I am hoping that this blog will help you and me experience the craft of crochet as well as knitting. During times of silence or turmoil, crochet and knitting continuously help me quiet my mind at my own pace, enabling me to find my center. I am also sharing my SECRET persona, Lt. DAX, my life in code while living in Bajor. Maybe fiction maybe not is up to you to decide. Peldor Joi!!!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Yarn Porn To end 2008
Cascade is always a great yarn to buy and I was going to get more yarn, but my gift Certificate was not for a lot this year. This LYS has a frequent Buyer Club, but let me tell you they have one less Buyer than they use to have. I don't know about you, but I was told that the amount of $ used in my gift certificate could not be used toward the frequent Buyer club. The person that purchased the Certificate was not Happy and let me tell you , that person may not buy another certificate from that place ever again. I did not make a scene, I am not that way, I am writing the owner a letter as she was the one that dealt with my purchase.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Yarn from Ireland
Manos and the Kilcarra yarn were my investments at This is Knit in Dublin. The store is not very big, but it has a lot of yarn. I honestly did not have much time to spend here, because Michael does not like to shop at all and while he was in a good shopping mood, I had to be quick lol! This Kilcarra yarn is a tweed and it looks even better than the picture. I like green with colored specks, I would have bought enough for a sweater, but I decided not to. I have enough yarn at home still to make me two or three sweaters. This yarn may be a scarf , gloves or a hat. We shall see!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Dublin Hop On & Hop Off, Day 7
The Castle stands on the high ridge, the highest ground in the locality, at the junction of the River Liffey and its tributary the (now underground) Poddle, which formed a natural boundary on two sides. It is very probable that the original fortification on this easily defended strategic site was a Gaelic Ringfort, which guarded the harbour, the adjacent Dubhlinn Ecclesiastical Centre and the four long distant roads that converged nearby. In the 930's, a Danish Viking Fortress stood on the Dublin Castle site and part of the town defences is on view at the Undercroft, where the facing stone revetments offered protection against the River Poddle. Their settlement of Dyflinn (a corruption of Dubhlinn) quickly became the main Viking military base and trading centre of slaves and silver, in Ireland.
In 1991 they celebrated 800 years of worship at Saint Patrick’s. Many people wonder why there are two medieval Cathedrals in Dublin – one was outside the city walls, one inside. Since disestablishment, Saint Patrick’s has been the National Cathedral for the whole of Ireland, while Christ Church has been the diocesan Cathedral of Dublin and Glendalough.
Some of the beautiful Iconic Stain Glass Windows inside the Cathedral, there are also lots of statues and memorials. There is a charge for entrance, but if you come to Dublin and don't visit Saint Patrick's you have not visited Ireland or Dublin for that matter. It is worth the price of admittance.
Here I am waiting for the Yellow Bus, but it has not shown up. It was very cold so I rather walk to the next stop were the two lines were converging. What do you know as we are going up a small hill, the Yellow Bus comes down, we had time to get to it's next stop up the Hill. We caught in time, within 2 minutes of being there the bus came upon our stop, we hoped in and continue the tour.
In our way with the Yellow Bus we had to wait for the Red one, because we wanted to go through Phoenix Park. The Yellow Bus stopped at Heuston Station and there is were the Red Bus will be coming along in about 8 minutes. We had a chance to use the rest room and eat something at Super Macs, a double burger for each. Another Yellow Bus arrived, the Red Bus has broken down, there will be another one in 10 minutes. We got some coffee and waited.
Unusually for North Dublin, the park has an even-numbered area code (Dublin 8/D8). All other areas of northside Dublin (except for the adjacent Chapelizod) have odd numbered area codes, and even numbers if on the southside of Dublin.
The phoenix monument is a Corinthian column with a Phoenix bird rising from the ashes at its pinnacle. It was erected by Lord Chesterfield in 1747. From here to the stop closest to the Distillery which will be our next stop.
Set in the heart of Ireland’s thriving capital city, Dublin, The Old Jameson Distillery captures the imagination and the spirit of Ireland! Let our expert guides lead you through the fascinating story of JAMESON, the world’s preferred quality whiskey. Follow the path through malting, milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling and maturing.The journey is completed with a visit to the JAMESON Bar where you can enjoy the ultimate whiskey tasting experience. After your tour, browse in the gift shop or lunch in the restaurant or bars and absorb the unique atmosphere.
After the Distillery we where in the mood for food. We decided we were going to go to the same Pub we went on our First day on Bachellor's Walk we found Panama Pub which is the latest bar to open in Dublin and although it looks small on the outside it actually opens up in length to reveal an upstairs and a downstairs. It is located on Bachelors Walk beside The Bachelor Inn and the difference between the two is huge. Panama is a well lit place and has a stylish wooden look adds to the atmosphere. The pints are a bit expensive but you'd expect this just by looking in the door. The barstaff are friendly and the service good. The seating is laid out down the sides and is fine although when it's packed it is hard to find a standing area and the 'bridge' looking over the basement level looks good.There's all sorts of pictures and Panamanian images on the walls that are not overly noticeable but are worth a look at.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Dublin Day 6
Today we had a short day in the matter of things we could do, yet we followed the advise of a friend Kemberlee from http://www.all-ireland.com/ . She suggested that we take the DART. The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) is the rail line running along the coast of Dublin, from Malahide and Howth southwards as far as Greystones, Co Wicklow. The DART system is administered by the national rail operator, Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail). You can connect to the regular train service for communities north of Dublin, right up to Belfast. The DART is most convenient if you live in or near the coastal areas. We bought an All Day Ticket which allowed us to have in and out priviledges all day.
So it is time to go back to Dublin and head toward The National Museum of Ireland (Irish: Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) which is the national museum in Ireland. It has three centres in Dublin and one in County Mayo, with a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history.The Archaeology and History section on Kildare Street has displays on prehistoric Ireland, including early work in gold, church treasures, the Viking and medieval periods, and more modern times. There are special displays of items from Egypt, Cyprus and the Roman world, and special exhibitions are regularly mounted.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Dublin on our 5th Day
These are very touristic Bars and Pubs that you will have to call tourist magnets( or traps) and they are very pricey. It is a very busy area of Dublin. I was glad we were away from it.
Temple Bar Food Market / Organic Farmers' Market
Every Saturday, year-round, from 9am until 5pm, there's the Temple Bar Food Market in Meeting House Square. Over the past four years, the Market has been going from strength to strength and now boasts roughly thirty regular stalls. There are handmade chocolates from Chez Emily, there's Cakes & Buns from Claudia's. Corleggy Cheeses have another stall, as do Sheridans Cheesemongers, so if you're into your stinky dairy delights, you'll do well here. You can chow down on some sweet pastries, along with many other dishes like their lovely quiches from the Gallic Kitchen. There's the ubiquitous crepe stall, there's fish, vegetables, cheese. Going Bananas make fresh juice from fruit & vegetables. Frank Hederman's Smoked Fish is another one to sample. All your organic vegetable needs can be supplied by the McNally Family Farm. At other stalls, there's sushi, there's jam, there's waffles, there's freshly baked bread and tapas both Spanish and Mexican-style. So it's always a nice stop-off on a lazy Saturday and one of the best things about Temple Bar.
Wait a minute we found a coffee shop where we could get some hot coffee and get warmed up, sit down. After sitting down for a while the police went in, so we knew it must be a good place to get coffee.
Several notable buildings face on to the square, including Leinster House (seat of the Oireachtas), the Natural History building of the National Museum of Ireland, the National Maternity Hospital and the National Gallery of Ireland. The Irish Red Cross, the Central Catholic Library, the Irish Traditional Music Archive and the Irish Georgian Society have their headquarters on the square.
The Book of Kells (Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais) (Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. (58), sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was transcribed by Celtic monks ca. 800. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure.
After we saw the Book of Kells Exhibition, we weet back toward Temple bar area, but were able to stop at the Powercourts Townhouse Centre Located in a beautiful Georgian building, the Townhouse is a treasure trove of designer fashion and jewelry. The Powerscourt Townhouse Centre is at 59 South William Street, Dublin 2. This is where we went to the This is Knit Store where we met Jacqui the owner which I knew through Ravelry.
This is Knit is on the First Floor and it is a small store with a lot of yarn, I was happy to see that they opened a new store in Dublin instead of having to go to Blackrock which would have been a bit away, but accessible through DART (Dublin Rapid Area Transit)
Friday, December 12, 2008
Blarney, Cork, Cobh Day 4
We got to Blarney under a bit of fog and it was very cold, we drove through Cork I believe and ended up by the Woollen Mills where we will be coming back to greet our tour guide Marie and the other people from the tour. We booked this tour through Expedia. If you wondered how cold it was watch the video and you will see the frost on the ground.
At the top of this Castle is where you go and kiss the Blarney Stone. The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney about 8 km from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the Stone and tour the castle and its gardens.
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Going to the top of the Castle is claustrophobic as you go up this spiral very tight stone staircase. If you are a portly person , meaning too heavy you will not be able to make it through here. So here I am Kissing the Stone. The fellows that help you are very nice guys. When I kissed the stone I felt touched by Magic. I was in the enchanted Forest doing something I never thought I would do. Miles O' Brien here it goes to the Silver Tongue after kissing the stone! Ireland holds a special place in my heart, I guess is from a prior lifetime as this Island just bewitched me with its wonder and green rolling hills. I understand Island People being from Puerto Rico, people that live in an Island tend to be very different, I understood!
We could have gone through the gardens, but it was so cold and foggy, I just did not want to spend more time there that I had too. We decided to head toward the Restaurant at the Mills and had some Irish Stew for Lunch then we went to do some shopping before we left. The Woolen Mills is a great place to buy anything Irish made that is wool, sweaters to die for, what a lot of beautiful craftsmanship and lots of good sales.
It was not long before we got back into the Van and drove through the town of Cork toward Cobh or Queenstown as it was known when it was under the Brutal British Rule. Here you see the Saint Colman Cathedral.
St. Colman’s Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral located in Cobh, Ireland. It is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Cloyne.
The Cathedral of Saint Colman is a large, elaborately detailed neo-Gothic building. It is prominently sited overlooking Cork harbour and visible for quite a distance. Local people are generally very proud of it and tourists often climb the steep hill to admire and photograph it. We were able to take a picture from the Van lol! The videos are from the Inside and from the Outside of the Cathedral. I felt honored to be there.*
Cobh (pronounced /koːv/ "cove"; Irish: An Cóbh) is a sheltered seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland.
The locality, which had had several different Irish-language names, was first referred to as Cove ("The Cove of Cork") in 1750. It was renamed Queenstown in 1849 to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria and so remained until the name Cobh (closer to the Irish spelling) was restored in 1922 with the foundation of the Irish Free State.
Cobh is located on the south shore of the Great Island in Cork Harbour, (reputed to be the second largest natural harbour in the world), on south-facing slopes overlooking the entrance to the harbour. Facing the town of Cobh are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island. On a high point in the town stands the Cobh Cathedral, St. Colman's, seat of the diocese of Cloyne.
This picture below is supposed to be the Angel of Death!
Cobh was the last port for the Titanic, there is a memorial and a lot of historical data. This is a must see if you come to Ireland.The Queenstown Story is sad, people dieing of starvation, people migrating to America, families divided, people dieing from a famine how could that be allowed to happen. The Irish-American was born. There is a lot of story to tell, these people were very brave and I take my hats off for them.
It was a long day and the train was a bit late getting back to Dublin, so we went and got a Sandwich at our favorite convenience store close to the hotel and had dinner. Saturday and Sunday will be two fun days with Our Dublin 2 Day Pass. I hope you liked the journey, I want to go back! In the meantime that night we went back to Dublin. Thanks for stopping by!
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