Shots: Mt Congreve

Last weekend, the majestic Mt. Congreve gardens opened on a Saturday for the first time as long as I - and my parents - can remember. I seized the oppurtunity to set foot in the fabulous, flowery destination for the first time that day, as although it is only a 20-minute walk from my house, its usual Thursday opening never suited my schedule, what with school and life, in general. My visit was one well spent snapping, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the garden's sheer perfection, from the lilies to even the lawns.

My favourite picture that I took on the day is the last one on display in this post: I love the contrast between the tropical looking, pink-puff ball tree (name unknown!) and the deep, dark flowers below it. I find the combination of delicacy and bright colours somewhat fascinating: I will certainly be finding out the name of this particular tree in order to hunt it down for my own future, err, gardens.

I would most definitely recommend anyone in the vicinity of Waterford to visit Mt. Congreve - Even those not lucky enough to possess a green finger (ahem, me) will marvel at this colourful paradise. Some may find the abundance of bees to be unnerving, although I personally found their hum to be completely relaxing. Is that weird? Whale calls aint got nothing on this.

Shot: Torc Waterfall, Kerry.

I'm thinking of starting a quite simple series of posts whereby I just post a picture I've taken that I particularly like - I started this blog to engage in all areas of creativity that I am interested in, but I seem to have lost sight of that idea/vision recently. Well, at least I feel like I have - I've been pressuring myself to put out as many posts as frequently as I can, and I don't think it's working for me. My blog, even if I have been writing for almost a year, does not have a particularly big audience. That's perfectly acceptable, and I'm very happy that people read my blog, but naturally I thought it would increase traffic by posting more. But, I've realised that it's quality, not quantity - I know it's recommended to blog on a regular basis, but I think I'll just have to let go of that until I'm happy with the content I'm turning out. Anyway, long story short: I feel like these photo-type posts are going to suit what kind of content I want to produce. Aaaand, breathe.. 

This photo was taken a few weeks ago when I was away in Kerry. The whole of Kerry is stunning, but I found this area (Torc Waterfall) to be, perhaps, my favourite place. It's got several trails that take you around the park, and the one I took was incredibly steep and painful - but beautiful. I was reluctant to leave when it began to rain, although my delicate Nikon and lack of waterproofs convinced me otherwise. I know this picture shows no sign of sed waterfall (that's for another day), but isn't it marvellous to be surrounded by trees, their leaves caving in on you, in the semi-darkness?

Catchin' Some (Heat)Waves, etc.

Dunmore East, Waterford

Curracloe, Wexford

Boatstrand, Waterford

 If you hold residency in Ireland, you will know that we are currently in heatwave mode: I now slather after-sun on my burnt-to-a-crisp back every hour, have spent at least 6 hours in the car (in total) travelling to the best beaches in business, and have even heard of people taking the week off work to get a tan. Crazy? No way. You're only considered crazy if you're complaining about the weather - Those whining about their burns and climate preferences are shunned with a 'well, would you rather the rain?'

Anyway, I thought I would share some of my favourite beaches, pictured above. Dunmore East is a classic little fishing village with a gorgeous main beach, as well as plenty of rocky nooks and crannies for swimming in peace, or even just a place to sit and, well, think. There's plenty to do besides the beach, also, with a nearby tennis court, playground, adventure centre (!) and tonnes of cute shops and restaurants. Curracloe is a beach I only visited for the first time yesterday, but I instantly fell in love with the place. Its sand is amazing, as strange as it sounds, and the beach stretches on for miles. I also thoroughly enjoyed mucking about in the sand dunes also, sliding down a huge slope on a body board (I'm still a child, evidently). It's a very busy beach with a shop, arcade, and bathrooms right at hand, and is well worth the visit. Boatstrand is a much more rural beach: It's got a little harbour for fishing and whatnot, which very much acts as a swimming pool on hot days, because of minimal wave-factor. There's also a huge wall (pictured above) jutting out into the sea if you wish to look out at the sea dramatically, like in a scene from your favourite romantic movie.

Inspiration: Look to the Past.

All pictures taken by my family, decades ago! As you can see, I cropped them because, well, they're personal? Hope you understand. They're still gorgeous, right?

 Hey everyone! Hope you're having a stellar weekend - I've been spending mine completely unwinding. It's been lovely.

Now, I'm not someone who is very informed about past decades' trends.. I don't hail pin-up girls, and I'll gladly confess that Marylin Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor are the only Hollywood starlets I am remotely familiar with! I really have to work on that.  But, I recently came across some photos of my family from years and years gone by (I'm talking, my dad in a pram 'years gone by'). Even though I don't often look to the 50s and 60s for inspiration, these pictures dazzled me.  It really made me see it all differently. It seems more real now, because I have seen people I know and love in cat-eye glasses, and in little shorts with socks to their knees. I can now say that my favourite thing about the 50s/60s was the simplicity of it all: Not Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, not even Twiggy (although, she's beautiful, there's no denying). Instead, I love the pale, muted colours and family pictures.

I urge everyone out there to hunt down some old photos of your family growing up. If you can't find any, do some research! But, good luck finding anything that isn't The Beatles - The real pictures of real people are the best ones.