A little more Ireland and what I am working on ..

I guess you thought I had disappeared but you know that darn virus just kept on keeping on and I didn't feel much like being on the computer at all so I must apologize again for not visiting or commenting , hopefully I am on the mend now . So just a few more pictures of the beautiful country of Ireland .

After visiting the Ross Castle in the above post we had a carriage ride back to the hotel , this was really great fun .

one of our views along the way , love those mountains in the background .

            See the thatched roof on this charming little building , it was cut real fancy .

A large church in the distance , There are lots of stone churches .

The three sisters in front of the mountain view plus there were some gorgeous horses in this field .

We stopped at a museum which depicts life as it was in Ireland many years ago ,however this peat is still used in some parts of the country for fuel . It is similar to coal , not quite as hard as coal but the next step would be coal .The bus driver explained the process of gathering the peat and today their methods are much different than when he was a young boy helping his dad in the peat bogs , it was very hard work . They also use the peat for peat moss which is used in gardens .

Donna warming her toes in front of the peat fire , I regretted going in there , it was so smoky and I was already congested , but it was worth it as I love antiques , after all I am almost one myself lol.

Couldn't resist taking a picture of this poor old machine , it has seen better days for sure .

Each of the homes that were open to us had old hutches for their dishes , I have one very similar to this but mine has doors on top ,

These items were under glass , isn't that little dress just precious ..

A couple of beds with quilts , not sure how old they are but it was neat to see and just look at the cradle and the baby carriage , probably a doll carriage ,

A little further on up the road we stopped for a photo shoot and this character was busy creating a Celtic cross of sorts and he had his donkeys and one of them had a dog on for a ride :-)

                                                         A better view of the artist .

                           Some heather , isn't it pretty . I brought a few sprigs home with me .

This was along the Kerry Ring , a beautiful drive with the combination of mountains and the ocean , reminded me of the Cabot Trail a little , not quite as beautiful in my opinion but then I am a bit bias .

A peat bog , you can see it in a pile and out in the field you can see where they have been cutting it . There was a group of school aged teens obviously on a school outing walking out to view the bogs.

A beach in Waterville , quite nice and it was a warm day which made for a nice stop for photos .

                                         Donna and I arm and arm with Charlie Chaplan .

This is Grafton Street in Dublin , our last full day in Ireland and a really fun time was had by all . The street is closed off to traffic , at least the vehicle traffic  lots of two legged traffic . This the only time we were warned to mind our bags as Paddy our bus driver told us . Great shopping here and lots of street vendors as well as shops . There were some buskers as well , great entertainment .

Believe it or not this statue is real , yes those are real people who stay perfectly still and my Mom swore they were not real until someone threw some coins in their pot and they waved , I thought poor Mom would faint .
So that is my quick overview of Ireland and a wee bit of Scotland , maybe some day I will go back , that would be a very good thing .
Now for what I have been working on , a few things I can't share but I will share some wool work I have been doing .

I just finished this penny rug which is a pattern by Primitive Gatherings , it was a fun one to do , lots of work but so worth it !

September BOM for Buttermilk Basin , got caught up on them this week .

                                                    Octobers BOM for Buttermilk Basin
 And finally I have dug out this UFO to get a little work done .

This little Skater has been on the shelf for far too long so I did the applique this week and have now started on the quilting , I wish I had the skill that others have for FM , I have no clue what to do here . So far I have just stitched in the ditch around the applique but not sure what to add to the background , any suggestions ?? Oh this is from a Fons  and Porter special issue Celebration issue maybe last year ? For the life of me I can't find my magazine anywhere .
 Thanks for hanging around to read this lengthy post and hope you have a fantastic and creative day .
 Hugs Sheila