Friday, May 18, 2012

Mount Stewart Grand Garden & Craft Fair

We're off at Mount Stewart Grand Garden and Craft Fair tomorrow 19th and Sunday 20th (so we won't be open in Benraw, sorry)


never disappoints: the wonderful gardens at Mount Stewart

Topiary Grande!
Our stand last year. and sunshine!

Elaine demonstrating felt making - as she will this year


Today we went up to set up - so much better than arriving all in a flurry tomorrow. Although we've been going every year for many years now, it never ceases to inspire and delight.


Well worth a visit this weekend. Hope to see you there!

Charlie is all packed and ready today!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Welcome to the Future - in Las Vegas anyway


Google's self-driving car approved for testing – video


A prototype of a self-driving car made by Google
is seen on roads in Nevada after the first such license
was issued in the US under new laws for autonomous-vehicle development.
Other car manufacturers have indicated a desire to test
and develop the technology in Nevada

Thursday, May 10, 2012

6 Billy bookshelves



A trip to Ikea and 5 hours work has transformed one wall of the Gallery!


There will be books and interesting items from the old house on display.


Here's a little fun time lapse of our enterprise today:






Monday, May 07, 2012

Tongue and Groovy

Wet and wild outside - no problem! 
We lit a big fire in the stove, and set to panelling out the last part of the south window wall.
Now it looks like we're getting somewhere!


tongue and groove right up to the fireplace

those bolts hold a massive gate on the other side

the mountains in sunshine this evening 
lovely shapes and colours


the fireplace in it's surroundings

this side almost finished


Hazels

Thanks Julie, our good friend from Maghera who kindly donated 3 hazel trees to the fold. We planted them yesterday:


standing proud at the top of the hill

greening up the 'street'

beautiful black tulips in the little flowerbed, with our magnolia in full bloom behind
a stunning showing


Charlie supervises as usual!



not sure what she's up to!


this once was a football

sunflowers planted in the water tank flower bed

the river of currants - green and (hopefully) bountiful

Supermoon

Sunday, May 06, 2012

Outback Chic II

This weekend we've been busy about the gallery and garden, working on a few 'fronts' at once!


Construction:


Being very enamoured with the style and colours of old corrugated iron we've resolved to add panels of it to the Gallery. Starting with the cantilevered chimney: 

iron clad

very antipodean!
 We've also paint washed loads more T and G to clad inside the Gallery.

out to dry - storm brewing

safe warm and dry inside

Friday, May 04, 2012

Gallery: Jonathan Flaum | The High Line

Gallery: Jonathan Flaum | The High Line:






The High Line never fails to impress: the rejuvenation of unwanted former industrial landscape to create a public park of incredible beauty, sensitivity and spirit

Bingham's

Not far over the windy gap lies a glorious vignette of the past: 


Bingham's garage and shop


Just like you remembered it, welcoming and homely - what a place!


everything you could wish for

and more!

garage and shop...

petrol station

house

perfection!

I fancy a Bingham-style makeover for our our old garage

Thursday, May 03, 2012

Flight UPS 235 Creates a Spectacle

What a glorious Day! Sunshine all day, breezy but warm. 
Plenty of work done in the garden. A treat.


Towards sunset a plane passes by, and the vapour trail causes the setting sun to cast a shadow on the clouds above.


Not sure I've seen this before; very beautiful.


Thanks to Flightradar24.com I can tell you that this was a UPS flight from New York, Newark (EWR) Via  London, Stansted (STN)
to: Cologne, Cologne Bonn (CGN) 
and the aircraft was a Boeing 767-34AF (B763)!

the vapour trail casts a shadow from the setting sun

flight UPS 235 en route to Cologne

strangely beautiful

sunset: Slievenaboley
UPS 235: the route as shown on flightradar24.com
And given time, I could give you a picture of the plane as well!



Sunday, April 29, 2012

Solstice Follies

Now that we've determined the Gallery as the point of entry for visitors, our plans for landscaping have been drastically modified. Instead of coming in at the lower gate, into the Turnip House Courtyard, visitors will be using the upper gate and car park, and coming round to the upper gallery entrance.


Turnip House Courtyard
 It makes more sense. However this means that all the tidying up of the old fallen down garage, and it's environs have to be done now rather than later!
Upper Courtyard
The area inside and around what was once a fine garage will have to be cleared and our ideas for a Zen garden and infinity pool carried forward.

This bit of fun & folly came out of a brainstorming afternoon whilst walking our acres, planning what on earth to do with it all.

Now we'll have to do it for real!

infinity pool in the making
 The infinity pool consists of 3 shallow raised pools, each dropping into the next. It's alignment, determined relative to the walls around it, points up to Slievenaboley, where the sun sets in Summer.

the new entrance via the Gallery
this is the angle the sun makes at the moment
Wouldn't it be great if the sun sets right at the end of the pool on the longest day? 

Fantasy indeed!

sunset 28th April -  7 weeks to solstice
Frank's Cattle catch the last rays

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Felting at Down Arts

Today Elaine was at Down Arts Centre with 11 felters! A great time was had by all and fantastic articles made.

At our lunch break we had sample pieces and felt pens under our belt!

Exquisite delicacies, felt flowers for a corsage.

striking fabric ready to be made into a bag.

2 of the felters making seamless bags!

Shocking pink and aubergine bag in the making.


Large felt flowers in beautiful colours.
The newly refurbished Down Arts Centre is a wonderful venue, thank you!