Hi everyone, I hope you’ll like this new calendar for May 2013.  I took the shot around this time last year in Dublin’s Marlay Park, which I hope to visit again today now that the sun is shining and it’s finally warm!

In the last two weeks the trees outside our windows have suddenly sprung leaves and the plants on the balcony are starting to flower and grow.  I love this stage of the year where everything is fresh, bright and revitalising.  So I wanted this month’s calendar to reflect the change of season and this lovely newfound lightness in the world :)

Download your calendar here:

1920 x 1200   -   1680 x 1050   -   1280 x 800

♥

Hello friends, I am still here, still searching for balance so slow to use the computer or camera.  These pretty little things are growing on my balcony which is suddenly coming alive with life now that the spring warmth has finally settled in.  All this new growth has reminded me of a beautiful Brendan Kennelly poem, I’ll share it with you below.

Begin

Begin again to the summoning birds
to the sight of light at the window,
begin to the roar of morning traffic
all along Pembroke Road.
Every beginning is a promise
born in light and dying in dark
determination and exaltation of springtime
flowering the way to work.
Begin to the pageant of queuing girls
the arrogant loneliness of swans in the canal
bridges linking the past and the future
old friends passing through with us still.
Begin to the loneliness that cannot end
since it perhaps is what makes us begin,
begin to wonder at unknown faces
at crying birds in the sudden rain
at branches stark in the willing sunlight
at seagulls foraging for bread
at couples sharing a sunny secret
alone together while making good.
Though we live in a world that dreams of ending
that always seems about to give in
something that will not acknowledge conclusion
insists that we forever begin.

Brendan Kennelly

♥

A new desktop calendar for a new month, happy April everyone.  Sorry about the absence of a March calendar last month, I just wasn’t able to get around to creating one in time!  But I hope you’ll enjoy this new one.  Here in Ireland we’re hoping for some warmer weather to arrive soon, although spring has begun the temperatures remain low and it’s frustrating to still feel so cold at this stage in the year!  So here’s hoping for some warm sunshine this April :)

Download your calendar here:

1920 x 1200   -   1680 x 1050   -   1280 x 800

♥

Just a quick post to wish all of you a happy St Patrick’s Day!  This is a photo of my father on Patrick’s Day last year, sporting some fine Irish shamrock!  I love that today Ireland and Irishness will be embraced all over the world by people who feel a real connection to this country.  I don’t know of any other nation that is so internationally celebrated, it feels special to be Irish :)

I’ll leave you with some of my own favourite images of Ireland.  Enjoy your day wherever in the world you are and however you’re celebrating!

♥

♥

As I lean down to capture these snowdrops with the lens of my camera, I’m sharply aware of the cold air numbing my fingers, the scent of damp, decaying leaves drifting up from the ground and the pale look of the sunlight that kisses their white petals.  But despite these reminders of winter, all I can think about is how spring is finally here, under the soil, coiled and ready to unfurl out into the world again.

The earth is letting go of winter, shaking out her jewels into the pleasures of a new season, beginning with the gentlest of gestures: the elegant snowdrop.

The first flowers peeking their petals out into the soft spring sunlight will always fill me with hope.  Even more than the clock ticking past midnight on New Year’s Eve, they remind me of the flow of time and the endless possibility that comes with each new beginning.

♥

Just checking in quickly to say hello!  Not much has been happening around City of Blackbirds lately, I’m still having some issues with my balance so haven’t been out much with the camera and have generally just been resting up.  I did manage to get a couple of snaps of snowdrops in Dad’s garden earlier this week, so I should have them up here soon.  It’s so lovely to see spring returning once more.

Ever so slowly my balance is resolving, so I hope that as it gets better it wont be so weird working with computers again and things will return to normal here on the blog too.  I’m looking forward to getting back out into the world with my camera!

♥

February has announced her arrival with gales and wintry showers here in Dublin.  The wind has been battling against our windows for the last week, and at times it’s been so strong I worried they’d blow in!  I’m still hoping for snow, but although it’s very cold outside there’s still not much sign of it.  For a couple of days the Dublin mountains were tantalisingly covered in it, I could see it from the balcony, so close and yet impossible for me to reach!  But winter still has quite a bit of bite in her yet, so you never know what the next month will bring.

This shot for the February desktop calendar was taken on a frost and mist laden morning in Tipperary a couple of years ago.  I hope you like it!

Download your calendar here:

1920 x 1200   -   1680 x 1050   -   1280 x 800

♥

I also have a couple of links to share with you today, some interesting things I’ve come across online lately.

- My friend Aisling Nelson has begun teaching blogging workshops to creative business owners through her new venture Three Thought Bubbles.  If you’re interested in learning to blog for your business then I really recommend the workshop.  I attended one last weekend and it was an excellent day spent learning and discussing all things blog related.

- Belle, who writes over at Limmster, has had the handy idea of creating a Pinterest board dedicated to Irish bloggers.  If you’re interested then check out this post to learn how to pin your work to the shared board.  I think it will be a fun way to check in with what everyone is writing about, as well as sharing your own work with others!

- If you’ve always wanted to write a book then this new initiative from Writing.ie might be helpful!  They’ve put together a National Emerging Writer Programme which provides all kinds of resources for writing your first novel.

- This recipe for Peanut Butter Fudge from The Sophisticated Gourmet caught my eye recently.  I haven’t tried it yet but when I do I’ll be sure to report back!  I love the photos on their whole site, so beautifully styled and shot.

- The Dogmatic Photo Blog is a site I stumbled across a couple of weeks ago.  I love the layout, it emphasises the simple nature of the photography, and the photos themselves are wonderful.

Have you come across any interesting links lately?

♥

Whenever I get the chance, one of my favourite things to indulge in is afternoon tea.  Munching through delicious miniature treats and sipping tea from delicate cups is a delightful way to spend a couple of hours, and there are so many lovely places in Dublin that serve their own unique version.

A couple of months ago I decided to start a new blog series, visiting different establishments around the city and photographing their afternoon tea.  So here is the first offering, and I hope to have many more posts to come in the future!

I decided to start in The Westin Hotel, right in the heart of Dublin’s city centre on Westmoreland Street.  One gloomy Sunday near the end of November the city was bustling with Christmas shoppers, but The Westin’s Atrium Lounge provided a welcome tranquil space, away from the crowds, comfortable and warmed by a blazing fire.  Dublin photographer Elisha Clarke joined me in a quiet corner and we tried The Westin’s unusual take on this traditional treat, A Most Peculiar Afternoon Tea.

This option comes with the classic three tired stand filled with delicious morsels, but what makes it peculiar is that the customary pot of tea is replaced with a cocktail made from Hendrick’s Gin served in a tea pot and drunk from tea cups.  It felt unusual but charming to savour a mojito from a tea cup!

The food was delectable, my favourite being the middle tier of banana and walnut bread that came with a little pot of cinnamon and honey butter to slather deliciously all over it.  Of the desserts the popcorn panna cotta and popping marshmallows left me wanting more, they were fun to eat as well as being just the right sweet taste to finish off our meal.  Have a look at the menu to check out all the options for yourself, as well their traditional afternoon tea which looks just as enticing.

I must say thank you to The Westin for being kind enough to allow me to take some photos.  And to Elisha for being such wonderful company and showing me how to use her incredible 5D Mark III camera (the first shot in this post must be credited to her!).

I wish that I had taken more photos, but it is to The Westin’s credit that I was too absorbed in the food and atmosphere of The Atrium that I didn’t take as many as I should have!  If you decide to visit The Atrium, or if you have any favourite spots around the city for afternoon tea please do let me know so that I can check them out for future posts in this series!

♥

♥

As a last farewell to 2012 I’ve rounded up some of my favourite photos and posts from the last year here on City of Blackbirds.  It’s been a great year for blogging in Ireland, the community is blossoming with new members and established members have been growing their sites into beautiful and entertaining online spaces.  I’ve discovered quite a few blogs this year that have become regular inspiring reads to me and I look forward to following them throughout 2013.  Please leave me a link to your favourite blog discoveries of the last year, I always enjoy new sites to explore!

Spring in Dublin City – Marlay Park
Thoughts on Blogging & Dreaming
Fairy Tree
Pivoine Délicate
Bloom in the Park 2012
Queen Anne’s Lace
Scenes from an Irish Summer – Part 1
Scenes from an Irish Summer – Part 2
Wildwood Light
Light on the Leaves – Autumn in Ireland
Frosty Light – A Holga Dawn

♥

♥

Happy New Year everyone!  Can you believe that 2013 is here already?  The past year seems to have slipped by without my really noticing.  I must admit that I’m glad to see the back of 2012, it was a difficult year and I found myself struggling at times.  I noticed that others around me also seemed to have more challenges than before, did you notice the same?  It was a year of big change, which wasn’t always a bad thing.

Fortunately I’ve learned a lot from my experiences and I intend that this year will be less stressful, and hopefully approached with a wiser perspective!  My only resolution is to start living a life that really makes me happy, by making better choices and learning to handle the challenges that life gives me in a more positive way.

Daniel and I are starting January by getting our provisional driving licences and learning to drive, which we’re both excited about.  I can’t wait to get mobile and take my camera to new places all over the country!  Later this year I also hope to buy a professional camera and take my photography to a new level by learning a whole lot more about taking good photos.

To help you celebrate the new year I’ve put together a free desktop calendar, and I’ll post a new one each month of 2013.  Just click on your choice of resolution below to download it from my Mediafire account.

Wishing you the best of everything for 2013!

Download your calendar here:

1920 x 1200   -   1680 x 1050   -   1280 x 800

♥