Spring

IMG_1213, originally uploaded by GerCMByrne.

Finally a little Spring weather! It's overcast now but for most of the day it's been sunny if still chilly, and best of all there was that fresh Spring feeling in the air. So in honour of the first bit of real sunshine I've seen this year here's a bright sunny flower!

Basking in the Sun

More Gimping

Spring Magic Gimped

I finally got to sit down last week and really explore Gimp. A friend of mine did a wonderful photo of her husband and kid in the woods, in black and white with only the little man's blue coat picked out in colour. I was both impressed and jealous so I set myself a task (results above) and went through it step by step until I managed it. Delighted with myself :) I also realised there's a lot more going on with Gimp than I imagined; so I am going to have a lot of fun exploring it.

White Blossom

Just to remind myself of the glorious Spring weather the weekend before last lol

And tomorrow is Bealtine, and the start of Summer. Baal's fires lit, and the climb towards the shortest day is begun in earnest. It's hard not to get excited even in the teeth of the last two summers' disappointing weather; I'd love to be able to predict a long hot summer (although apparently the UK weather office has!) but at least the evenings will be long, the nights short and flowers will bloom....

Faded Glory

It's been a hectic week. Well, couple of weeks - I turned 40 which was great fun - my husband threw a party for me in the local tennis club, complete with 80s playlist and lots of food. It wsa brilliant. I have spent most of the month of November doing Nanowrimo ( I am hopefully going to finish today, I have less than three thousand words to go, however everyone is choosing today to drive me slowly insane and constantly ask me dumb questions...so we'll see.)

I'm busy editing a poetry anthology which also looks like it's going to need some TLC over the next week; and on top of all that is the usual work/life stuff. Oh and Yule/Christmas - which is madness in itself.
Still, it's nice to be busy; I hope to take the camera out over the weekend as we're going to Top Gear at the RDS on Sunday.
There's a great new photography exhibition on at the moment in Stoneybatter at the Joinery - Giita Hammond which we're going to the following Sunday; it opened last night. Really looking forward to it, it's "Vanishing Landscapes" and is centred around the vanishing glaciers of Iceland.

The Last Rose Blooms

The last rose blooms
in rare weather; it takes
rain and sunshine,
good times deferred
bad days and first frost
and luck; good soil,
good stock.

The fading glory appeals
to older eyes; wiser tastes
applaud and accept
its rich fragility,
the final beauty adorning
our autumn days
with grace.

It weathered spring storms
and summer torrents
the sun's relentless beating
and the shade
until it put forth one perfect
bloom; a memory of days
now past

Other plants wither, decay
give in early to the cold
lose heart at the first blasts
of autumn winds -
Some draw on roots that run
deep into good earth -
and bloom.


Geraldine Moorkens Byrne

Look Both Ways

Still defying the reality of grim weather with some photos taken in the rare moments of sunshine we've had this summer !

Repose

Lily

Pink Blush

We went out recently to Finnstown House where ew had our wedding reception in April, to ahve dinner and just wallow generally in the memories. They're renovating the place and one of the nicest improvements is the number of plants, flowers, hanging flower pots, etc they've put around the place.

Fuschia

Yellow Peril

Pink Blush

ANother one taken from the garden - again it's the colour I am proud of :)

Weep, Willow

More shots of the park - the daffodils are blooming all along the little stream, along with various wildflowers and plants. There's a bus stop on the far right, out on the road and peopel sit on a little wall and stare in at the park and the daffodils

Springtime, in the City...

This morning the first real daffodils bloomed in the tiny "park" at the end of our road. It's a lovely little strip of land, with a stream running through it and a real oasis in a busy suburban area; i've photographed it in Autumn but never managed to capture the daffodils. They were planted years ago and now have taken on a life of their own and I got a few nice shots while striding past into work this morning.

Dark Beauty

Spring in New York

Daisy, Daisy

Flower after Rain