The Nest

http://theNest.ie

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Aaaand we're off! 2019 Book of Days

Aaaand we’re off! 2019 Book of Days

Firstly, thank you for the enormous interest: it really helped give me the final push over the line when I was flagging! We have now entered the pre-production phase, where I enlist my wonderful, talented sister, Blaithin, in Dataprintto translate these paintings and illustrations into graphics and from there, printed onto paper. Very exciting, and slightly terrifying! The real “work” of the book…

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Spotted Dick, anyone?

While indeed it was always called Spotted Dog in some parts, Spotted Dick has been downgraded to its considerably more flaccid counterpart everywhere else. We are no longer allowed to mention its real name as it is deemed rude.

How sad.

Because its realname inspires more than a little spark of merriment that inevitably makes me laugh every time, and then recount to whoever is staring weirdly at…

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Autumn Crumble

It’s that time of year again, Crumble Season. Whilst a fruit crumble is welcome any time of the year, once the blackberries ripen, it’s obligatory! This year, we had a nice little crop of plums, apples, and blackberries; our first crumble with fruits entirely grown in our garden since we moved here two years ago: so very exciting!

(Can you spot one of our (ten!!) Muscovy ducklings?! Oh, and we…

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Revealing my Inner Czech Granny

Revealing my Inner Czech Granny

(I mentioned this briefly here, but was asked for more photos; so being the obliging human I am, here you go!)

A couple of weeks ago in the sweltering, broiling sun, I had the brainwave to attempt something I had been talking about for years. Inspired entirely by this wonderful Czech grannywho apparently painted her entire village (I have a list of places I am going to visit, this is near the…

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Escaping to Glenstal Abbey

Escaping to Glenstal Abbey

For many years now, thoughts of escaping to the Guesthouse in Glenstal Abbey have crept into my mind, like a wispy filament of an idea that winds its way around your consciousness and refuses to leave.

Finally, after a somewhat manic June followed by an equally manic July, where I was getting little (creative) done, and even more frustrating, rarely had space to thinkfor more than a couple of…

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Becoming

Last year (Or was it? maybe the year before) as I was approaching my fortieth year, there was a lot of change happening here. We had moved: a seismic adjustment for all of us, mostly good; I weaned my youngest and for the first time in my adult life since I was twenty I was neither pregnant or breastfeeding. And I gave up sugar (which I talked about here) which was massive –massive– like someone…

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Full of Only Good Stuff (Amaze) Balls Recipe

Full of Only Good Stuff (Amaze) Balls Recipe

The other night, a most bizarre thing happened: I had a yen for dates (of the edible kind, but y’know, being the kind of gal I am, I’m open to any kind of dates really. Ones involving food especially. Or a solo date of: book, silence, comfy bed, large beverage beside me. A date with my husband would also be delightful, and you never know, maybe this April, month of our birthdays, we will muster a…

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(Gut-wrenchingly good) Grain-free Multiseed Bread

(Gut-wrenchingly good) Grain-free Multiseed Bread

January disappeared on me, and then, guess what? So did February. I’m now facing into March feeling a bit like Rip Van Winkle… I know you have been waiting, starving for another sugar-free installment. Well! I shall not disappoint (that is, if I actually finish writing this and *actually* post it) (And not have to change “March” to “April” because it took me 30 more days to do it). I have…

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Goodbye Sugar, my old friend (with a sugar-and-fat-free mincemeat recipe)

About three years before Christmas (just before the annual epic sugar binge), I gave up sugar. I had been thinking about this for a long time; years in fact. A few years previously, I had started looking into nutritionally dense diets, which made perfect sense, but not eating sugar confounded me. It simply was just one of those things that was. It was everywhere, unavoidable. I imagined life…

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Waffle and a Book of Days Giveaway

I know, don’t collapse in shock. I’m back. Millions of half written blogposts in my head, even a few consigned to the computer, but never anything that got this far (I actually wrote this three months ago, got side-tracked and never posted it). After months and months procrastinating about not posting because I felt I should explain what has been going on around here first, I finally came to…

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2018 Book of days Available for Pre-Order (at last!!)

2018 Book of days Available for Pre-Order (at last!!)

I am so behind this year, I’m making myself wince. (And don’t remind me that I haven’t blogged in MONTHS. I know, I know) Only from the heart can you touch the sky – Rumi Anyhoo. The 2018 Book of Days, and where it’s at: I am thankfully at the pre-production point- the artwork is all completed, Invocation written, a few new pages added… it’s all looking *rather lovely*! What a wonderful world……

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Intuitive Painting Workshop, come join us! I met Mary Pat Moloney of the Croi Anu Creative Centre in Moone, Co. Kildare through very synchronistic means, as all the best things happen!

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I have often thought about folding this blog over the past year. Metaphorically folding it up, over and over until it is simply a teeny tiny piece of blogosphere, and leaving it up high somewhere. But I like it here. I enjoy my (sporadic) blogging, despite seemingly less and less time to think and do the writing and photographing and producing that it requires. And while I have SO MANY ideas and…

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Invocation for 2017

Looking forward to an extraordinary year ahead! This is a link for a FREE printable of this Invocation from the 2017 Book of Days; just click on the link to open the image and print it out! LINK FOR 2017 INVOCATION PRINTABLE Thanks for you support, kindness and presence throughout the year xxxx    

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2017 Book of Days ~ Last few days to Order!

2017 Book of Days ~ Last few days to Order!

Pre-order for the 2017 Book of Days will close on the 15th of November. After that time, it won’t be available as I am simply printing to order (a costly, time consuming, labour-of-love operation!) The Book of Days will be available and posted out from the end of November. 2017 Book of Days AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER HERE! The notebooks will be available at the end of November also, and I am hoping…

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And now for my next trick... Notebooks!

And now for my next trick… Notebooks!

I’m so delighted to finally have these for sale (happy dance!!) Aren’t they just fantastic? I have *at least* 9 notebooks on the go at one one time. I can never have enough! And I particularly like spiral bound as you can fold the notebook back on itself; it gives it strength and flexibility. The pages in these are of beautiful quality: a gorgeous matt surface to write or draw on, and heavy…

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2017 Book of Days Available for Pre-Order!

2017 Book of Days Available for Pre-Order!

This day last year, I launched the 2016 Book of Days, so it seemed perfectly auspicious to launch the 2017 Book of Days on this same date! It is full of all-new paintings and illustrations to accompany you through the year, and measures 210 x 148 mm or 8.27 x 5.83 inches (approximately A5 size). The full colour covers are beautiful, velvety-feeling and hard-wearing:And the inside leaves, printed…

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