It’s a gorgeous Friday here in Ballinamore.

After the cold and wind (gale force stuff) of yesterday we now have a lovely sunfilled day.

William popped in to put up the coat hanging piece that he made and gave me … as you can see … there’s no room for coats.

We sat for a while over a cuppa and chatted about living simply & happily and simple/small house design … our dreams for building our own homes.

I love living in my cottage … and am blessed with the best neighbour Mags … and now new neighbour William … and still miss my old neighbours Lynda and Derek.

Living in town now for 29 months has meant that I got to know people and feel part of the community.

This blog has really made me feel a part of Ballinamore … I write and photograph … and then people ask me to cover stuff … off to the art exhibition opening tonight.

I was reading some of my older blog posts and came across this one written in Feb 2007 … just over 2 years ago … and the blog was only a month old.

It’s powerful stuff and I felt like another reader … rather than the writer.

Life Dreaming has formed a core part of how I live and dream and plan my life … for nearly 30 years now.

When I wrote the Feb 2007 post … I was about to run a Life Dreaming session in Dublin.

It never happened for a range of reasons … but the Life Dreaming workbook got written and designed … and I put Life Dreaming on the back burner until a month or so ago … when I gave the Life Dreaming workbook away for free (download your copy from the top of this blog).

What I’m trying to say is that I hold to a number of core dreams (develop Life Dreaming with my brother Marc … build my own home … build SKIL2 … blah blah) … the timeline just shifts to meet changing circumstances and opportunities … it’s about being flexible and resilient.

So … here is an excerpt of that post … Feb 2007 … how time flies.

Life Dreaming from the Frontline

If life throws so many unexpected things at us - what’s the point in dreaming?

Very good question.

Like most people, I’ve had my share of life’s knocks.

How I’ve reacted and dealt with them has formed the woman I am today.

Have you ever looked back on your life and seen those events and moments that ended up being signposts for learning and major decisions?

That moment where … if you’d made a different choice … your life would have taken a very different path?

One moment for me happened when I was 21 or 22.

The man I had been living with went to Sydney from Perth to start a new job and I was to follow a few weeks later.

One morning I opened a letter from him that said he didn’t want me to follow him to Sydney.

That’s the last I ever heard from him (and he had cleaned out our bank account and taken everything we owned with him - including all my books - big bummer).

When I finished reading the letter I lost it for a few minutes and then realised that I had - no money, no job, no place to live and hadn’t finished my degree (oh yeh, and the man I thought loved me had disappeared into the mist) - pretty much bottomed out.

That’s scarey - really scarey.

It all felt way too big to deal with - just too hard. Why me?

I remember so vividly - a question rose from inside me - what do you want to do ?

Stay down and find it just too hard - or - get up and take some control of your life?

From that moment on I vowed that I’d always find a way to get off the floor - find ways to live the life I wanted and not the life other people might want for me - not to just float along.

I found a strength and determination that I had never really tested. I drew on the deep love and support of my family and friends; finished my degree; and got on with living.

Over the years (more than 25) I’ve done a lot of work with communities and organisations in West Australia & Ireland.

I’ve worked with them to reflect and plan their futures - to define their purpose, values and needs - and translate them into real and enduring actions.

I’ve had the pleasure and privilege to work with thousands of people on 2 continents.

I get to see passion, purpose and power in action - in places and with people that society has given up on.

Life Dreaming first happened as a result of a woman nagging me to do them. I was working with communities and she wanted me to translate the tools I had developed into a series of workshops for women.

I’ve never had a problem saying No - and that’s what I did.

She obviously never took No for an answer - so a small battle of wills happened over a few months.

Obviously this woman had been sent by a persistent universe because one day I said Yes.

We had the first Life Dreaming in her home in 1992.

If you read my Home Sweet Home blog in Jan (07) or clicked the lizbiz button at the top of the page - you’d see how my values inform everything I do.

For Life Dreaming workshops I wanted to create spaces of beauty and relaxation where women could reflect, laugh, plan and make some choices about their next steps - about making dreams a reality and believing they could do it.

Will all my dreams come true?

Sorry Judy, you’re back in Kansas.

Life Dreamings paradox is that in choosing to have some influence over the choices you make about your life - you also can develop a talent for attracting and thriving on the unexpected.

At the core is a clarity about what drives you and what you value - and that forms the lodestone that helps you make decisions amongst a plethora (or dearth) of options.

So, if life throws us so many unexpected things - what is the point in dreaming?

For me, life without the power to dream - and achieve some of the dreams - is a life with no power, passion, purpose, meaning or celebration.

As this is the only life I remember, I want it to be full of fun, beauty, generosity, and sheer delight - and I want to have a part in shaping it.

It’s that simple -and yeh, that complex.

Reading that post again just reaffirmed why I do what I do.

Writing this blog over the last 2 1/2 years has been so much fun … and it helps me think through and clarify ideas that would only wander around in my head.

And all you wonderful readers … and my delightful commentators … make me want to write … about things that are important to me … and all the great stuff that happens here in Ballinamore.

Thanks for reading.

Slan

Liz

p.s And here’s Coco contemplating the universe … or not …

p.s.s

It’s been a busy and happy day dear reader

I had a lovely lunch in Smyths with Dee … love their vege soup.

Then spent 3 hours working over in Eamonn and Noleens garden centre. I want to get as much hands on experience as I can in gardening and plants. I had a great time sorting all the plants … it delights the designer in me.

Apart from the last 5 minutes (when it bucketed down with rain) I had a great time in the sunshine.

Came home and spent the last 3 hours updating a series of posts I did in 2007 on sustainable building and living.

You can read all about it on the page at the top of this blog.

I’d only had the blog for one month in 2007 and had no idea how to upload photos.

I spent a while today finding and uploading (and referencing) some good photos … and added the sites from this weeks Simplicity post … and a few more I found in my ramblings this afternoon.

I’m off for a shower now and am out to the opening of a solo art exhibition down the street … will have photos tomorrow.

I’m missing the big GAA dinner dance tonight but have a photo spy there who will send me some photos.

Have a lovely weekend.

slan

Liz

Posted in ballinamore, celebration, change, community, creativity, ethics/values, family, friends, home, ireland, leitrim, life, life dreaming, self build, serendipity

Hi folks

Another cold and windy day … no way was I going to spend any time outside … really bitter weather.

And then a pile of kids turn up … thankfully I was organised.

They put the seed compost into seed trays (thanks to Eamonn & Noleen for giving them to us) and wrote tags that let us remember … the seed type and date sown.

Lots of chat and they were great … I told them how the seeds would come up in a week or so and in a few weeks (or when the roots can be seen through the bottom of the tray) we would move them to larger seed trays.

They won’t go into the ground until late April/early May.

I gave them (the kids) a glass of orange and a couple of choc chip cookies.

Then it was all over … until next week.

I put the seed trays into the front window … for sunshine … and then I let people know that the kids did it all.

Relaxing now by the fire … having fish and chips and lots of vegetables for dinner.

Slan

Liz

Posted in ballinamore, blogging, community, gardening, home, ireland, leitrim, sunny funny garden

Simplicity.

Nice word.

Harder to define and do.

Simplicity can mean many things to many people.

I’m fascinated by complexity + chaos + patterns … and how I can simplify them to communicate with others.

Social media appears complex and chaotic … and it can be.

Information Technology is complex.

Organisational development is complex.

Learning & Performance is complex.

Community development is complex.

Research & evaluation is complex.

Good writing is complex.

Communicating and planning with groups of people is complex.

Deciding what’s important in your life right now is complex.

[ you're welcome to download my free Life Dreaming workbook ... it has some useful questions].

And … all these things have been a part of my work and life.

That’s when the art of simplicity is needed … making the complex appear accessible and understandable.

I’ve been doing that (making the complex a bit more comprehensible) with clients for over 25 years  … and loving it.

I adore learning something new … being scared by the (seemingly) huge amount of information … and step by step … getting a handle on the key concepts and skills.

And then … sharing it with people.

I’m fascinated and interested in many things … a list waaaaay to long to put here.

And I love seeing how one thing I love might affect another thing I love.

Take the Citroen 2cv (please please send me one for my birthday).

I have been taking my toy 2cv to meetings about my SKIL2 design … my mantra is … beauty + practicality + affordability … like the 2cv … designed to an essential core.

When I’m designing the SKIL2 space I constantly ask myself … is this essential to the core purpose? I’m building a kind of 2CV … not a bmw.

Over the last few years I have been interested in alternative building methods (cob particularly) and building my own home one day.

I’ve copied a pile of sites and books to a Sustainable Building & Living Page at the top of this blog.

I have a dream of creating a few really small  retreats … one for me … and a couple for friends & selected strangers who need some space and peace.

I’m hoping Mags will be on the land next door with the animal rescue retreat.

Coco on the day Mags found her abandoned

Coco & Indi cat … now in Athens Georgia with Derek & Lynda

Boysie and Patsy cat

John Joe … he’s a great guy … the zen dog of the pack

My retreat people can visit her animals and give them good homes … fair exchange.

I’ve always loved design and how space can be utilised.

And as I have very little money and a mortgage is out of the question … small, sustainable and simple make a lot of sense.

I did some research a while ago on Small House Design.

There are a whole bunch of people designing, building and living in small houses … really small spaces … often for economic reasons … sometimes for environmental ones.

Here are a few interesting sites/blogs:

• Tumbleweed Tiny House Company - Jay Shafer is seen as one of the founding ideas/action people when it comes to small houses.
• Tiny House Blog
• Resources for Life
  
• Constructing a Simpler Life
• Small Living Journal
• This Tiny House
• Coming unmoored … living in a tiny floating home

In previous generations many Irish families lived in small cottages.

During the Boom … we saw huge huge places being built … some are beautiful while others are a postule on the landscape … and many of them are empty.

When I do design doodles for the home I want to build … I try and keep it as small and simple as possible … almost one open living space that can be ’separated’ by plants, moving screens & sheer falls of material.

I showed the drawings to my brother Marc and he made my shower/wash room a little bigger by adding a private outside courtyard … he said that simple was fine but I was allowed to have some space!

Simplicity to me is a kind of paring back to your life essentials … whatever they may be.

Simplicity to me means living life to my core values ... being as authentic as I can … taking time to appreciate what I have and not be too bothered about what I don’t have.

Simplicity is not easy.

Having very little money has been useful to me in defining elements of simplicity in my life - food, fuel, shelter, broadband, champagne.

But it’s not about money.

With or without money … there are things that are essential to my life … the values I live by … the love I feel for my family and friends … the deep affection I feel for the community and town I now live in … always learning and taking risks … having a chat and a laugh with people …

Simplicity is a complex thing.

As I read back on this post I realised that the core of simplicity to me is being able to answer this question

What is essential to my life?

Good question.

I think I’ll just ponder on it for a few days.

Slan

Liz

Posted in ballinamore, celebration, change, cob building, Coco, community, creativity, design, ethics/values, family, friends, home, ireland, John Joe, leisure, leitrim, life, life dreaming, self build, sustainability

A long day online researching social media & Joomla ... fun by the fire.

Decided it was time to go outside and see what was happening in the street.

I realised a while ago that trying to carry all my groceries up the street from Supavalu was really hurting my back … and the last thing I ever want is a bad back.

I asked Dee if she could find me one of those wheely shopping bags … yeh … little old ladies stuff … don’t care … love my back.

Dee … as always … found me exactly what I wanted … she’s amazing.

I customised the wee thing … as you do … with a few interesting brooches … and then took her on her maiden journey.

Dropped in to the Credit Union and said hello to my fave person there … Breege … Nialls mum.

She just laughed at the shopping trolley’s accessories and said

‘Liz … only you would thing of putting a sparkly brooch on a trolley’

Doesn’t everyone?

Then she said ‘ Do the dance”

I reaised she’d seen the 15 second Liz Biz TV intro that Niall has done … yeh … I dance around a wee bit …

We’re going to have to do a script and more filming … that’s part of our learning process … fun.

So … I did a little dance in the Credit Union … to the delight of all the staff … lucky I’m not self conscious.

Took Trolley Dolly to Supavalu and … one of the wheels fell off … fixed it and took a pile of shopping home … easy peasy and happy back.

Took Coco for a walk and run … she delights in everything … and just makes me laugh.

I got a whistle from Gabriel and Dee … I had an idea to use the whistle to call her and when she came to me … give her a dog choc.

Worked for about 95% of the time … she’s a bright pup.

Coco LOVES chasing sticks and she can literally run full pace for about 30 minutes … obviously I’m not running … a really really bad look for me!

As we were leaving I saw these gorgeous old gates … rusting and decaying (bit like me) …

Ran into Jimmy on the way up the street and was pleased to hear how well their build your own wind turbine workshops have been going.

They are running another one in a couple of weeks … and … I’ll do a story on them early next week.

I’ve been listening to comments and things people say to me about this blog.

Some of you have slow internet connections and it takes a long long long time for you to open the blog … because I have about 7 posts (and lots of photos) on the one page.

From tonight I’m going to reduce it to 2 or 3 posts on one page … let me know if you can open the page quicker.

It’s been a busy and very interesting week … both in terms of the unpaid work I’m doing … and doing stuff with and for other people.

Thanks to my brother Marc for designing business cards for Eamonn &Noeleen to complement the site I designed for them.

I was showing Dee the designs that Marc did and she pointed to one that she really loved … so … I asked Marc if he’d just put The Forge details on it … and we’d give it as a gift to Dee.

All these people have been good friends and neighbours to me … and I love helping and being useful … a kind of barter of skills and kindness … lovely.

Sitting by the fire with Coco and just feeling happy with life … I live in a great town with really lovely people.

I may be financially challenged … but I’m wealthy in so many other ways … lucky me.

Money will always come and go … so I refuse to let it rule me.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Slan

Liz

Posted in ballinamore, blogging, Coco, community, home, ireland, leitrim, life, work

I could hear Coco thinking at me all day …

get off the computer and take me for a walk … NOW

I tried to explain that if she wants a roof over her head and food … then I have to earn some money.

She really doesn’t care.

Spent quite a few hours developing a proposal for a potentially huge piece of work … if Hugh and I get it.

I think we have a good chance of being shortlisted for interview … and so will a few of the big Dublin firms.

Gotta be in it to win it.

In the process of developing the proposal I got to read some very interesting stuff on cultural economics & cultural value and it got me thinking how the different models could impact on public policy making and financial assistance to artists … weird brain that I have …

Niall (Complete Weddings) sent me a rough cut of the intro to LizBiz TV … it’s about 16 seconds long.

My reaction?

I laughed … it’s exactly the kind of pitch and pace I’d like … great music … I look great for about 2 seconds … and then Niall has me dancing and laughing like an eedjit … smooth TV presenter … not

He’s a clever and creative guy.

Made another big tray of vege lasagne … Coco LOVES it … and there’s still heaps left for tomorrow … even after I froze 4 portions … had my own dinner … gave some to Dee … and Coco had some more.

Cheap and tasty.

Took Coco for a 30 minute walk … she was ecstatic … I just followed quietly behind.

Lots of people have downloaded the Life Dreaming workbook …

Download a free copy

I’m getting heaps of written feedback and so far … it’s all positive.

I have a list of things I want to edit and add to the workbook and will be contacting the people who have emailed me for their thoughts.

Some people have already put aside an afternoon and done many of the exercises … and they tell me that they’ve been able to make some decisions they are really happy about.

It delights me that such a deceptively simple tool … and a little time … can help people make some decisions about what’s important in their lives right now.

It’s all about giving yourself the time and space for a little reflection … and if that’s not your thing? … cool … live your life any way you want to …

Tired now … I’m off to bed with a cuppa and a good book … bliss.

Sweet dreams

Liz

Posted in ballinamore, blogging, Coco, community, friends, home, ireland, leitrim, life, life dreaming, work

When adding a comment to a blog or forum or indeed adding your website address to your signature in a forum that you have joined, you will often need to create a link using HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), the language used to create web pages. The following example should help in most cases:

To create a link in HTML, type the following in your comment or signature:

<a href="http://www.mysite.com/">My Site Title</a>

substituting in your own web address in the href="..." part as well as your own site title instead of "My Site Title". It is important to use proper keywords for the title rather than just "My Website" as links with relevant keywords are far more useful for both the reader and search engines.

So, if I was to create a link for Hedgeschool Training, I'd do something like this:

<a href="http://www.hedgeschool.ie/">Hedgeschool IT Training, Leitrim, Ireland</a>

The link would then appear in my comment or forum signature like so:

Hedgeschool IT Training, Leitrim, Ireland

This link contains the keywords, (IT, Training, Leitrim, and Ireland) for which I would like my website to appear on search engines results pages (SERPs, to use the techie acronym).

One little proviso though is that if after submitting your comment or signature, all you see is the HTML code, then the site to which you submitted your comment is filtering HTML, i.e. they are not allowing users to submit HTML in comments etc. If this is the case, then the best you can do is just to add your web address e.g. http://www.hedgeschool.ie/. In some cases, (as is the case on this website) the website to which you are submitting your comment might make your web address into a proper link or at the very least it will display your webaddress which users can copy and paste into their web browser's (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari etc.) address bar and then visit your website - a little more cumbersome for them but better than no web address.

Alternatively, some forums might not allow HTML but they do allow bbCode which is slightly different in format, but will generate the same link as above:

[url=http://www.hedgeschool.ie/]Hedgeschool IT Training, Leitrim, Ireland[/url]

Leitrim Childcare Committee

The Leitrim Childcare Committee facilitates childcare providers to develop appropriate childcare services which respond to and cater for the childcare needs of local parents and their children.

The website uses WordPress as a content management system with a customised design and employs plugins to optimise the site for search engines. Google Analytics was also used to track traffic to the website.

David Wrynn Carpentry

David Wrynn is a carpenter based in Fenagh, Leitrim who provides quality carpentry services including panelling, wide architrave, high skirting and timber cutting for DIY enthusiasts. Check out his website to see samples of his craftmanship...

read more

So … here I am typing as Niall films me doing the blog.

It’s really weird trying to look natural with a camera in my face.

It’s fun and slightly daunting … but hey … what’s a little fear between friends.

Niall has ideas for us to be in a microlight plane … filming Ballinamore from above … I do love a good adventure … the things I’ll do to promote Ballinamore.

That’s what I typed today as Niall filmed the first of the Liz Biz TV vidcasts.

I want to show you Ballinamore and its Entrepreneurs on film so you can see the places and people I write about.

Mags thinks I’m just bonkers … actually enjoying  filming.

It was fun and Niall is so easy to work with … and very professional.

We laughed a lot.

Liz Biz TV is the name Niall and I decided on … really … how can 2 people be a TV station … it’s all part of the fun.

I found it a little disconcerting to watch myself when Niall played back some of the film … but … I refused to start picking on myself … and just enjoyed seeing Ballinamore on film.

If all works well we want to do regular short vids … me and Coco at some of the lovely local areas … interviews with local entrepreneurs … I want to do Sharon at Cannaboe Confectionary first.

It’s really just putting on film some of the things I love about Ballinamore and the people who live here.

Niall is editing and we should have the first vidcast in a week.

Thanks to the businesses that let us film them … they are all places I mention on this blog.

And to all my readers who wanted to see Mags on film … sorry folks … she can’t think of anything she’d rather not do … and I respect her for that … even if she is having fun teasing me.

Hope your day has gone well.

I need to loll now with Coco.

Slan

Liz

Posted in ballinamore, ballinamore entrepreneurs, blogging, Coco, community, film, friends, home, ireland, leitrim, life

I  spent  two  hours  shooting  the  sunset  on  Cliffoney  beach  because  the  sky  was  changing  so  fast  I  was  afraid  I  might  miss  something  if  I  left.  You  would  be  forgiven  for  thinking  it  was  warm  but  it  was  so  cold  my  fingers  were  numb  in  the  first  ten  minutes. It  was  early  February  and  behind  [...]

If  you  get  a  chance  take  a  drive  up  to  the   Gleniff  Horseshoe  Valley  in  Co. Sligo.  The  road  leads  you round  a  stunning  amphitheatre  formed  during  the  last  ice  age  .  You  first  pass  an  old  barytes  mill  from  the  19th  century  which  is  also  the  location  of  a  walkway  through  native  irish  [...]

LET  IT  SNOW       LET  IT  SNOW Snow 9 Snow 2

Our  first  decent  fall  of  snow  this  year  was  an  opportunity  not  to  be  wasted.  Trying  to  avoid  hitting  the  ditch  with  the  car  made  it  all  the  more  interesting.  When  I  spotted  this  scene  while  driving  I hit  the  brakes  without  thinking  and  slid  right  past  it . I  was  the  only  car  out  [...]

Ben  Wiskin  Mountain  tends  to  get  overlooked  a  bit  due  to  its  more  famous  neighbour  Ben Bulben , but  it   has  a  very  distinct  shape  which  some  people  describe  as  like  a  wave  breaking.  I  wanted  to  get  a  photograph  from  the  Leitrim / Donegal  side  .  I  took  the  photograph  from  a  stretch  of  [...]

I   spent  some  time   recently  exploring  a  few  lanes  and  byways  around   Sligo .  I  left  the  main  Sligo / Donegal  road  and  headed  in  the  Lissadell  direction.  I  wanted  to  find  a  road  that  would  bring  me  out  to  the  coast.  It  took  me  a  while  but  after  a  good  few  left  hand  [...]

I haven’t developed a lisp … I’ve been making marmalade.

This is my first go so I’m quite excited. The pot in the background contains the boiled up jars I’ve been saving.

Marmalade oranges were on sale so I thought I’d give it a go.

Did my usual Google search and found an easy peasy recipe … some of them looked more complicated than surgery … and I’m all for simple & elegant solutions.

Scooped the fruit from it’s skin and then went about removing the pith from about 30 orange quaters … it takes time and patience folks.

So … there I am pithing off the oranges … my mind wandering … when I started to amuse myself by thinking of ways to use pith …

How do you pith an orange off?

What scares an orange pithless?

I’d hate to run into a pithed off pack of oranges.

You get the drift.

I did find a way to pith the orange … halve the half … make a quater … and then use a sharp knife to slice it away … like filleting a fish.

The mix … with water and squeezed lemon juice is now bubbling away merrily.

The smell of oranges through the cottage is gorgeous.

In about an hour I’ll add sugar and then we’ll see what I created.

I didn’t add pectin as it occurs naturally in some part of the orange … hopefully not the pithed off part … hee hee.

Heard childrens voices outside and found some Hamill and D’Arcy boys throwing snowballs.

Great aim James.

And here’s the snow fuelled trio … Gavin, James & Thomas … just before they threw their snowballs at moi.

Oh yeh … and that would be John D’arcy supervising the boyos … making sure their aim was straight.

If I can peel myself away from the fire and newspapers I will take Coco and camera for a walk later.

Hope your day is going well.

Slan

Liz

p.s.

Made the marmalade and it’s exactly as I love it … bitter sweet with big chunks of peel.

Instead of all white sugar I mixed it with muscovado sugar.

It all looks lovely … and tastes delicious … and it was really easy to make.

Total time to make - from scooping the orange from its skin and pithing it off (30 minutes) … to … boiling/simmering (1.5 hours) … about 2 hours.

Total cost for about 1kg of delicious marmalade - 2 euro.

I’ll make it again.

I had an email from one of my dearest friends who lives in Oz.

Lisa has been my friend for over 30 years and we have had many adventures together … some of them totally unprintable … but what great memories.

She told me that she’ll be in London for 2 weeks starting in early March.

She wants to catch up with me and is offering to pay my airfare and accommodation … lovely friend.

I hope to go over from Tuesday March 3 and come back on Saturday March 7 - via Belfast Airport … so much less stressful than Dublin Airport.

We’ll be staying in central London in Westminster … close to the Tate and lots of interesting places … I will have fun researching online.

All I need is for the money fairies to get their act together … Full Moon wishing this week.

Night night

Liz

Posted in ballinamore, blogging, Coco, friends, home, ireland, landscape, leisure, leitrim, life      

Guess who had me out of bed at 7.30am … on a Sunday?

Yup … Coco pup.

We walked out the back to … snow falling.

Everything is white and I love the crunch crunch when you walk.

The street is so quiet and still and I just stood in the middle and enjoyed the snow falling gently.

I took a photo of Derek & Lynda’s ex cottage.

Back in and the fire is going … Coco and I are relaxing on the couch in our lovely clean cottage.

The big white blob in the top/middle of the photo is the nearly Full Moon … not snow.

I had an email from one of my dearest friend in Australia … Lisa.

She’s going to be in London at the end of February and want to treat me to a visit.

I’d walk all the way to spend time with her.

I was deeply sad to hear about the nearly 70 people who have died in the fires in Victoria (Oz).

Devastating.

Two of my brothers … Sean and Eamonn … have been firefighters for years and it’s just awful for the people who deal with the fires … as well as all the people who lose their homes … and their loved ones.

And the saddest thing is that many of these fires are started on purpose.

Our capacity for stupidity and harm  never ceases to sadden me.

And … there will also be stories of people helping strangers … putting themselves at risk.

These are the qualities that make me happy to be human.

Have a peaceful Sunday.

mine is the pink cottage and Mags is in the red one

Slan

Liz

p.s. a half hour later and the sun is up … here are some day snow photos.

I let Coco run around a bit and she loves the snow … something new to sniff and play in.

Here she is in the background … obviously just spotted a bird … she goes into a pointing position and stands very very still.

Street still and quiet.

A Snowy Sunny Funny Garden

Can’t resist photographing the bare bones of trees … natures sculpture.

Mags shudders every time she sees these bare bones photos … she wants the lushness of leaf filled trees … soon Mags … soon.

And now Coco and I will relax by the fire … maybe go and build a snow person later … it’s really really cold outside.

Posted in australia, ballinamore, blogging, friends, home, ireland, landscape      

I was walking Coco at Lock 5 yesterday morning when I looked up … don’t do this if you’re driving … and started looking at the space where landscape ends and sky begins.

Lovely.

Sky blue and sunny … freezing … snow … and I love it.

It was so still and quiet at Lock 5 … after we had walked for a while I found a place to sit and just drift … Coco was happy to run and mooch around.

I had a massage at Enhance on Thursday … great masseur … thanks Helen.

It literally made me drifty and very very relaxed … I was tempted to just stay on the massage bench (it was heated) in the candle lit room with all the lovely scents … forever.

Slept for nearly 11 hours and then took Coco for a walk … some of my muscles were releasing toxins (part of the massage involves some lymphatic drainage) … so I just walked slowly and kind of drifty.

Back to the cottage to check a lot of emails that were waiting for me when I got home from Belfast.

Belfast was wonderful.

Many thanks to Dee for driving me to Enniskillen (then I caught a bus to Belfast) and then picking me up the next day.

Mucho thanks to Mags for dog sitting Coco … Coco got to have a sleepover at Mags and behaved herself fairly well. I don’t think Mags minded her and Millie racing around her couches in the dark for 2 hours when she went to bed.

Anyway … I had a very very successful series of meetings with the senior management team and managers of Depaul Ireland about SKIL2.

They were very supportive, interested & positive about the whole SKIL2 vision.

They also gave some great feedback that I will blend into the design and process of SKIL2.

Next step is to form the Depaul SKIL2 Team that I will be chairing … and synthesise an IT/Social Media survey I designed for the organisation to give me baseline data for longitudinal evaluation.

The Depaul CEO and Services Manager and I went out to dinner on Tuesday night and I had one of the best chinese meals I’ve had in Ireland.

They put me up in a lovely guesthouse that had the biggest bed I’ve ever seen … I want one.

The front of house person Janine was a delight. She is currently studying hospitality and she was a credit to her training … she was very polite and helpful. Thanks Janine.

It was fun in Belfast and I’m glad to be home again.

Friday afternoon we had out first Sunny Funny Garden day … yup … in the snow.

maeve took this photo

I put Coco on a long lead so she could be outside.

She has no idea what it is or does … so she just stands still … awwww.

maeve took this photo

Maeve and Alana Smyth turned up … the other kids were busy and Eoin is not well.

maeve took this photo

We lasted about 10 minutes … I kicked over some rocks … and then said to the girls ‘who wants a cuppa tea and chocolate cake by the fire?‘.

We moved with great speed into the cottage and chatted happily by the fire … a good leader always knows when to retreat and conserve energies.

Coco woke me at 7.45am today … on a Saturday… hmmmmm

Outside was covered in snow and very very cold.

I decided to not go back to bed and just get on with the day.

Baked a great breakfast and was sitting by the fire when Dee popped in around 9am for a cuppa.

I then spent 4 or so hours starting the cottage Spring Clean.

The whole lounge has been rearranged … floors cleaned … clothes washed … kitchen floors done …. dishes all washed … bathroom cleaned … floors ditto.

How do people do this all the time?

Sinead popped in to say goodbye before she leaves for Cuba and Venezuala … safe and happy journey dear friend.

Coco was so excited to have a visitor that she decided to pee … everywhere … on my clean lounge floors … and then walk her dirty paws thru it.

She’s lucky to be alive … and got sent out.

The fire has the lounge toasty warm and it’s lovely to be in such a tidy and clean room … worth the effort.

Tomorrow I plan to make orange marmalade from scratch and found a simple recipe … we’ll see how it goes.

Slan

Liz

Posted in ballinamore, blogging, celebration, friends, gardening, home, ireland, landscape, learning technology, leisure, leitrim, life, SKIL2, sunny funny garden      

Happy Monday folks … hope you had a relaxing weekend.

Coco had me up and racing at 8am and I’ve just stopped at 6pm.

I developed 2 information and progress reports for SKIL2 … I’m presenting the information to Depaul Trust Ireland senior managers and managers in Belfast tomorrow and Wednesday.

That took about 4 or 5 hours and then I took Coco for a walk to … yup … you guessed it … Lock 5.

It’s a good walk for both of us.

As we were walking I looked up at the sky … do you do that very often?

Anyway … you could see the snow clouds gathering even though it was still sunny in spaces … and a really freezing wind chill factor.

Coco got to run for about 40 minutes.

She’s taken to running full pelt up and down the walking path … and then just pounding straight at me and throwing herself at my legs or back … fun.

On the way home it started to snow.

The building is our Community Hall and upstairs is run an irish speaking preschool.

We got back inside and I did some more work and kept the fire going … lovely and hot now but the cottage is really cold when it’s not on.

Was also able to wash clothes, dishes and prepare a lovely dinner … that’s one of the best things about working from home … no set times to do things … and I can just potter when I need a break.

Got a call from a guy who I’ve known for ages … a great drugs counsellor and trainer called Sean Foy.

I was interested in getting some sites on brief solution focused therapy … I’ve had him train people in it when I developed the Homeless Agency Learning & Performance programme.

I think some of the Life Dreaming stuff has echoes of that approach and I’m interested in tools that focus on the future and how to take practical steps to change internal attitudes, behaviours and patterns.

If anyone is interested … I can post the site references after I’ve had a look at them myself. Just leave a comment.

Dinner is cod fillets in tin foil … I added fresh dill, onion slices, pepper slices, lime juice, olive oil infused with garlic, and dried sage … it’s baking as I write. I also put some garlic bulbs in tin foil and they are baking as well.

Vegetables will be garlic mashed potatoes and carrots.

Last week I walked 4.5 hours. The healthy eating and fitness stuff is going well … no mad cravings and I just keep in sight how fit and healthy I’ll be in July.

Thanks Mags for looking after Coco when I go to Belfast.

I have a feeling Coco won’t want to come back to my house after staying at Mags … and getting to play with all her dog pals.

I’ll write again when I get back on Thursday.

Have a great week.

Slan

Liz

Posted in ballinamore      

Morning folks and a happy Monday to you.

Sometimes I think it’s just as important to focus on the Local than it is to worry about the Global.

We need to be reminded that life goes on … and there’s no better example than the brightness of children.

On Saturday Maeve Hamill and I visited our local Art Gallery.

It was showing the work of school children from many schools around Ballinamore … ages from zero (I couldn’t find the art work of the preborns!) to 13.

And in all the art work … there wasn’t one that portrayed doom and gloom.

The children drew what they enjoyed:

• their homes
• family & friends
• farms
• landscape
• nature
• animals
• farm equipment

A lesson to us all.

Here is Maeve in front of her lovely drawing.

And here’s James Hamill’s great picture of a tractor.

Here is the large view of all the walls covered in the childrens colour and imagination … really delightful.

A few that Maeve and I picked out … love the stuff done by the really really little kids.

Have a great week … hope it’s full of more sunshine than darkness.

Slan

Liz

Posted in ballinamore, blogging, community, creativity, home, ireland, leitrim, life