Quaker Island

This year we decided was the right year to finally take the kids out in the boat on the lake.  Now when I say boat, I don't mean a luxury cruiser but a little fishing boat with a little put-put engine on the back.  We live very close to Lough Ree which is the biggest lake on the River Shannon and is a very big part of the life of the community.  The men stand around togged out in all their fishing gear chatting about the may-fly, in the hot weather large groups gather on it's shores for barbecues and parties.  Children learn to swim in the swallow sandy bays while mothers give encouragement to them all the time.

So this year as the kids had been doing swimming lessons for most of the year and had grown more comfortable around the water, we thought it best to bring them out on the promise of a picnic on one of the biggest islands, the Quaker Island.  They have always had a strange fear of the boat but this year its was surprising that they were very willing to head out.

On the first outing we moved slowly out of the harbour and watched their faces closely to see how they were coping.  But they were laughing and smiling the whole time.  Molly, who comes everywhere with us, was the only one shaking and hiding under the bench!

The first excursion we kept quite short, as the Hubby was itching to go fishing and seeing all the may-flies dance was pure torture for him.  So on Sunday afternoon we packed up the boat with a BBQ, tons of food, books, blankets and chairs.  The perfect ingredients for a perfect afternoon.  This time Molly was the first to jump into the boat as soon as it was ready!  This time there was no fear, as she stood looking over the sides trying to catch the waves as they slashed by.

On the island there is the ruins of an old monastery and most of them are still in very good condition considering they're age.

The island is wild and has a certain air of loneliness to it.  The whitetorn and wild flowers bloom freely because there are no people here to destroy or damage their beauty.

This is the place that we chose for our BBQ.  We cooked it outside and then sat lazily among the ruined walls, eating and drinking while chatting merrily.  Afterwards the kids sat back and read their Harry Potter's, the Hubby snoozed under his hat while I sat on the wall sketching this view.  Perfect afternoon.

Finally I'm going to take a break from blogging for a while for a couple of reasons.
The main reason is that my son, who has had a great break from his medication from petit mal epilepsy has once more began having seizures.  He was doing so well and the last thing that we thought would happen was for him to have a relapse.  Normally I am the strong one who has to cope quietly and stay strong for those around me but this time it's hitting me hard.  I need time to concentrate on my little man and get him better.
Secondly I need to come off my dreaded Oxycontin medication because it's having a really bad effect on me now.  Having gone through this withdrawal before, I know exactly how severe that it can be.  I'll have to recover from this in order to have my brain working at full speed once more.
And thirdly, I love blogland but seeing all the fantastic talent that there is out there is a bit overwhelming and is making me feel ever so inferior.  So much so that all of my crafting has come to a complete halt.  I watch with great interest with all of the beautiful things that you make and do and feel like I could never achieve this.  Some quite time crafting my own little things while trying to get through these difficult times ahead I think is what is required.

I will see you all in a couple of months.  Hopefully by then my little studio will be well on it's way to being complete.
Have a happy summer,
Rosie xx

A New Month

The month of May was a bit of a wash out for me.  Despite finally seeing the arrival of my studio, I achieved very little of what I had intended to do.  My fibromyalgia decided that it was a good time to rear it's ugly head.  Chronic insomnia kept me from sleeping both during the day (always need a sleep during the day in order to be able to cope with the afternoon and evening) and at night.  I spent more time in the garden willing the dawn chorus to start than I did in my bed dreaming of hunky men whisking me away to a paradise island!  This extreme lack of sleep led to a total absence of energy and a massive jump in pain levels.  My hands shook so much that i could neither stitch nor knit.  My eyes bouncing in and out of focus left me unable to read or blog.  And of course with this led to mood swings, which for me is the worst of all.  I really hate this part of my fibro because it turns me into someone that I'm not.  One thing that I always make an effort to do is not to take out my pain on those close to me.  It is not their burden to carry, especially my kids.  I try to stay as positive and cheerful as possible and the fun and laughter that I share with those around me is enough to help me deal with the pain.  But unfortunately there are times when I have no control over my moods and this makes me the saddest of all, not for how it affects me but how it affects my family.

So as last weekend was a Bank Holiday here in Ireland, we decided to take the campervan out for it's first outing of the year.  A rest and a change of scenery was definitely required for all.

We packed up and headed for the Sligo coast on Friday afternoon.  The weather was warm and for once the sun was actually shining.  We decided to go the beach first and see where to go from there.  But the weather was so good, we never moved from the sea  except to do a little shopping on Saturday.

This is what we woke up to on Saturday morning.  Such a glorious sight.  What a dream it would be to wake up to this every morning of your life.  The colours of the sea and sky were so vivid, they took my breath away.

We took many walks along the beach together seeking out fossils.  This area is very rich is fossils and they can be found at every turn.

We started each day searching in the rock pools for some little creatures.  The kids were so excited with all that we found.  There were sea anemones, periwinkles, muscles, limpets and of course this prize find, a star fish.

Molly had a ball too.  She spent a lot of time running in and out of the water after the kids or barking excitedly for stones to be thrown into the water for her.  The first day she got sick all over the campervan because she swallowed too much saltwater!  Poor Molly.  She learned her lesson though, the rest of the weekend she was content to chase the ball on the beach or bury stones in the sand.  And when she did go into the water she remembered to keep her mouth closed!  By the time we were leaving she was so wrecked that she couldn't even lift her head for a drink of water.  She has been really lazy and sleeping ever since.

I did brave the water myself and went for a VERY refreshing swim but I much preferred to be cowardly and watch from the shore while stitching my little butterflies.

All round it was a brilliant weekend.  The kids had loads of fun and myself and the Hubby relaxed no end.  Also on the plus side, the sea air seems to have knocked my sleep cycle back into it's proper rhythm and I have been sleeping like a baby since.

What a perfect way to start a new month!  I really hope that it stays like this and that the strain of May is well and truly behind us now.

Keeps your fingers crossed.