February has started and thoughts move in the direction of what we’ll be creating in our gardens. Planning new projects, and welcoming new growth is the order of the day. Already there is lots happening out there, even while most of our garden is fairly water logged, and it requires a good pair of wellintons to navigate towards the elderberry bush and the back gate. Even then, it is great to see new growth and even the odd wild flower, or the beautiful colours of the croccusses.
Dandelion, and a self-seeded young foxglove plant
Daffodils, and a young self-seeded mullein plant.
And an atmospheric view of an early spring sunset. According to some folks, spring starts on the first of February here in Ireland, but I’m never sure. I can see things happening though, which definitely point to an awakening in nature, so if not on the first of February, then spring cannot be far off and the evenings are getting brighter too.
Every year I purchase a few more bulbs, the last few years it has been a variety of old fashioned gladioli, I love them. But because of the heavy soil and the heavy winter rains I have to dig the bulbs up and store them. I grow lilies in containers for similar reasons, as well as alliums and agapanthus. By now I’ve got a tidy collection of containers plants.
Tulips, grape hyacints, croccusses, and many other bulbs also seem to grow best in containers here.
Seeds are germinating inside, this year I’m trying out asters. I picked an aster resembling a spider chrysanthemum, the flowers look lovely on the packet. we will see.
A glimpse into our putting shed, not quite sorted or decluttered. I was looking at a new wheel barrow recently but they cost around €150! I thing the old rusty one will get of a clean up instead.
Yes, Jack Frost has been paying West Cork, as well as the rest of Ireland, and I believe other parts of Europe too, a nightly visit. That in the middle of it I ran out of heating oil through my own lack of attention is beside the point. I was able to solve the problem very quickly thanks to a loyal plumber and heating oil providers. This did not take awake from the beauty which greats me while attending to some domestic chores like emptying the kitchen waste into the compost bin at the end of the garden. I could not resist taking some photos at least. Meanwhile a little robin has been coming closer all winter and even sang to me the other day, how totally lovely.
And what I would really like to do this year is to make my garden into a lovely space, that is nurturing to the soul, a space where my family, friends and myself can rest and find quiet and peaceful admiration for nature. And a space for wildlife, where bees and other pollinators enjoy all the flowers and find nectar. Where birds can build their nests and sing their hearts out, for a mate when the time comes. I’ve had up to five goldfinch everyday feeding on the seedheads of the Evening Primrose, such a wonder. The usual bird population is fine this winter, I’m taking part on the survey again. The chaffinches are definitely down, the sparrow count is up. There is only one dunnock whereas there have been two for years. The wren is our resident bird, as are two blackbirds, a couple. Everyday there is now a Pied Wagtail feeding in the front garden, a first for our garden. Of course the robin is always there, but some years there are two, so far there is only one, I read that the males come feeding earlier than the females so I hope that the female is still on the way. It is nice when a robin comes up to you and it feels like they are really trying to communicate with you, and when they then start to sing so close, that is wonderful!
I wish you all a peaceful, joyful, healthy and happy 2026, enjoy!
We are ending the month of November and with routine changes and many things to attend to recently I’m only now starting to slow down and to dwell on what I’m at and what I would like to focus on in the next few winter months. I love winter.
Right now I like how there is such attention on gratefulness by so many people, so many friends. When looking at the small gifts we receive everyday, it’s easy to feel gratitude.
Well, my garden is full of seedheads attracting goldfinches. And new life is to be seen in primroses starting to flower.
The sun is out today and there is ony a little breeze. The garden has not yet died down so far, our really cold weather only arrives in January and usually last untill April. Our daffodils are already showing their head above soil. I could do work out there but I’m inclined to leave the seedheads for the birds, and as well as that the soil, the grass, everything is sodden, the rains having taken care of that. So I will leave the outside work for now, and I will make my adventkrans instead.
Along the road, somewhere in county Kerry I recently did a discovery. While on one of my journeys I stopped to take autumn photos and also to take a look at this cottage. I had often wondered while passing who would have lived there long ago, and why the people left, and where did they go, maybe across the sea to America as a lot of Irish people emigrated there in the late 19th or early 20th century. Anyway the house is boarded up but still looks in good repair. It is nestled among beech and other native trees, now beautifully coloured, and it looks out down the valley with hills in the distance. Some of the land is bog-like with a variety of grasses and sedges, some rocky outcrops and low bushes, and lots of bracken, beech and birch trees, a mixture of colour at this time of year.
To my surprise I found a notice fastened to the wall of this cottage, it happens to be a roosting place for bats, and in particular for the lesser horseshoe bat. An organisation covering both Ireland and England called the ‘Vincent Wildlife Trust’ has a long and successful history of establishing and managing reserves for rare bat species. It manages 37 sites in Ireland, England, and Wales, all of which are roosts of the greater or lesser horseshoe bat. In Ireland, the Trust manages 12 reserves for the lesser horseshoe bat. And so this cottage has been put to very good use.
Hi everyone, it has been a while since I contributed news from life in West Cork. So here I am again. My last gladioli flower from the garden has a stunning colour. I love these old fashion flowers.
I don’t think that I have ever seen trees so heavely laden with bright red apples, almost too beautiful to eat! But not only apples, pears, plums, and other fruit and nuts are having an abundant harvest, whole hedgerows are flaming red with hawthorn berries. I saw our own hawthorn tree filled with fat sparrows the other day, over 20 birds chirping away, did they feast on our haws? I wonder.
Hawthorn berries
Autumn is advancing. Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival is almost upon us. It celebrates the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter time. Pumpkins are all over the shops and my grandkids are talking about what they will dress up in. It’s celebrated here as Halloween, a commercialised version of Samhain ( I don’t like much).
Fall coloursMost recent full moon
Autumn is usually a time of slowing down, but not necessarily so, not until winter is properly upon us. There are exhibitions to go see, and musea to visit, and coffee gatherings with friends to enjoy, and so on. Some weeks ago I started a six week course online with the Transnational Institute, it is called “Cities beyond growth” focussing on post growth urbanism, it is very interesting, The first week we looked democracy and care, second week we looked at energy sustainability, how can living spaces be made more liveable in an efficient way , and we discuss housing this week. It is global, it draws information from scholars, writers, thinkers and idealists. Also interesting to hear what other students from all over the world have to say, and their experiences in their environments. The course is given via Podcasts, readings, video’s, lots to take in. The questions prompt us to think deeper about what it is to work toward a more sustainable future in every way, and to hear about what is, or is not working all over the globe. What this course is doing for me is very welcome, it is restoring hope and faith in a world that has been so shaken in recent years. Yes, It is doing that for me.
Other activies, like knitting socks for my beloved husband, and ofcourse my bobbin lace. Aswell as a recent webinar on the silk roads, which was brilliant.
Mellow evening sun, we are having a mild autumn
Ruin of St.Mary’s church in Schull. Schull is a lovely seaside village in west Cork, where my husband Ian is now being cared for in a nursing home. It is about half an hour from here. Ian is still writing a children’s book, it going to be brilliant!
Two more sights of beautiful Schull, can you believe that the fuchsia hedge is still in flower right now.
It has been a beautiful, long, and busy summer with very little rain and pleasant warm temperatures. I’ve collected a number of photos and writing which I’ll blog about over the winter months, over the rainy season, but for now just some recent pictures.
Driving over the Mine Road to Durrus in West Cork A typical Irish house of last century I just came across this dahlia somewhereOne late summer morning in the garden
I’m looking forward to catch up with everyone during the next while.
Some days ago I took the notion to spend a few days in Glengarriff in West Cork. Glengarriff is a peaceful village lying in a lush valley surrounded to the south and east by the Caha and Shehy mountain ranges and to the west by the Bantry Bay. Its climate is subtropical and this is seen in the lush plant growth, home to several rare plants and trees, like the Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) and the royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) for example. Close by are the Italian gardens, situated on a small island better known as Illnacullin island, a beautiful place to visit.
Sugar mountain and Shrone hill, part of the Caha mountains in which glacial valley Glengarriff lies.
The Blue Pool, accessible right from the village
I think that most of all Glengarriff is a place where you can relax and unwind, but also a place where, in the village itself, people congregate in and outside of pubs and eateries, and so a lovely ambience resides. I often travel through this little village, I always stop to soak up what Glengarriff really is, a place of beauty, of peace. Even the scent is full of fragrance, the fragrance of fresh air, of oxygen. Very restorative!
Early spring in the village 2025
Why am I writing about Glengarriff? First of all I love the place and have spent time there, and secondly because of where I stayed. I like to put the Glengarriff Hostel on the map because it is an amazing place. I’ve always loved and travelled using hostels, and this is one of the best. What a nice way to travel and meet new places and people in a way that is adventurous and affordable. Glengarriff Hostel has a mixed dorm, a female dorm, family and private rooms. A comfortable sitting room and a great kitchen with a terrace looking out towards the Blue Pool and Shrone hill. Find out more on https://glenhostel.ie/
The Hostel with Shrone hill behind itPrivate roomChill out roomKitchenEntranceOne of the dormsFamily room
One of my favourite things about Glengarriff is the Nature Reserve which is just a stone’s throw away from the village on the Kenmare road. This is an original Oak forest, lined with pathways and walking trails, both long and short. Very interesting are the lichens, the mosses and the polypody ferns found here. The Glengarriff river runs through this forest. Both this reserve and the surrounding area is a wonderful place for hikers, hill walkers and for those interested in geology, botany and nature in general. People who like the sea can also live it up in Glengarriff, there are boat trips, fishing, and swimming.
Irish spurge Euphorbiacae hybernaWild Rhododendron Along the coastline at Glengarriff
For the horticulturist there are several gardens to visit with interesting and sub-tropical species. Springing to mind are The Bamboo Gardens, The Ewe Experience, Garnish island. And Ardnatrush gardens which are my favourite, this is the garden developed by botanist Ellen Hutchins and where she did research into seaweeds among other things. Here are some photos I took there at my last visit.
Gunnera manicata at Ewe ExperienceLichen at ArdnatrushMy brother Johan and ITree Fern – Dicksonia antarctica at Ellen Hutchins gardens
Following is a link to a website about Ellen Hutchins:
Glengarriff is easily reached by bus from Cork, via Bantry and from Killarney via Kenmare.
I’ve enjoyed looking up some websites for information, but basically I’m quite familiar with the gardens, the botany and the interesting things about Glengarriff. It is the place where in 1965 my family emigrated to from Antwerp in Belgium. Us eleven children have since dispersed all over Ireland and Belgium too, with a huge number of descendants.
The surrounding mountains are a great place for the geologist.
I am taking a nice rest this afternoon, because for the moment all my seedlings and young plants are looked after and doing their own thing, growing mainly and getting strong, oh and defending themselves against the onslaught of slugs. I’m sitting in the livingroom but the door to the garden is wide open. Seagulls are flying over making an awful racket, and the rooks are not far off either, I often see them interact with each other, flying after each other. They are having the time of their lives!
The most exercise I’ve done today is walking around my smallish garden and picking a bunch of wild flowers. There is a great tit in the trees, it has this certain call lately, it makes me think that I’m in a large forest, it’s wonderful!
Our trees are very lush now , their best colour of all the seasons is now, the leaves, those of the oak tree only unfolding, are so fresh. One branch of the chestnut tree is very elegantly overhanging part of the vegetable plot.
The month of May is not far off. Soon the swifts will arrive over our house and gardens, when I hear them, for me it is summer no matter the weather.
Right now, in nature, it is the best time of the year!
agoyvaerts 