We got off to such a great start this summer.

  After a mild winter and a very early spring we had a very dry May and early June. My garden has been about three weeks ahead of schedule. I have roses and lilies that I haven't seen bloom in 8 years because they hit their peak in mid-to-late July when I am away.  They are blooming now.  Our Greengage plum set fruit this year as well, a rare occurance and one that only happens during particularly warm years.

greengages.jpg

Well, that was then, this is now.  For the past two-and-a-half weeks we have seen practically non-stop rain, cold temps, wind and cloud.  We've had floods.  The water at one point came to one inch away from coming in our kitchen.  We've had to put the heat on.  I haven't gotten outside to exercise in all that time.  I'm stuck with indoor workouts.

belfastflood.jpg

Can this weather last?  Alas, it can.  I remember 1985.  It stayed like this all summer long.  I'm glad I'll be going to the States soon where I will be guaranteed some sun and heat.

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Last night we went out to celebrate with a friend who had just been named a Queen's Counsel.  It is a great honour and our friend (who has visited P_Lake with his family) was very pleased.  He had to rent a full-blown wig for the occasion.  It was worth £2,500 or $5,000.00.  Due to a slight miscommunication between his wife and his father-in-law it was left in a carpark for a couple of hours before being safely retrieved. 

Wigs

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One of the best things about living in Ireland is the early spring.  Daffodils, crocus, prunus and camellias have all been blooming for a couple of weeks now and the days are noticeably lengthening. Though spring officially started on the 1st of February, tomorrow is a the more important day in my personal calendar.  March 7th, the day the sun finally rises high enough in the sky to reach over the front of our house and hit the wall that separates our paved "yard" from our back garden. 

This is the view from our kitchen in the summer.  It gets no direct sun all winter so in my mind, spring really starts when the sun returns.

North Side of the House

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Our son Simon is allergic to pet hair. It's a shame because I always had pets.  First there was Midnight, a true mutt of a dog.  I remember when all four of us kids piled into the family station wagon and brought her home.  Her jumping and barking terrified me! Her first morning in the house I walked only on chairs while in the kitchen so she couldn't get me.  That fear soon passed and she became a solid member of our family.  She followed us to our friends' houses and more than once we had to leave school to take her home after she had been discovered wandering the corridors. . again. 

Simon would love nothing more than a pet.  He is very soft-hearted about the neighbourhood animals and gets very concerned if he feels that Marshmallow or Clive Bunny aren't being treated right by their owners.  But for now, we have pictures of animals, and they will have to do.

Kittyhelmet

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I'm not sure I know how I feel about starting a blog.  I already spend
too much time in front of the computer but I suppose since I'm here
anyway I might as well give it a go.  I'm enjoying reading my cousin's
blog so much.  It seems like a nice way to keep in touch with distant
friends and relatives.

Today was a beautiful, sunny spring day here in Belfast.  Spring
officially begins on February 1st, St Brigid's Day, in Ireland.  I have
dwarf iris blooming in pots which seems ridiculous, but it has been
a very mild winter.  So, in honor of St Brigid, here is a St. Brigid's Cross. 
On St Brigid's Day people gather rushes and weave them into these
patterns.  They are then placed in the home over doorways to ward off
evil and bring good luck.  The rushes slowly dry and turn from bright,
pliable green to dried brown.

Cross1

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