Oh that is absolutely wonderful

Four square section timber posts hammered in in a line ready for 3 horizontal strands of wire to provide support for young twiggy apple trees. An older apple tree already established in the foreground. Green fields beyond.

The designer and his brown terrier dog watch as the structure of posts takes shape and a young apple tree is planted between some posts, a spade leaning up. The grass is trampled and muddy from digging and pacing about.

Ours are even younger than yours. About 6 planted bare rooted about 6 weeks ago, each c.2 yrs old, finally starting to look promisingly pink: 5 apples with one pear. Preceded by much choosing, measuring, digging, tying & labelling. All so satisfying!

Brilliant to watch such adept stitching of the bark! It is broadly reminiscent of how oak & ash bound noggins were made watertight in Ireland: the ends of the thin bands of ash were cut into finger like interlocks, didn't need stitches: each oak base inset.

Sustainable post on its way. This could see a rural revival the way things are going with fossil fuels!

Where is that on display?

Well I'd still love to see the late one that missed your final cut, please? Is it another circle and dot?

Rena if you have access to an Irish uni library you can download the digital colour version of my article for free. You know the score as you & I have both been through the T&F / Folklife journal process, btw I enjoyed your 'Straw & Order' article!!

Oh dear: link won't open!
I published an article last July: (Folklife 2025 vol.63 No.2, pp81-103: 'Making safe impressions: apotropaic marks on Ireland oldest butter prints...' Other related research is in (slow) publishing pipeline in my next CUP book. If you DM me with yr email I can perhaps help?

Well done, so far simply scrutinising your illustrations, the circle and dot motif eg endured in Irish material culture until well into the 20th C as an apotropaic motif, so it's great to see pre-Christian Irish lineage. I sympathise with your protracted pregnancy!!

I'm delighted you're enjoying these small things as much as I am! My 'book-in-progress' amasses more which I hope gives inspiration for sustainable craft projects (& repair too). There's already lots in my current book 'Irish country furniture and furnishings 1700-2000' @corkup.bsky.social

I especially enjoyed your pipes with hands, and dogs. The marbles are lovely too with the orange and the green seahorse. What a mass of tiny treasure...

Swallow in flight on blue cloudy background with trees and green fields

Swallow flying towards its nest on an outhouse

Swallow in flight top right of shot, heading for a familiar nesting place in an outhouse. Sea inlet below. Green valley.

Watching some of our adorable swallows return this week reminds me of my dear late mother who unfailingly noted the dates they came & went, left her shed door open for them & knew about all the other Irish migrant & native birds too...

I ponder this change: my latest 2 published chs/articles were a book/journal & also digital versions. The Ch. was free for students 2 download the latter (article) behind a paywall of no benefit to me/author. I love paper & books still though... @tudublin.bsky.social @ria.ie @corkup.bsky.social

Photo of a 2 storey corner house with pale blue & white ground floor entrance, 2 elegant front doors have a wrought iron grill above & a matching one above, on a balcony.

Over a pair of front doors, an elaborate wrought iron fan light protects the glass, at its centre is a six petalled Daisywheel or Hexfoil framed with leaves & curves.

Detail of the 1st floor wrought iron balcony incorporating 2 Hexfoils & a larger central Sawtooth star motif flanked by pairs of snakes & curvilinear decoration.

Elaborate white painted wrought iron balcony detailing incorporates one of 4 encircled hexfoils in an upper corner, with 2 snake heads beneath

People used protective marks by doors, windows & hearth openings, with symbols like Hexfoils or Daisywheels or the Sawtooth star motif, seen in this Maltese wrought iron balcony & fan light (& lozenge shapes & serpents). Hexfoils were common in Spain & Italy as well as GB & of course Ireland.

That's such a nice little gate.

Sorry to have missed that. Can it be rewatched please, I wonder?

Photo of some lines from 19 Mar 2026 correspondence page in The Guardian newspaper "Don't be an idiot all your life, have a day off."

You don't shy away from challenging subjects!

That must have been uneasy, I'm sure. The Greenham women were so brave & camped there for such a long time, standing outside the wire fence, with their fingers entwined. That's when a policeman without warning punched my arms upwards: it was my first encounter with UK authority & it shocked me.

Well your sketches of objects with your fluidly written, short annotations, I liked best. Interdisciplinary, they lead us into the context & connections. For example they reminded me starkly of Greenham Common, which I visited as a young protestor (& was roughly treated by an English policeman).

Thanks for another wonderful, peaceful photo. I like the patch near the lock suggesting there was another one previously, and the view beyond.

As a human who dislikes AI (!) I enjoyed your post. Does this mean (as an overworked author) I needn't spend so much time avoiding typos & feeling self conscious about them if they apear?

Yes, thankyou, that's a neat explanation. I have occasionally resorted to it with unclear photos that I couldn't reshoot: line drawings provided clarity. I projected the photo onto a wall (& onto white paper) then drew outlines, then reduced my drawing, creating a perfect, small perspective sketch.

These really are so wonderful: such skilful informative sketches! I especially like your annotated ones. Did you incorporate photography with any of these or not? Sketches can be clearer, hence historians such as Peter Brears using sketches to illustrate historic objects, never photography.

Eeek...I'm in Ireland

If these whales go extinct, we’ll know who to blame Just 51 of these whales are left on Earth. Trump officials may have just doomed them.

HEGSETH CONDEMNS RARE WHALE SPECIES TO EXTINCTION

I have a passion for the whales of this planet planet and saving them. It makes me sick to my stomach to read this. I’ve met many whales over the years - they’re truly extraordinary creatures. www.vox.com/climate/4844...

How astonishing! I wonder exactly what is being done closely at the cliff face & how...that's quite some operation.

This art is deadly accurate (without the blood) & is as poignant today as it was in 1953. We could do with many more cartoonists like this now...

Of course, having grown up in London I also remember him. But I feel the article doesn't fully explain his crusade.

The way Pulzone painted her stylized hair is fantastic (in the true sense of the word), & the copper version with the grave beneath her, wide open is dramatic too.