Have a look

Just wanted to let you know that you can see me in action on the blogsite of the Mid Western Branch of the Irish Patchwork Society, after my visit there earlier this month!.

Here is the link.

Home again

I'm back home and Ryanair lived up to its reputation as both flights were on time, in fact the return flight landed 10 minutes early. While in the plane a fanfare sounds on landing to inform all passengers that Ryanair has done it again, landed on time, as apparently happens to 90% of their flights. They also manage to have an excellent record for not losing bags and I can thoroughly recommend them!

Limerick was both much changed and very much the same, if that makes any sense. The place itself has grown amazingly, there are entirely new housing developments and out of town shopping centres as well as many new motorways. Occasionally I recognized things from the past such as O'Connell Street and

King Johns Castle.

What has not changed is Irish hospitality (I really never felt so spoiled in my life!), the excellent food (I'm going to go on a diet for at least a fortnight!), the lively pubs (I was in The Locke Bar, see above, during the All Blacks - Munster rugby game, lost by Munster, helas) and the relaxed attitude of the Irish. It was indeed very good to be back and remind myself of all that!!

I actually found time to visit a quiltshop, the Limerick Quilt Centre run by Maeve Meany, as it was open till midnight, after the meeting at which I gave the talk. Needless to say I indulged in some fabric buying as the selection was excellent!

I stayed in a beautiful place just outside Adare for my first 2 nights, and you can stay there too as it is a bed and breakfast place, called Barnalick House, owned by Grania Preston who also owns The Vault Gallery in Adare, and was also given splendid hospitality by Gwen, the chairperson of the MidWest Branch of the Irish Patchwork Society, as well as by Claire who writes their blog and who provided my bed for the last night and made sure I got to Shannon Airport this morning. She also organized the trip for me. Thanks again to everyone!! It really was grand!

Shown above (with permission from the artists!) are some fabric ATCs made during one of the classes I taught.

Away in Limerick

I won't be posting anything to this blog till Tuesday of next week at the earliest as I'm away giving a talk and workshops in Limerick, Ireland. I'm flying off tomorrow with Ryanair which I'm hoping will be kinder to me than Flybe last month, when I went to Belfast, so fingers crossed.

Apart from looking forward to teaching my fabric ATC class twice this will also be a trip back in time as I used to live in Limerick for about a year and a half, in the early eighties of the last century (this makes me sound ancient!!!). No doubt lots will have changed as I discovered online that the street I used to live in is now a shopping centre (no cars allowed) and Limerick also seems to have acquired a ring road. But other things will be the same, such as Bunratty Castle (half way between Limerick and Shannon airport) and the neighboring pub Durty Nellies.

I indulged in some nostalgia today as I searched among my old photos for a picture to offer you on this blog and this is the one I found, with Bunratty castle outlined in the foreground (with Irish flag flying) and the mouth of the Shannon river. Hopefully I'll have some more pics when I return.