The technique I used for the reflections in the water is from a book called How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself by Nita Engle - it's full of interesting tips and inspirational examples.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Trees in Yosemite
Here is my second imitation of Yosemite Autumn by Karen Winters. This time, I went for a square format, which is a lot more dramatic. I think it would look nice framed, but I feel bad about copying another painting (OK, it's not like I'm going to sell it, but I would like it a lot more if it was based on a picture that I or Brendan took in a place that we actually visited!)
Airfield
Sunny day Sunday, and cold. We made the most of it and went for a walk in Airfield first thing in the morning. We saw the first live ducks (1 male, 3 females) on their pond, which is starting to look good (the plastic duck is sinking). It will be a few years before the trees around it provide the kind of reflections I'm looking for! But some of the aquatic plants are looking well!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Siobhan Ryan - 16 November
I'm not so sure about this dress - maybe it's a bit old for Siobhan? Nice simple, everyday, dress - nothing wrong with it, but it looks a bit dull on her.
Marlay Park
We went for a walk in Marlay Park last Sunday week - the light was in and out, so I didn't get too many shots. Here is one good one, as the sun came out:
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Trees in Yosemite
I've never been to Yosemite. I'm not sure it's on my 20 things to see/do before I die list. Maybe I'll add it. I came across a beautiful painting of trees by a lake in Yosemite park while doing a search through Google images for autumn trees. It was so gorgeous I felt compelled to copy it! Next autumn, I'll go in search of my own trees by lakes in Ireland, I promise! (But we really don't get the same colours as they do in America - I saw the fall colours in Boston and Maine once, many years ago - the light was so intense and the leaves so bright, it was dazzling)
Here is my - pale - copy (Do click on the link for the original):
Here is my - pale - copy (Do click on the link for the original):
I've now also painted a bigger version. Will post it in the next few days!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Autumn Leaves
Of course, this is not a very big painting (40x30cm) so I think I might get myself a nice canvas and paint it big - maybe in a flatter proportion. Here it is on my little easel with the original photograph below. Next time, I might tone down the reds a bit too - slightly pinker would work better I think.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Siobhan Ryan - 15 November - red top, black skirt
Autumn Leaves
I love painting trees - here I pushed the boundaries of the theme when I was inspired by a photo Brendan took of the reflections in the lake in Marlay Park.
I painted a dark smooth background first, then I had fun with a painting knife and lots of acrylics. I particularly enjoyed the texture of the Liquitex Heavy Body acrylic. I got a tube in PY3 (yellow-green) in Kennedys a few months ago, and I think I'll go back in the January sales for a few more colours!
I painted a dark smooth background first, then I had fun with a painting knife and lots of acrylics. I particularly enjoyed the texture of the Liquitex Heavy Body acrylic. I got a tube in PY3 (yellow-green) in Kennedys a few months ago, and I think I'll go back in the January sales for a few more colours!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Another fresh look from Siobhan Ryan
Siobhan Ryan was wearing another lovely dress on Six One News tonight - fresh and simple, slightly retro:
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Silent Crossing
I'm way behind on book reviews these days. To the point where I'm having difficulty remembering much detail about some of the novels I've read over the last few months. I'm going to try anyway.
The first of the series is Silent Crossing, by Ellen McCarthy. It was a complete impulse buy in Hughes & Hughes in Dundrum Town Centre. It was 50% off, and the cover was attractive - that's marketing for you - that bright green definitely worked for me!
I enjoyed it, but it's not the kind of book I would normally read - it was a bit of a thriller really, and some parts were spooky enough. It's a clever story, with plenty of twists, and I can see it as a movie all right.
It starts with a tragic car crash, and then jumps 16 years later, when the main protagonist, Melanie, walks into a Garda station with her hands covered in blood, and starts telling the guards a disturbing story. The lines between perceptions and reality are completely blurred - Melanie's slow recollection of the events brings up more questions than answers.
It is described by the Irish Independent as "A chilling page-turner". That sums it up. For me, it's the "chilling" part that put me off. It's a very good story, but I'm just not into dark lonely houses on windy nights, with strange noises and shadows.
The first of the series is Silent Crossing, by Ellen McCarthy. It was a complete impulse buy in Hughes & Hughes in Dundrum Town Centre. It was 50% off, and the cover was attractive - that's marketing for you - that bright green definitely worked for me!I enjoyed it, but it's not the kind of book I would normally read - it was a bit of a thriller really, and some parts were spooky enough. It's a clever story, with plenty of twists, and I can see it as a movie all right.
It starts with a tragic car crash, and then jumps 16 years later, when the main protagonist, Melanie, walks into a Garda station with her hands covered in blood, and starts telling the guards a disturbing story. The lines between perceptions and reality are completely blurred - Melanie's slow recollection of the events brings up more questions than answers.
It is described by the Irish Independent as "A chilling page-turner". That sums it up. For me, it's the "chilling" part that put me off. It's a very good story, but I'm just not into dark lonely houses on windy nights, with strange noises and shadows.
Susanna Linhart
A few months ago, Paul, one of Brendan's cousins, stayed over with us for a night on his holiday in Ireland with his wife Meg (they live in the UK). He came over with a rather large painting of their aunt Mary Kate. They were flying Aer Lingus, thankfully, as Ryanair would have charged them an arm and a leg for the extra luggage (it's a good size painting, and it was very well wrapped up too). This painting had been mentioned a while back, probably at a funeral, and apparently, Brendan was the only one of the family who was interested in having the portrait.
Paul and Meg were delighted to hand it over to us - nobody in the family knew anything about how this painting came about, except that the artist was somewhat famous (but nobody had any idea who it was).
I can't resist a good mystery, so I started googling. All I had was the name of the artist from the signature- S Linhart. It took a bit of searching, as my original google didn't bring anything up. When I searched for "S Linhart painter", I came across a painting on TwitPic with the exact same signature, and I knew that our artist was a woman - Susanna Linhart. I contacted "ReallyLinda" (a UK TV presenter - Linda Barker - she does interior design programs - you'll know her as soon as you see her picture), who had posted this picture on her Twitter, but no luck.
Once I had a name, my Google searches started giving me a tiny bit more information - South of France, gardens, not much really.
Then I searched "Susanna Linhart France" and found an artist who referred to studying with her in a place on the French Côte d'Azur called La Garde Freinet. We were getting closer.
When I searched "Susanna Linhart La Garde Freinet", I got a website from the tourist office of this little town, where there was a mention of a painting exhibition with our mysterious artist.
So I wrote to the La Garde Freinet Tourist Office, explaining - in my perfect French - that I was looking for an artist called Susanna Linhart, as we had a painting that we believed was one of hers, and we wanted to find out more about it. I included a photo of the painting.
And a few days later, we got an email from her partner, who told us that she remembered the painting very well and would be delighted to talk to us. So we set up a time and called her one evening. She is a lovely lady, of 80 years of age, but she sounds younger. She told us that seeing that painting in an email was a real blast from the past. She remembered Katherine Corbett well (that's the name that Aunt Mary Kate was using while working in England). Katherine Corbett had set up a beauty salon in South Molton Street, where she had developed a special technique for removing facial veins. Apparently, she had a deft hand and was very popular with the London IT crowd of the time. Susanna knew Katherine through her own aunt, if I remember correctly, and offered to paint her portrait (this was in the 60s I think). As Katherine was a busy woman, with a successful business and busy social life, the deal was that Susanna would come to the salon and set up her easel in a little closet and Katherine would come and pose in between clients. Hence the white coat! The painting was completed in a day.
According to Susanna, Katherine wasn't crazy about the it initially (apparently, most people don't like their portrait, as they normally see themselves in reverse, through a mirror, and they don't recognize themselves in a portrait.). But she must have got fond of it, as it is one of the few possessions she kept throughout her life, right through to the end (She died in England in her 90s. There is longevity on that side of the family). Susanna and Katherine remained friends for a long time.
I think the painting is an oil. It is painted on a rusty-coloured board, which you can see at the bottom. It is somewhat warped, but we're hopeful that a good framer will be able to straighten it for us.
Susanna now lives and paints in La Garde Freinet - she still paints every day - not so much portraits any more!
Paul and Meg were delighted to hand it over to us - nobody in the family knew anything about how this painting came about, except that the artist was somewhat famous (but nobody had any idea who it was).
I can't resist a good mystery, so I started googling. All I had was the name of the artist from the signature- S Linhart. It took a bit of searching, as my original google didn't bring anything up. When I searched for "S Linhart painter", I came across a painting on TwitPic with the exact same signature, and I knew that our artist was a woman - Susanna Linhart. I contacted "ReallyLinda" (a UK TV presenter - Linda Barker - she does interior design programs - you'll know her as soon as you see her picture), who had posted this picture on her Twitter, but no luck.
Once I had a name, my Google searches started giving me a tiny bit more information - South of France, gardens, not much really.
Then I searched "Susanna Linhart France" and found an artist who referred to studying with her in a place on the French Côte d'Azur called La Garde Freinet. We were getting closer.
When I searched "Susanna Linhart La Garde Freinet", I got a website from the tourist office of this little town, where there was a mention of a painting exhibition with our mysterious artist.
So I wrote to the La Garde Freinet Tourist Office, explaining - in my perfect French - that I was looking for an artist called Susanna Linhart, as we had a painting that we believed was one of hers, and we wanted to find out more about it. I included a photo of the painting.
And a few days later, we got an email from her partner, who told us that she remembered the painting very well and would be delighted to talk to us. So we set up a time and called her one evening. She is a lovely lady, of 80 years of age, but she sounds younger. She told us that seeing that painting in an email was a real blast from the past. She remembered Katherine Corbett well (that's the name that Aunt Mary Kate was using while working in England). Katherine Corbett had set up a beauty salon in South Molton Street, where she had developed a special technique for removing facial veins. Apparently, she had a deft hand and was very popular with the London IT crowd of the time. Susanna knew Katherine through her own aunt, if I remember correctly, and offered to paint her portrait (this was in the 60s I think). As Katherine was a busy woman, with a successful business and busy social life, the deal was that Susanna would come to the salon and set up her easel in a little closet and Katherine would come and pose in between clients. Hence the white coat! The painting was completed in a day.
According to Susanna, Katherine wasn't crazy about the it initially (apparently, most people don't like their portrait, as they normally see themselves in reverse, through a mirror, and they don't recognize themselves in a portrait.). But she must have got fond of it, as it is one of the few possessions she kept throughout her life, right through to the end (She died in England in her 90s. There is longevity on that side of the family). Susanna and Katherine remained friends for a long time.
I think the painting is an oil. It is painted on a rusty-coloured board, which you can see at the bottom. It is somewhat warped, but we're hopeful that a good framer will be able to straighten it for us.
Susanna now lives and paints in La Garde Freinet - she still paints every day - not so much portraits any more!
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Siobhan Ryan vs Jean Byrne
I'm catching up on work - it's amazing how much can accumulate over 2 weeks of being sick (and still working). So, I don't have much time for long book reviews at the moment. But there is always five minutes for some photos of our favourite weather girls
Jean Byrne - 27 October - a matronly look - with black lace! The dress would probably be gorgeous on its own, but I don't like the black lace look.
Jean Byrne - 27 October - a matronly look - with black lace! The dress would probably be gorgeous on its own, but I don't like the black lace look.
Siobhan Ryan - 8 November - simple, modern, fresh. Very pretty
Friday, November 05, 2010
Bull Island
In the distance, you can see the 2 Poolbeg chimneys at Ringsend - one of the iconic landmarks of Dublin, captured here by Brendan with a good zoom. They are one of my favourite sights in Dublin. I was doing some work for a customer very close to the 2 chimneys over the last few weeks, and I'm only sorry I didn't bring my camera with me. Maybe I could sneak back some day - I've read that they're going to be pulled down, as the power station is now closed, so it's a case of now or never!
The Social Network
The Facebook movie got plenty of good reviews, so we decided to go to the pictures in Dundrum on the bank holiday Saturday.
Very interesting movie - despite the fact that apparently a lot of it is made up and is not an exact representation of how Facebook was set up nor of Mark Zuckerberg, its founder.
I didn't know much about Facebook the company, or its founders, but the movie The Social Network makes it all about someone with poor social skills, and whose company's success (it's worth 25 Billion dollars!) doesn't seem to bring him any joy. Nothing seems to bring him joy, according to the movie anyway. And he seems to lose the one friend he had. Maybe, like a lot of geeks, he is not good at human interaction, but becomes the wittiest and most likeable person on earth when he communicates through a computer. And also, in the movie, he never smiles, but there are plenty of pictures of him on the web with a nice big smile on his face.And he's got a girlfriend too. So, who to believe? The movie or Zuckerberg's PR machine? My philosophy is to give people the benefit of the doubt. In the movie, there is no doubt that Mark Zuckerberg is a geek jerk, but since I don't know him personally, I won't judge him on that basis!
It's a great movie, though - a parable about not relating to others' feelings, getting rich, and losing friends. You wouldn't wish that life on anybody. The big question is was it all worth it? And does it make him happy?
Am I on Facebook? Yes of course.
Very interesting movie - despite the fact that apparently a lot of it is made up and is not an exact representation of how Facebook was set up nor of Mark Zuckerberg, its founder.I didn't know much about Facebook the company, or its founders, but the movie The Social Network makes it all about someone with poor social skills, and whose company's success (it's worth 25 Billion dollars!) doesn't seem to bring him any joy. Nothing seems to bring him joy, according to the movie anyway. And he seems to lose the one friend he had. Maybe, like a lot of geeks, he is not good at human interaction, but becomes the wittiest and most likeable person on earth when he communicates through a computer. And also, in the movie, he never smiles, but there are plenty of pictures of him on the web with a nice big smile on his face.And he's got a girlfriend too. So, who to believe? The movie or Zuckerberg's PR machine? My philosophy is to give people the benefit of the doubt. In the movie, there is no doubt that Mark Zuckerberg is a geek jerk, but since I don't know him personally, I won't judge him on that basis!
It's a great movie, though - a parable about not relating to others' feelings, getting rich, and losing friends. You wouldn't wish that life on anybody. The big question is was it all worth it? And does it make him happy?
Am I on Facebook? Yes of course.
Christmas cards - Take 8
I don't think I'll go with this one - it's a pretty flower (I was inspired by a painting I found on the web), but I've found it hard to make the green leaves look nice - they're too blobby for my taste.
Feeling a bit better - but it's been a rough 2 weeks - the doctor has prescribed codeine tablets that stop the coughing. But they make me feel very drowsy, so it's strictly to be taken before bedtime. He also gave me some nasal spray to dry things out, but I don't like it at all. Anyways, hoping to catch up over the weekend. This is the first day this week that I still have any energy left in me after 4pm. Other days, I just had to lie down and rest - I was completely wiped out.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Christmas cards - Take 7
At this stage, I'm losing track of how many I've tried out, but this one is nice (also available on Zazzle)
(PS: still coughing non-stop - the good thing is that I know that a tickly cough is usually the sign that I'm getting better. The bad news is that the night-time coughing can go on for 2 weeks - I have 4 pillows to keep me propped-up.)
(PS: still coughing non-stop - the good thing is that I know that a tickly cough is usually the sign that I'm getting better. The bad news is that the night-time coughing can go on for 2 weeks - I have 4 pillows to keep me propped-up.)
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Close-up
I was running low on inspiration for painting over the last few days- and this close-up is just what I needed - now - acrylics or watercolour? I think I'll start with acrylics - more immediate results
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Marlay Park
Another gorgeous day (after some very heavy showers around 6 yesterday evening). So we had to get out and about. At this time of the year, Marlay Park is the place to be if you want to catch the reds and yellows in the trees.
Here are 2 of the pictures Brendan took today - the swans are perfectly composed, aren't they?
Here are 2 of the pictures Brendan took today - the swans are perfectly composed, aren't they?
Siobhan Ryan - 22 October - lace effect skirt and black top with see-through sleeves
I think this is quite a nice outfit, although the skirt may be a tad conservative for my taste.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Restrepo
We went to the movies last Saturday - there is always a great buzz in the IFI on Eustace Street - it's a good spot for a hot chocolate and a bit of people watching.
The movie was Restrepo, a documentary about an American platoon's tour of duty in a remote valley in Afghanistan. The title is the name of one of the soldiers who died in action, and who is very much missed by his friends. Most of the filming is onsite, while the soldiers are going about their business - building a new camp on top of a hill while being fired at, the boredom of it, the constant danger - they get fired at several times a day, the adrenaline pumping after a gun-fight ("better than crack" says one of them). And there are interviews with the survivors after they've left the valley, and how they're still struggling with the loss of their comrades. None of them seem to reflect much on the bigger picture - they're just there to do a job, they do it the best they can - they may feel bad when some of the locals get caught in the cross-fire, but they don't seem to dwell on it too long - as another day dawns, they have to deal with more fighting. During their time there, they build strong bonds with their fellow soldiers and that is the only thing that matters in the end.
What struck me the most is how young these guys are. One lad looked barely out of his teens - talking about how his mum is a hippie and didn't allow him toy guns when he was a kid, and now he fires the biggest gun of them all, and he loves it. And the captain mustn't have been older than 35 - and his language was more Pulp Fiction than I was comfortable with. It was almost funny seeing him "negotiating" with the local elders - they appeared to have so much dignity in their demeanour, while he couldn't seem to help himself using the f word in every sentence.
And also - the wild beauty of the Korangal valley, which nobody seems to notice any more, and its supposed strategic importance (this is a great article by the way - well worth reading). But then, after years of fighting and many deaths, the Americans decided to close their Korangal outpost in April 2010 (see Wikipedia article). What was the point of it all? I wonder will it be the same with the rest of the country - after so many years of war and death, the Americans will one day decide that they have to go because it's just not getting anywhere?
The movie was Restrepo, a documentary about an American platoon's tour of duty in a remote valley in Afghanistan. The title is the name of one of the soldiers who died in action, and who is very much missed by his friends. Most of the filming is onsite, while the soldiers are going about their business - building a new camp on top of a hill while being fired at, the boredom of it, the constant danger - they get fired at several times a day, the adrenaline pumping after a gun-fight ("better than crack" says one of them). And there are interviews with the survivors after they've left the valley, and how they're still struggling with the loss of their comrades. None of them seem to reflect much on the bigger picture - they're just there to do a job, they do it the best they can - they may feel bad when some of the locals get caught in the cross-fire, but they don't seem to dwell on it too long - as another day dawns, they have to deal with more fighting. During their time there, they build strong bonds with their fellow soldiers and that is the only thing that matters in the end.
What struck me the most is how young these guys are. One lad looked barely out of his teens - talking about how his mum is a hippie and didn't allow him toy guns when he was a kid, and now he fires the biggest gun of them all, and he loves it. And the captain mustn't have been older than 35 - and his language was more Pulp Fiction than I was comfortable with. It was almost funny seeing him "negotiating" with the local elders - they appeared to have so much dignity in their demeanour, while he couldn't seem to help himself using the f word in every sentence.
Siobhan Ryan - 21 October - wrap dress and wide belt
I have to say I quite like Siobhan Ryan's style - a sophisticated wrap dress yesterday, with a wide belt. She seems to have managed to stretch her budget - I don't think I've seen her with the same clothes twice yet. Or maybe she spends all her money in clothes?
Rain on the Hills
Here is one of my recent watercolours. I used Masquepen masking fluid to delineate the hills, then painted the sky and created rain by tilting the paper back and forth with a fairly thick mix of neutral tint. Once that was dry, I painted the hills with my 3 favourite colours: permanent rose (PV19), ultramarine blue (PB29) and vanadium yellow (PY184), all from the Schmincke range. They mix beautifully and remain vibrant throughout.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Bad roads in Ireland
OK - I've been lazy this week - I had lots of pictures that I prepared at the weekend, and I've posted these over the last few days - a handy way to keep everybody amused, without having to spend too much time writing big long posts. At least I was well organised.
Now I'm a bit tired, but I'll start a rant about the state of Irish roads. Don't get me wrong - a lot of progress has been made in the last 10 years - we now have a motorway from Dublin to Cork, from Dublin to Galway, and nearly from Dublin to Limerick (I think there is a section that needs to be redone because of subsidence through a bog - "Oops we're building a road through a bog - Do you think it's likely to sink? No No, trust me, all will be well. It's sinking? Really? Ah well, we'll rebuild it so"). But that's about it. Roads in Dublin are pretty good, we've got 3 lanes on the M50, we've got the Luas Green Line Extension. But once you go a little further, things are not so good.
As you know we went to Kerry 2 weeks ago - Google Maps had given us an estimate of 4.5 hours from Dublin to Parknasilla (354km). As we got to Michelstown in less than 2 hours (on the new Dublin-Cork motorway), we thought we were going to get there a lot quicker. But the road from Michelstown to Killarney is an absolute disaster - narrow and twisty. If you're stuck behind a slow vehicle - like a caravan, or a little old man driving home from the pub on a Sunday afternoon - forget it, you're not going to be able to overtake them for miles and miles, and you'll be lucky to average 50km/h. The roads from Killarney to Sneem were equally twisty and narrow, but at least they are scenic, and there isn't as much traffic on them. But the Michelstown-Killarney is a complete disgrace in the 21st Century.
View Larger Map
Our government talks about promoting tourism as a major industry in Ireland (now that over 30,000 houses lie unoccupied in ghost estates - the building industry is well and truly dead), but we still don't have a proper road between Dublin and Killarney - the major tourism centre in the country, gateway to the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle peninsula - 2 areas of outstanding beauty.
I just don't get it.
They should stop talking about talks -don't get me started on the whole charade of the heads of the opposition parties meeting the Taoiseach after seeing the numbers from the Department of Finance - and then that's IT??? They agree that it's a tough target to reach the 3% European number by 2014 - I can't even remember what that 3% is - all I know is that it means tough budgets for the next 4 years, but that's the extent of their talks - nobody agrees on how to fix the problem, and the government is just busy commissioning reports and reporting on commissions, but doing nothing. They should start working and DO SOMETHING for a change. Build good roads down the country, train makers of uilleann pipes, build the metro, scrap the government jet, introduce proper expense reporting for TDs, stop sending officials on fact-finding missions around the world (with their wives). I think I've saved about a few millions already, and created hundreds of jobs in one go (sorry to the pilot of the government jet who would be losing his job with my scheme - maybe he can retrain as a uilleann pipe maker - apparently there is a serious shortage).
It's a great little country we live in!
End of rant!
PS: we came back via Cork - the roads were good, but it's quite a detour. It still took us nearly 4 and a half hours to get back.
Now I'm a bit tired, but I'll start a rant about the state of Irish roads. Don't get me wrong - a lot of progress has been made in the last 10 years - we now have a motorway from Dublin to Cork, from Dublin to Galway, and nearly from Dublin to Limerick (I think there is a section that needs to be redone because of subsidence through a bog - "Oops we're building a road through a bog - Do you think it's likely to sink? No No, trust me, all will be well. It's sinking? Really? Ah well, we'll rebuild it so"). But that's about it. Roads in Dublin are pretty good, we've got 3 lanes on the M50, we've got the Luas Green Line Extension. But once you go a little further, things are not so good.
As you know we went to Kerry 2 weeks ago - Google Maps had given us an estimate of 4.5 hours from Dublin to Parknasilla (354km). As we got to Michelstown in less than 2 hours (on the new Dublin-Cork motorway), we thought we were going to get there a lot quicker. But the road from Michelstown to Killarney is an absolute disaster - narrow and twisty. If you're stuck behind a slow vehicle - like a caravan, or a little old man driving home from the pub on a Sunday afternoon - forget it, you're not going to be able to overtake them for miles and miles, and you'll be lucky to average 50km/h. The roads from Killarney to Sneem were equally twisty and narrow, but at least they are scenic, and there isn't as much traffic on them. But the Michelstown-Killarney is a complete disgrace in the 21st Century.
View Larger Map
Our government talks about promoting tourism as a major industry in Ireland (now that over 30,000 houses lie unoccupied in ghost estates - the building industry is well and truly dead), but we still don't have a proper road between Dublin and Killarney - the major tourism centre in the country, gateway to the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle peninsula - 2 areas of outstanding beauty.
I just don't get it.
They should stop talking about talks -don't get me started on the whole charade of the heads of the opposition parties meeting the Taoiseach after seeing the numbers from the Department of Finance - and then that's IT??? They agree that it's a tough target to reach the 3% European number by 2014 - I can't even remember what that 3% is - all I know is that it means tough budgets for the next 4 years, but that's the extent of their talks - nobody agrees on how to fix the problem, and the government is just busy commissioning reports and reporting on commissions, but doing nothing. They should start working and DO SOMETHING for a change. Build good roads down the country, train makers of uilleann pipes, build the metro, scrap the government jet, introduce proper expense reporting for TDs, stop sending officials on fact-finding missions around the world (with their wives). I think I've saved about a few millions already, and created hundreds of jobs in one go (sorry to the pilot of the government jet who would be losing his job with my scheme - maybe he can retrain as a uilleann pipe maker - apparently there is a serious shortage).
It's a great little country we live in!
End of rant!
PS: we came back via Cork - the roads were good, but it's quite a detour. It still took us nearly 4 and a half hours to get back.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Christmas cards - Take 6 - the stamp
And here is a screen shot of the US custom stamp from my Zazzle store (use this link). Wouldn't you love to be able to use such beautiful stamps? But, no, not in Ireland - this Christmas, An Post will probably offer us another obscure painting of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus.
Christmas cards - Take 6
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Paran
You'll find an excellent clip at the bottom of this link - 3 of the musicians from the Crash Ensemble playing Paran by John Zorn:
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