Welcome Spring!

After a very long, very wet, very windy winter, it is so nice to see a bright day and to pick the first daffodils from the garden.   Welcome, you lovely cheerful flowers, we have missed you!

Linked to Floral Friday Fotos and Weekly Photo Challenge

Travel Theme : Grasses

Dry mountain grasses

Grass is usually a shade of green, but sometimes in summer/autumn the colour can change as the grass dies and waits for the new growth in spring.

Clumps of grass

Here is a nice contrast to the two photos above, a well cared for edging showing green grass and daffodils

Crosshaven Walkway

And of course golf courses often have the best grass, to help that little white ball run a long way!

While the grass on the roadside looks different again…

Roadside grass

The African bush looks a little different, but still the grass grows there.

African bush

Linked to Ailsa’s Where’s my Backpack

Travel Theme : Spring

Daffodils always welcome spring

poppies popping up

Relaxing on top of the mountain

Garrettstown beach, Co. Cork

Spring is here!!!   It is so exciting to see sunshine, to feel warmer, and to have longer evenings and brighter mornings.   And in a few days time, our clocks ‘leap’ forward one hour, so we will have brightness until at least 8 p.m. each evening – and so much more time to go outdoors and socialise, play sport, exercise, walk, garden or whatever we love doing.

Linked to Ailsa’s Travel Theme

Spring is Here!

Mellow Yellow

Weekly Photo Challenge : Reward

Today hasn’t been the nicest of days here, misty, windy, cold, foggy, all in the space of a few hours.  The daffodils are starting to bloom, and I am looking forward to March and the promise of better weather!    I thought to myself, what can I make to warm me up…and immediately thought of my favourite soup, which I haven’t made for ages – French Onion Soup.   The whole thing takes about an hour, but the finished product is well worth the reward – I have tasted it and it’s delicious.  Now why haven’t I made it for so long?

Lots of tears while chopping onions.

Firstly, I had to chop up four onions, the recipe called for six, but four was all I had, after drying my eyes, and heating the olive oil in a saucepan, these had to be fried gently for about 10 minutes, taking care that they didn’t burn.

long way to go

Then I added a teaspoon of sugar and some salt to help with the caramelisation and browning, and stirred, and stirred…careful they don’t stick to the bottom.   There seemed to be so little onions left at this stage!   They are getting browner though, and soon it was time to add in some chopped garlic, cook for another minute, and then add some dry white wine, thyme, bay leaf and about a litre and a half of stock.

Getting there

Then put the lid on and simmer very gently for another 10 or 15 minutes, and voila!    It tastes delicious and is a great reward for the waiting, and waiting, with a rumbling tummy.

Job done.

Here is a link to the recipe I used.

Linked to Weekly Photo Challenge : Reward

Springtime in Cork

Daffodils along the walkway

Buds of Spring

Daffodils and new buds are everywhere, and this is my favourite time of the year, with the promise of better weather, longer evenings, Easter, and summer holidays to look forward to.   These two photos were taken on Saturday on a walk by Drakes Pool,on the old railway line between Carrigaline and Crosshaven.

There are also some signs of possibly unwanted progress as you look across the river towards the industrial area of Ringaskiddy, where there are some huge pylons being erected – I suppose in months to come we won’t even notice these monsters, but right now they look a bit out of place in this serene setting.

Drakes Pool with pylons and very large cranes in the background.

Wordless Wednesday : The Dove in the Cherry Blossom

Dove at sunset

Sweet Smelling Spring Flowers

Linked to Blue Monday

Wordless Wednesday : A Sea of Yellow

Reflections on a Sunny Saturday

After a very cold and frosty start to Saturday morning, even though I was tempted to stay inside and wait for summer, my friend and I went for a lovely walk – one of our favourites – by Blackrock Castle and the railway line.    The sun shone, the sea was calm, there were hardy canoeists training in the picturesque surroundings, and we finished it off with coffee and cake…what more could we ask for!