Traveling Chariot

Peace & Joy to you & your families! A homemade, ephemeral Ice Votive filled with evergreen and rosehips

The wheel goes round. And here we are again, always unbelievably quickly, at the door step of Winter, the solstice, the longest night. It is strange here today - it feels like March. The sidewalks and stones sweat in the mild morning. It will be around 60 today. In my bones I feel tulips pushing up but it must be a mirage. Winter is surely just masquerading, making merry with the rest of us. May your cold (or mild) winter be full of warm hearts, warm hearths, and hot drinks full of spice and stars.

I was so pleased to wander upon a Blewit Mushroom with gills of such a soft lovely purple in mid December. I guess it has been a wet and mild month. What a prize - an edible prize! I only found one but cleaned it and sauteed it in butter. It was delicious. Hope to find more.  

An order of 11 journals just completed for Inviktus Salon's lucky employees. And one below for boss lady :)

 Some festive shop windows that have been keeping me busy. At least I have had many fair weather days to paint.

Ballynoe Stone Circle These ancient stone circles are strewn all about the Ireland and the British Isles along with other formations such as standing stones, dolmens, & cairns. The purpose of these relics are still mostly a mystery. Theories range from scared burials and religious/social gathering places to celestial observatories (many are aligned with celestial bodies or events). Today, they serve to keep the people connected to the earth and to history, their ancestors. And many folk still feel a connection, often leaving an offering of cloth or trinket on a revered tree as one might light a candle in a place of worship. We've visited several stone circles in Ireland, England, and Scotland over the years. While some stone monuments have remained as towns and roads built up around them, the ones we have visited have been rural and secluded. It is in this setting that one feels utterly removed from time. The trappings of the modern world fade easily away. If you dri

December is upon us and so softly and silently did it creep near. The longest and darkest nights will soon be here. I decorate my home so that it is more magical to spend to time in than usual but still I remind myself that I am not quarantined within these walls because it cold or dark. The winter wood holds new marvels. So I watch the sun set and the moon rise and keep warm by a winter fire. May your December be filled with some natural wonder, too.  

Heading north from Newcastle, but following the coast, we stopped at Dundrum Castle, an Anglo-Norman castle which was built beginning in the 12th century. Dundrum was a modest ruin you can climb a small tower for spectacular views. The view illustrates how strategically located the castle is. It is worth noting that most of the ruined castles like Dundrum are usually looked after and well kept by a Heritage council and are free to the public. I love how generous the Irish are with their artifacts, their history, their culture. We also stopped at Tyrella Beach which had grand views of the Mourne Mountains. What a beautifully sunny view of the Irish Sea. View from base of Dundrum Castle of Dundrum Bay Mourne Mountains from Tyrella Beach Where the Mountains of Mourne Sweep down to the Sea

As the days shorten and the air cools, I'm still spying forest fungi... I think these are Turkey Tails I'm unsure about these and the few below...They look like puffballs but never appeared white to me. So if they are puffballs they were already past their prime for edibility.

I have an affinity for ancient trees, branches hung at impossible angles, carpets of moss, and green forest light. Tollymore Forest Park just outside Newcastle, County Down, Ireland is a place of my dreams. We arrived early in the crisp morning, entering through a neo-Gothic arched gate. The forest is full of follies. In architecture, a folly is an extravagant structure or building that is built primarily for ornamentation with no real purpose or look different than their real purpose.  Most of Tollymore's follies were built in the late 1700s by James Hamilton. Just on of the many follies. We took the trail that skirted the River Shimna and passed through The Hermitage. This seemingly ancient abode was built around 1770 by Hamilton as a stone shelter to be used while fishing. The Hermitage The Hermitage The Hermitage The forest, the follies, and more that fifteen bridges: an epic kids (and grown up kids) to explore. There is an air of myth and legend al