Family, Flowers, Food - Ireland

Who needs a welcome mat when this is the entry of your home? At the cottage where we stay in Nogra, one first has to travel through a notable low walled flower garden full of blooming poppies, daisies, fuchsia bushes, calendula, asters, clematis and countless other unusual colorful, odd shaped gloriousness.

Intermittent rain is keeping the lush greens soft and everywhere. Sun warms the ground and the wind has been keeping us in layers, wool socks and all.

We went to Galway in search of a healthy food grocery shop today. We got turned around (and around) in traffic due to the Volvo World Sea Race that happened to be in town today too. We just parked the car and walked around the waterfront to check it all out.
Chris was in his glory when we found the big diggers and trucks!
I was really happy to find descent cup of black coffee to put an end to the throbbing headache I was toting around this morning!
Healthy food was available there too - a booth called Good Food Ireland - which is sort of like our Berkshire Grown back home. We had lunch there - really yummy organic meat sausages served like hot dogs. Veggies were not offered but I did sample the smoked salmon - Yummmm. The woman who waited on us gave me lots of info on the organization including a touring map with their members locations all over the country. No word of a whole, healthy food grocery market though.

We ended up shopping for basics back in Kinvara at the new, giant, not very good Londis. They did have organic milk and some organic fruit and vegetables. The potatoes we had for dinner were very tastey (rightly so!)

On the way home from a walk to the beach Lucy fell asleep in the stroller with a handful of wildflowers for 'Daddy'. A red clover, buttercup, purple vetch, and a couple others, he put them in water, short stems and all - a reminder of the love I have for my family!

Then there was the tea party. Violet and Lucy seem so easily entertained. Mostly it is the fact that they have each other but they are pretty creative thinkers. Every piece of silverware was searched out and on display for their festivities. They must have been expecting quite a crowd!

this is an aside:
I wish I could figure out how to format and post pictures better with this software. It would be great if the text that pertained to the pictures on my posts could correlate a little better~ Maybe someone out there can help me? I have tried to get help through blogger but that is quite a maze and requires patience

Ireland, Playgrounds, Thrift Shops, Organic Farms, and Family

Chris, Lucy, Violet and myself, just arrived here in Nogra, near Kinvara this morning. We flew from JFK to Shannon without a hitch. The girls were so excited about the thought of flying on a plane I was worried about the amount of sleep any of us would get on our overnight flight. I was also worried about Violet having one of her unexplained night time coughing attacks that sounds like everything is coming up, on the plane or in the airport and being summoned off the plane in the latest media panic for Swine Flu. Yikes!
We all slept as well as undrugged people can sleep on planes, and there was not so much as a throat clearing from the youngest of our possee. I would like to plan our two week stay around Playgrounds, Thrift Shops, Organic Farms and Family - not necessarily in that order. Delving into a little research has been pretty friutless so far. Am I going to have to write a book mapping out and reviewing these things? I have thought about the Thrift Shop Guide before. Not sure how playgrounds partner for the average reader - there maybe the beginnings of two volumes here. For now, stay tuned here and I will let you know what I learn.

Alchemy Initiative

So my husband and I bought the buildings shown in the top two pictures here in 2006. Shown first is the rectory to the church shown second. The rectory is 7000 sq ft, built 1905, it has a huge yard and is morphing into 6 separate living spaces.
We live on the top floor in the biggest unit, about 1400 sq ft with three bedrooms. On April 1 a third unit will be occupied so we are nearly half way there!

The church is truly exquisite. a nearly 6000 sq ft footprint. Full of amazing stained glass and details of 1895 craftsmanship not normally seen in today's construction. There are two floors now. The lower level where 400 patrons were seated at the weekly Bingo events for the church. We have been using this space since we made the purchase, most recently for workshops.

The upper level is still full of pews and the remnants of an altar etc. We envision a third level dividing the upper level space to make it possible to heat and accommodate our plan.

The third, photo is of the convent, built in the early 1900s for the Notre Dame property. It is unoccupied, has fallen into disrepair and is on the market for CHEAP. Chris put an extra low bid in for it yesterday. If we get it, it will not be torn down to give us a clear shot view of our 24 hr Stop and Rob across the way. It will become an integral part of the plan we are conjuring.



Alchemy Initiative is the name we are using and for our intention, there is a multi faceted business plan is coming together now. It includes, an urban farm garden, workshop space, a public reading room, commercial kitchen, music venue, coffee/tea house, and hotel/hostel all done with green renovations and systems. Rainwater catchment, alternative energy, native species plants, filter plants, organic food plants, and a seed bank are in the plans. My dream is to power the whole thing with a wind turbine on the steeple!

An intensive internship program is in development stages.

There is a blog devoted to the process depicting the journey of the project's development. There is not a lot to see right now but you can get more information about our plans at www.alchemyinitiative.blogspot.com. Check back in a week or two when there will be more to it. Events are coming together for April and June already!

Harvest

This past weekend was a welcomed introduction to a circle of surreal magic that seemed to be on every corner. Route 9 from Pittsfield to Twist Fair in Northampton is not to be missed. Check out the eyecandy! This is just a sample!

Prospect of Free Time

While the tables are turning in the business I founded 20 years ago, there are exciting options presenting themselves as the chapter unfolds.
For the first time since I was 13 years old I will have the summer to focus on things other than the design and production of 100% post consumer recycled wares.

My husband and I bought a church and rectory in the heart of Pittsfield two years ago. We are nearing completion of the rectory renovation. It now is configured as 6 separate living spaces for rent or sale. We are moving into the third floor unit at the end of the month with our three kids. The prospect of unpacking boxes for the first time nearly 2 years is exciting! I will get some pictures to show the space and finishing touches as they come about.

My first desire is to get a garden in at the rectory next door to the studio. I am making a lasagne garden. The process is new to me but so far I love how easy it is! This picture was taken last summer of Lucy who is now 2. She loves to garden as much as her mother.