and relaxation for me.

Enjoy the photos and I’ll be back tomorrow with photos of Diva.

Have a really lovely day.

Liz

This was the land 4 or 5 weeks ago. We’ve come a long way.