A winter break in Milan

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Hello! How’s your January going? As I’ve mentioned, January isn’t my favorite month at home. So to beat the blues, I like to plan a trip away. It gives me something to look forward to after the holidays. This year I’ve landed in Milan, Italy! It’s fabulous, of course. But for me, it’s the sun, blue sky and time with my husband that lifts my spirits. It’s been cold, but not too cold, and most days have been sunny, which has been so nice. What a difference it is between weekdays and weekends – there are hardly any crowds during the week!

For this post, I’m torn between focusing on Sforza Castle, the Duomo, and The Last Supper painting, all of which are amazing and worth exploring and seeing, and talking about ‘going for it’. I feel like this trip is about going out and enjoying life – the good food, the cannoli (my favorite), the coffee, the hot chocolate, the wine, the everything! I have so enjoyed seeing all of the sights, and learning about the history, and oh! the people watching! That is the best. I also discovered that I love seeing the furniture people used to use, long, long ago! And, I have enjoyed eating out as well as cooking in. I have eaten pasta every day since arriving, and that is 100% fine by me as it is my favorite food! I must break the pasta ‘streak’ with some local Milanese risotto, but I’ll probably still have pasta for lunch that day. 😉

I’m a ‘homebody’, as I love being at home. But once I do get out, it is so wonderful to explore, learn, and experience something new!

Collage of sights in Milan: Duomo, Sforza Castle, The Last Supper mural, furniture from the Castle, a painting of a child's face and still life of flowers

Just a few of my favorite shots, from the way too many pictures I’ve taken. I spent three hours at the Sforza Castle (Pictures from Sforza: top right, going down to bottom row and across to the left, as well as the center picture), and I still did not see everything in all of the different museums within! I was fascinated with the cabinets that have so many ornate drawers – those were my favorite to see. As for the art work, I will always lean towards a child’s sweet face and a still life of flowers and fruit.

Just a word of advice regarding The Last Supper: make sure you sign up well in advance to see it as they sell out quite quickly. Only small groups are allowed in at a time, and just for 15 minutes! Truly amazing that it was painted between 1495 – 1497. Fun facts: In Milan, since Leonardo da Vinci spent so much time here, they refer to him simply as ‘Leonardo’. He always took his time while painting, and therefore, for this mural, he did not use the conventional method which involves working quite quickly on wet plaster. For this reason, his method ended up deteriorating within just a few years of him completing it. Somehow, it has been restored and then corrected, and restored again a few times, and yet still looks amazing!

Collage of pics from Milan: Duomo, Cannoli shop, The Last Supper mural, Sunset near the university, Sforza Castle, and inside the church at the Last Supper.

But truly, the best part is sharing the experience!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my sharing it with you!

In Peace,
Dana

All the feels of January

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Hello! How has your January been? I have to say that January is not my favorite month. I’m thankful that we have a tiny bit more daylight every day, and that we’ve had some beautiful sunrises on days that we’ve even had quite a bit of sunshine (today’s feature image with a pink sky is during one of those lovely sunrises). But we’ve also had stormy weather, and very cold weather. So I am taking heed, and having a tiny break from gardening. I did buy a bunch of seeds, though, which makes me very happy! It was one stop shopping this year, as Irish Plants Direct had everything I was looking for. No new surprises here, as I’ll be planting: Coleus, Baby Bear pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds (various varieties), Sweet Pea, and Marigold.

I’ve had fun photographing my very dead sunflowers in the garden. The freezing weather gives them a certain charm, or intrigue. There certainly are a lot that are still standing. My garden is playing it coy, with only tiny bits of color here and there. I’m hoping that will change in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I am trying to keep a positive attitude! I hope you are, too. 🙂

In Peace,
Dana

Collage of frozen images from the garden: sunflower, prim-rose, rudbeckia, ornamental grass, hellebore, pittosporum, and contorted hazel.

Top row from left: Sunflower, Primrose, Rudbeckia – only half frozen as the morning sunlight has melted the fronts.
Second row from left: Ornamental grass, Helleborus Aspen High, Corylus avellana ‘Twister’ – also known as corkscrew hazel (mine grows out, instead of up!).
Third row from left: Pittosporum (Tom Thumb), Sunflowers, Corylus avellana ‘Twister’.

2023 Reflections + My Word for 2024

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Hi there! Well here we are, on New Year’s Eve, reflecting on the past twelve months. I’ve enjoyed watching on Instagram other people’s reels of their favorite moments from the past year. I had a very difficult time, myself, limiting my pictures to create a ‘year in review’ reel. My garden produced so many beautiful flowers this year! It was an absolute joy to tend to them.

If I had picked a Word for 2023, it would have been ‘Create’. With two large crochet blankets, a crochet sweater, a few wreaths and so many floral arrangements, I was able to use my creative energy in so many ways! It was such a fun year for creating.

Following on from Páraig’s post on The Three Hairs, I’m going to pick a word for 2024. It’s the same word that Páraig picked, actually: Purpose. Between a church sermon, a book, a tv series, and a blog post, too many sources were trying to teach me about the importance of purpose to ignore it.

For me, I’ll be focusing on doing everything with purpose. I’m going to work on eliminating ‘going through the motions’ and instead, concentrate on being present – especially with repetitive tasks.

Of course, there is the task of finding my purpose. That’s possibly a big task, but I think my purpose is to serve in small ways. My (or your) purpose doesn’t have to be to solve the world’s problems, but could be to bring joy to the world in the little things that we do. We’ll see how my journey goes. 🙂

collage from 2023: Gardening pal Susan, Traveling with husband Páraic, two crochet blankets, roses from the garden, crochet sweater, meeting with family, a dried floral wreath and biking with my husband.

I truly have had so many wonderful moments this year. I really enjoyed visiting with family and friends. I have one friend in particular with whom we love traveling to gardens together. My husband and I continue to travel and explore new places. And I’ve enjoyed lots of biking this year, especially with my husband.

It’s not always sunny, the flowers don’t always grow and sometimes the bike rides are really hard. But it’s important to remember that ‘this too shall pass’ – sometimes quickly and sometimes not so quickly. I’m grateful to have learned to be patient in this regard.

I’m thankful to be celebrating another New Year’s Eve! I wish you and your loved ones the very best for 2024. May all of our dreams come true! ❤️

In Peace,
Dana

A pause from the hustle and bustle

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Hi there! December is a wonderfully busy month, with writing Christmas cards, decorating the house, gift buying, baking, and socializing. I’m a big fan of sending Christmas cards. I especially like to reach out to friends and family who I don’t get to see very often. When I receive a card from someone, it truly lifts my spirits knowing that they thought of me. 🙂

This past week has been all about meeting up with friends and family in the lead up to Christmas. I’ve shared lots of cookies and pumpkin bread. (Side gardening note: I still have pumpkins left from my harvest. These ‘Baby Bear’ pumpkins are the perfect size: easy to store, cut, bake, and with little waste.) I’ve been taking time to simply enjoy the company of people dear to me.

It’s a time of year that can be filled with love. But it can also be a difficult time. You never know if someone has a personal story that you know nothing about. Not to mention the collective pain of tragic world events. Which is why it is so important to be kind: to yourself, to family, to others. A small gesture can go such a long way. I am so thankful for all of the many kind, small gestures that I have experienced! (Have you seen the traffic in Dundalk recently? Being ‘let out’ into traffic by another driver is truly a gift!)

And as we wait for Christmas day, we now settle in to time with our family: just being together – with delicious food – and no time pressures.

I hope you, too, are able to take some time to breathe as we prepare to celebrate Christmas.

In Peace,
Dana

Collage including a pic of Dana & Páraic in Dublin, a Christmas wreath, pumpkins from the garden and a Nativity ornament

Collage, clockwise from top left: My husband and I enjoying a night out in Dublin, our Christmas wreath that I made with greens, Rosemary and eucalyptus from the garden, pumpkins from my garden being prepared to be roasted for pumpkin bread (which is really cake), and my favorite Nativity ornament.

A garden ready to sleep

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Hi there! It’s time. The garden is resting after a super productive year. Actually, it probably started resting last month, but I’m just noting it now. I’ve gotten much better at leaving as much plant material as possible for bird and critters over the winter. I used to love clearing everything away for my fall ‘clean up’. But for the sake of wildlife, I will surrender my need to clear and leave lots of goodies for whatever creature wants it.

This fall did have one lesson in store for me. You should *not* leave plant material to overwinter on structures. My pumpkin arch did not survive one of our recent storms, due to having a mass of sweet pea greens on one side of it. I am sure it would have survived had I cleared the drying plants away. Lesson learned!

I have not spent much time in the garden lately. Lots of different things going on, and when I have had time, the ground has been too wet to work with. But I like to do ‘walk abouts’ now and again, to note any changes and take a picture or two. I loved seeing the last, yellow, leaf on my Strong Annabelle hydrangeas! It provided such a great contrast to the brown beech hedging. And I was so surprised to find lovely blue flowers on my mop-head hydrangea! Most of the hydrangea flowers have turned brown with the cold weather. But there are still a few very small flowers, on this semi-sheltered shrub, who are as pretty as can be!

collage of a dried sunflower plant with lots of black seeds and a cherry tree in the background with orange leaves, a small blue hydrangea flower, and final picture is of a single yellow leaf of a hydrangea plant next to a brown beech hedge.

The picture of the sunflower was taken in November, as can be noted by the orange leaves on the cherry tree in the background. But the sunflower is still standing in the garden today. The tiny blue hydrangea flower is also currently in the garden! There are a handful of tiny flowers still alive on this shrub, which is such a treat to see.

There of course is wisdom in resting, and not just for the garden! While I started my ‘rest’ a bit early for the winter, I think it has done me a lot of good. I hope you will also enjoy some type of break this winter. 🙂

In Peace,
Dana

Slow and Steady to hit 2,000 km on the bike

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Hi there! Anyone else wondering how time is flying by so quickly as we head into the last stretch of 2023? I’m sitting here listening to holiday tunes with the view of our Christmas tree in front of me, my daughter baking Christmas cookies behind me, and thoroughly enjoying the lead-up to Christmas. It’s been quite a full year, but one thing that has kept me going since early last spring has been cycling. I didn’t have any goals in mind when I started, other than to get fit, to be able to get out with my friends, and to keep fit. I’m not talking about really long distances: mostly under 60 km and only once or twice a week. But last month I noticed that I was close to hitting 2,000 km for the year. That would be a career high for me and was motivation enough to keep going, even in the cold weather, and strive to hit it before the end of the year!

I should really pedal back to last March. I like going for a spin with others, but to do that I know that I have to be at a certain level of fitness in order to enjoy it. So that was my first goal. My husband was such a huge help in getting me out the door and cycling in those early, ‘non-fit’ days. It’s tough work building up your strength and cardio-ability! 🤪 He was patient, and although sometimes he couldn’t figure out how I was going so slow (thank you, beta-blockers, for my Long QT syndrome!), he was always by my side.

Once I reached my fitness goal, I was able to join my friends! What I love about this group of gals is that they are out for fun and fitness. The area we live in (County Louth) is really quite beautiful, so it is lovely to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. And there is always a coffee stop with something nice to eat. 🙂

Once I had momentum, I added another goal: to be able to bike on an away cycling trip with the local cycling club (Cuchulainn Cycling Club). That happened in August and I was absolutely delighted to be able to cycle and enjoy the amazing views of the Copper Coast in County Waterford (I mentioned that in a previous post). I took the feature image above of the beach on one of our breaks along the coast. Isn’t it gorgeous?!

After that trip, I joined a group with the club and enjoyed seeing even more of our area as I learned new routes with them. A common theme in all of my biking is that we always stop for coffee and something nice to eat!

I’ve been so fortunate to find people who are always willing to bike at my speed. I am so thankful to have been diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome, and to be on medicine (beta-blockers) to keep me safe. But that also means that my heart-rate can’t increase to the level I sometimes want it to. And THAT means I.Go.Slow. I have accepted this, and am mostly at peace with it. But sometimes I still get frustrated. So I appreciate it when the people I bike with are supportive and encouraging. And I’ve truly been blessed with having those people in my life.

Cold weather would usually signal the end of my cycling season. But this year I made sure to have some proper winter gear and it has absolutely helped to keep me going! I’m so glad, because biking has really helped me mentally and physically this entire year.

Here’s to fitness with friends (and always with a break and something nice to eat)!

In Peace,
Dana

Collage of Dana's outings on the bike throughout 2023

It was such a great year on the bike for me! Not every spin was a winner, and there were plenty of times when I just had to push through, but that’s how life goes. I’m so thankful for every time that I do get out and that my body and mind gets stronger with every spin. 🙂

Waiting for the fog to clear

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Hi there! ‘Tis the season for foggy weather here in Ireland. I think it is so beautiful when the sun burns through the fog, giving it a majestic look. It’s not quite as nice when there’s no sun, and it simply blocks your view. It reminds me that sometimes we have to move forward, going on faith.

There is so much that I am thankful for. Being someone who is quite conscious of gray, cloudy days, I am most especially grateful to see the sun showcase beauty in the mundane. It is also nice to have some frosty crystals thrown in there, too!

frosty mop-head hydrangea

I’m fascinated how some flowers withstand the cold (roses and anemone, in my garden). This hydrangea was already past its prime when the frost hit. I still think it looks pretty.

a frozen purple anemone bent over in the frost

The moss on the stone provides some lovely texture around this drooping anemone. The flower was back standing upright after the sun melted the frost away.

Early morning sun burning through fog, as seen through a break in the beech hedges.

I wish I could convey to you the beauty and joy that this magical morning brought to me. This picture sums it up for me as it is looking towards the bright, beautiful foggy sunlight from the darkness. Sometimes it is hard when we can’t quite see through the fog or there seems to be lots of darkness. All I can do during those times is have faith and keep going. Because eventually, the fog will clear.

In Peace,
Dana

What happens when you get ‘stuck’?

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Hello. I am sheepishly visiting today. You see, I’ve been ‘stuck’. Let me try to explain (to myself more than anyone else). I have always looked forward to sharing my passion for flowers. But recently, over the past few months, I have not wanted to share here on the blog. I could say that I was busy crocheting another blanket, which is true, but that wasn’t it. Maybe it was a combination of things going on in the world, in my life, in the garden? I don’t really know. But I think that it would help me if I started back at it again. I have found myself spending more time wandering around the garden, and that makes me feel good. I enjoy sharing the beauty that I find around me.

I’ll start out with baby steps. We had a beautiful, frosty morning today, and I took some pictures with my camera (not my phone). I’m determined to learn how to best use the settings on my Canon and not settle for just using ‘automatic’. With some persistence and practice I’m sure I’ll get there. There was one cluster of roses, David Austin’s ‘Emily Bronte’, that were sitting so perfectly in the morning sunlight that it was impossible for me to not photograph them. The petals are delicately lined with frost and I found them to be stunning.

Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate that you also enjoy seeing beauty in the little things.

In Peace,
Dana

frosty rose

A very soft morning light highlighting the frost on ‘Emily Bronte’ David Austin roses.

Arrangements from the garden

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Hi there! September is flying by, and I thought it would be nice this week to feature some of my flower arrangements from the past month. While I work with a lot of the same flowers, the arrangements can have rather different looks (that’s what makes the challenge fun!).

But I’ve also added some other flowers from the garden in today’s post, because they were just too beautiful to skip.

I’ll be joining the ‘Six on Saturday’ meme hosted by Garden Ruminations, which is always fun!

Enjoy!

In Peace,
Dana

collage of different flower arrangements using dahlias, sunflowers and roses from the garden

1, 2, 3, & 4 – Four flower arrangements. Top left I had an emphasis on sunflowers and roses, bottom right was a monochrome coloring of copper/burnt red dahlias, and the other two were combinations of pink dahlias and floppy yellow sunflowers. For two of the arrangements I used my favorite golden square flower holder. I have some chicken-wire that fits in perfectly, and I use two floral frogs to help keep the flowers in place. The top left arrangement is in a large square pottery serving bowl. The size was perfect for adding lots of flowers (with chicken-wire holding them in place). The large blue jug was the easiest to use, and I love the weight of it to ensure the flowers aren’t going to tumble over. I have really enjoyed using the dahlias! Another favorite are the small yellow sunflowers that have long floppy stems. They add a bit of whimsy!

collage of roses, dahlias, and sunflowers in a flower arrangement

I’m sneaking these pictures in to highlight some of the dahlias, roses and sunflowers!

sweet pea

5 – Sweet Pea. We’re nearing the end of the season now. I’ve marked all of my pink flowers, and I’m letting them go to seed. I was disappointed with how few pinks I had this year, so I’m going to try and only collect the seeds of the pink flowers and grow all pink next year! 🙂

sunflowers from the garden - chocolate, orange, rust and yellow and all yellow.

6 – Sunflowers. I wouldn’t say they are still going strong, but there are still flowers blooming! I was happy with the variety of flowers I planted this year. There was something for everyone! Did you even know there were so many different types of sunflowers? I’m glad I have lots of space for them.

It’ll be interesting to see what the weather does next. I’m hoping for some mild weather to get more gardening jobs done! How about you? 🙂

Thank you for visiting!

Roses, Dahlias and Sunflowers in a September garden

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Hi there! Welcome to my blog. I’m happy to say that the weather has been favorable! We welcome September in with high hopes of a beautiful autumn. The flowers in the garden might be what I’d describe as summer flowers, but they continue to look beautiful as we start the fall season. Of course, weeding takes place all year round and has been keeping me busy! It is one job that I never seem to get completely finished. 🙃

I made another flower arrangement this week (of course!). This time I added coral and pink roses to the dahlias. I was quite happy with it.

I’m adding in a non-gardening photo this week, too. I’m away in Waterford with our local cycling club (Cuchulainn Cycling Club) and I had such a brilliant ride yesterday that I had to share. It was along the Copper Coast and it was quite challenging for me. But boy was the hard work worth it for those views! Ireland is truly a beautiful country.

I’m joining Garden Ruminations for our Six on Saturday meme. It’s fun to see what’s growing around the world!

Enjoy the tour.

In Peace,
Dana

collection of sunflowers (Claret being the biggest)

1 – Collection of sunflowers. They are still looking good! It’s definitely worth planting different varieties, and lots of them, to keep the supply going. While I love the traditional yellow and brown, the dark colors of the Claret are a nice contrast.

collection of David Austin roses: from top right: Boscobel, Emily Bronte and Eustacia Vye

2 – Collection of David Austin roses: from top right: Boscobel, Emily Bronte and Eustacia Vye. I had to wait a while for this second flush of roses, but it’s now lovely to see roses again. The blackspot does not seem to be quite as bad as it usually is at this stage, which is great to see.

View of the cutting garden with dahlias, gladiolus, and sunflowers

3 – The cutting garden. This has dahlias, gladioli, and sunflowers. I love having the flowers all together here. It’s a fun collection of shapes, textures and colors and it makes me smile every time I see it. 🙂

A pink and coral flower arrangement with dahlias, roses, gladiolus and verbena.

4 & 5 – A coral and pink arrangement. I challenged myself to use the Boscobel and Olivia Rose Austin roses with the dahlias. The dahlias include: Totally Tangerine, Fancy Pants, Great Silence, Daisy Duke and Jowey Frambo. Gladiolus: Pink Parrot. Verbena Bonariansis. I used chickenwire to help the flowers stay in place. It’s a bit awkward, but much better than having nothing (and floral foam isn’t good for the environment). I was happy how the colors worked together! I think the Fancy Pants dahlias are my favorite for their unique shape.

Pictures from my bike ride along the Copper Coast in Waterford.

6 – Pictures from my bike ride along the Copper Coast in Waterford. Woohoo! I was so darn pleased with myself at the end of this cycle. It was challenging for me, but between the views, the weather, and the group I was with, it was such an awesome experience. I was definitely feeling the dopamine after this! (We did a 64 km route, which isn’t considered a long route, but it was perfect for me.) I can’t say it enough: Ireland is a beautiful country and so worth exploring! You can learn more about the beautiful Copper Coast here.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the tour. Have you planned your next trip to Ireland yet? 🙂