Halloween.

I went to see the parade and the fireworks in Derry this Halloween. The 'grandwains' dressed up as Lego characters. It was buzzing, mad, grand, flat to the mat, the craic was 90, Happy Days.  Just some of the colloquialisms I hear when I'm up there.

The weather was gorgeous and the next day we went for a walk in the woods close to where my son lives.

The kids had fun on a swing.

The light was perfect for photos. I took a close up of the bark.

I thought the bark might make a good subject for practising my drawing. I've been going to a drawing class for 5 weeks now and it's challenging. When I signed up for the class I assumed I'd be starting from scratch.
It's not quite like that because, although I'm a beginner, some of the class have experience.
So I'm just getting on with it. Looking. Listening. Learning.

We went for a walk on the beach at Kinnagoe where I collected some shells.

Then I drew them for this week's homework.

Goodbye Christmas - Hello New Year!

Christmas started with the Christmas cards, photography by me, printing by my husband. Should we bother making these? I'm not sure.

Some people like 'hand made' - some don't. Some of the stuff that I saw Kirstie Allsopp making on her show this Christmas was downright awful.......don't think my lot would appreciate tie-dyed knickers somehow.

Then there was the food.  My daughter-in- law's fridge .....  groaning.

The obligatory sprouts, did you ever hear so much talk about one vegetable in all your life?

 The sky on Christmas day.

We went to the beach at Culdaff.

There were some good waves.

                                    On another day we went to see the waterfall at Clonmany.
                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                

                                   Then it was time to leave Donegal and head back home.

                         On the way home we drove through Belfast to see the Christmas lights.

                                                  Goodbye Christmas -   Hello New Year.

                                                                                                                                                                                 

Doagh Island, Donegal.

                     This is Doagh Island on Inishowen. The sky was grey last Sunday morning.

We were here earlier this year and it was springtime.

The water is clear and flowing fast. I'm looking over to the Five Finger Strand.

"Flying, Daddy, we're flying!"

  My daredevil son drove on the beach all the way round to Ballyliffin.

I wouldn't recommend it......

A group of swimmers were in the water.

                                                                               *****    

   On the way home we stopped at a stone circle. It wasn't old, my son said it was made for a film set.
        The weather was getting better. I love the Donegal landscape and its ever-changing light.

  I came home with quite a pile of shells - already thinking of our 2014 craft group exhibition,
 'The World Is Your Oyster.'

  What could I do with these, I wonder?

Derry/ Londonderry and the Artists' Garden.

We were at Ebrington Square. Which way should we go? So much to see. We were going to St. Columb's Park with the grandchildren.
Maybe we'll just go and look at the Guildhall first.

We walked over the Peace Bridge to get to it.

        The Guildhall has just been re-opened after major restoration in 2012 and it's looking good.

The kids love the water fountains!

Back over the Peace Bridge and we were heading for the 'Artists' Garden', a project

at a former military building.

The Cunningham building.

 This is a temporary art instillation at Ebrington and the facade of the building has been covered with germinated grass seed on a clay base.

I liked this and would have been tempted to cut in to it... a door knob, curtains etc. It was a bit flat.
I think it will get more interesting as it dies and the colour changes.
Anyway, the boys were getting restless to get on over to the park and play on horizontal grass.

On the beach.

   I was on the beach in Donegal again last week.

                                                                        Dunfanaghy

Bunbeg

shipwreck

                                                                           swimmers

                                     

                                                                              sea

                                     

                                                                          shells  

surfers

                                                                              sandy....