The Spiritual Medium

Yes, so once again it’s been a few months since my last blog entry – I'm sorry friends!

Life seems to have speeded up (does anyone else notice this?) and I have grand plans, but I never seem to put many of them in motion.

As well as that, I’ve been feeling a bit out of sorts lately.   I’m missing my family a lot.  They’ve been gone a long time, but at this time of year, Christmas, anniversaries, birthdays all come together, making me feel very homesick.

So, yesterday I went to a spiritual medium and I wanted to write about it.  I’ve never been to one before.  I am totally fascinated with watching people like John Edwards and Chip Coffey, but I also wonder if its just entertainment, cold reading or ‘fixed’.

I had heard about this lady in our local health food shop and as the day approached I felt myself getting nervous.  What if everything she said was nonsense?  What if no-one came through?  She specifically states that she is not a fortune teller, she is a channel for spirits on the other side, which may come through with information to validate who they say they are, advice or messages.

She was very normal looking and had a lovely soft voice and gentle energy.  This made me feel relaxed and the nervousness I felt disappeared.  She asked me to shuffle some energy cards and then she drew 6 cards, which were incredibly relevant to what is going on for me. So far so good.

I made a conscious effort to not say anything about myself, my current feelings or share personal details.  She sat quietly then started to bring forth information.  Without boring you, or giving you uninteresting personal details, I was totally impressed and blown away.  She came through with names, descriptions of how people looked (specifics, not generalisations!) and personal information.  One thing I will share with you is that five of my great aunts (all sisters) came through, which brought tears to my eyes.  I had never met them (we're talking Edwardian times) but she was able to give names and descriptions which I knew from photos and other things - fantastic!  She thoughtfully provided pen and paper and the reading lasted for about 30 minutes.  I was scribbling the whole time.

At the end of the appointment, I felt a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I felt incredibly peaceful.  I truly felt that my family (about a dozen of them in all!) had come through and given me hugs and reassurance – which is exactly what I needed.

Names – yes they could be lucky guesses and so could the descriptions, but about 95% of what she said was spot-on.  I think the odds of that would be pretty huge.

I don’t think I would go again, at least not for a very long time.  Now, 24 hours later, I am still feeling very uplifted, peaceful and positive, and for that I am very grateful to her.

If you’re in Ireland and you’d like to pay her a visit, please do drop me an email or comment here and I will happily send on her details.  ~Siobhan xox

New Shop! Summer has also arrived! ✿

Hi everyone!

So sorry its been 6 months since I last posted!  I've been busy setting up a new Etsy shop and I really, really hope that you'll drop by and have a leisurely browse around!  And here it is:

The shop is filled with magical Spell Bottles and, hopefully in the next week or two, lots of other magical goodies.  This has been in the pipeline since last year and I'm so excited about it.  

Also, I'm now on Instagram.  To be honest, I will post  something nearly every day over there as I find its a lot more relaxed and spontaneous than putting together a blog post.  So, if you're an Instagrammer as well, please drop by and say hello!  You will find me at  here.

I hope you're all having a lovely, magical summer so far.  When I'm not working, I'm pretty much obsessed with our forestry which has suddenly transformed into a fairy-like place of moss and trees and birds.  It is my haven for sure and re-energises me when I visit.  I snapped this little tree in a beam of light the last time I was in there (yesterday evening!):

Please do visit me on Etsy and Instagram and have a wonderful summer!

~Siobhan xox

The Halloween Countdown has begun!

One week, tonight, until it is that darkly wonderful holiday that is Halloween...

We, in Ireland, take Halloween, aka Samhain, very seriously indeed.

The Irish have adopted the American way of dressing up and trick-or-treating, but there is an air of cautiousness and nervousness that goes along with this tradition.

Frequent looking-over-ones-shoulder.  Bats flitting around your crinkly tall witches hat.  Unknown beings rustling in the hedges as you run down the road in the dark to the next house to 'trick or treat', dropping your candle in fear.

For in Ireland, there are many magical beings and fairies that are truly around and not just some silly superstition or tale.

First example, and a rather scary one at that, the Banshee.  

One of the Most Terrifying Irish creatures a person could meet.  Her wail, her scream is never to be forgotten and she loves nothing better than to be out and about on the night of October 31st scaring trick or treaters to death,  Her sound I've heard myself (shiver).  It forewarns of an imminent death...of someone. Her appearance changes but the constants are long ghostly hair, shredded wispy garments and fiery red eyes

Second example, the Wild Hunt.

These crazed lunatics ride the night sky and will scoop up unsuspecting folk, especially at Samhain.   A ragged, motley assortment of Dark Witches, Fairies, the newly deceased and non-human spirits make up the Hunt along with red-eyed dogs and horses, often having missing or extra limbs and heads.  An alarming sight.

And finally, the Phooka.  Also known as the Puca, or Pooka, or plain mishievous little Pook. 

Shape shifting comes easily to the Phooka and it is known for appearing as a large black goat with wicked horns and evil claws, bull, horse, donkey and eagle. Sneakily, it has the power of speech and can call out in a quite normal voice to unsuspecting people, luring them to a terrifying adventure they will never forget. Those who dare to travel the back roads at night risk being carried away on the back of this creature, galloping madly through the night. It is said the human is never the same afterwards….November 1st is quite sacred to this creature and a day when it will actually behave in a civilized manner.

So I for one will not be venturing out this most wonderful Halloween night.  I will continue the tradition in our home of lighting candles in all the windows to scare away the Dark Things that lurk outside as well as placing a plate of cake, chocolate and wine outside in the garden (before sunset) to appease the Fairies, Goblins and Phookas that will surely be flying around.

Wishing you and yours a most fabulous Halloween next week!

Siobhan xox

July so far...

It's difficult to believe that there's only a couple of more weeks left in July.  The heat here in Ireland is incredible and we had the most epic thunderstorm last night at 4 am.  Dogs, cats, husband and myself were all up and looking out at the mid-summer forked lightening - shivers!

Anyway, a few pictures from July so far.

Buttercups and blue sky - the epitome of July!

Road trip! Well, a little drive to another county!  :)

We saw a Victorian post box.  These are getting so rare here in Ireland.

We had to stop for Sticky Toffee Pudding on the way home. It was super-yummy.

Our lane, early in the morning.  I love it.

Look at those little faces! Its baby swallow time here.  Since I took this they've left the nest, but come back at night time.  So adorable.

Birthday DVDs.  Enchanted April is one of my favourite films.  I hadn't seen The Conjuring.  It scared the living daylights out of me!

Oatmeal caramel squares.  I'm making these every week.  I think I have a problem.

This had me tearing up in our local bookshop.  Layka. Total Hero Dog.

Read the behind-the-photo story here.

I love the name of this coffee! It was made for me!!

Wishing you magical summer days and nights, wherever you are.

~Siobhan xox

Autumn has arrived

August flew by for us, lots of work, not much downtime and BAM - it's suddenly September and there's a definite chill in the air.

I love this time of year, the approach to Halloween (best holiday ever!) and that scent of dried leaves, moss and mustiness that starts around now.

A few photos from the past two weeks here in Ireland:

 

 

Bales outside the kitchen.  Clear blue sky.

 

 

The front door smothered in honeysuckle. The scent is incredible.

 

 

Starbucks scone recipe. I've never eaten one but the recipe looked yummy. It was!

 

 

Wheat for our Lughnasa festivities.

 

 

Old roofs, in traffic, on the way to Dublin.

 

 

Getting in the Halloween frame-of-mind!

 

Happy Autumn to you all! ~Siobhan xx

A week in photos in Ireland

What can I say about Irish April weather? Wet, dreary and more Autumnal than Spring-like, with accompanying low mood and blahness!

I decided to take a few photos this week, a sort of pictorial diary of what I see on my travels out and about the South East of Ireland.  I hope you like... :)

 

Hoping you're having a lovely late Spring wherever you are!  ~Siobhan xx

If I Was...

I've been in blog-limbo the last couple of months.  A series of minor health issues, work stuff and general blah-ness have kept me from writing.  Caroline from the wonderful Coeur de La posted her list of 'If I Was' and asked her readers to join in.  What a great way to un-limbo myself! So here goes (thank you Caroline):

If I was a month, I’d be late October.

If I was a day of the week, I’d be Friday.
If I was a time of day, I’d be dusk.
If I was a planet, I’d be Venus.

If I was a sea animal, I’d be a starfish.

If I was a direction, I’d be South.

If I was a piece of furniture, I'd be an old, faded ottoman sofa.
If I was a liquid, I’d be champagne.
If I was a gemstone, I’d be a moonstone.

If I was a tree, I’d be a beech tree.

If I was a tool, I’d be a super-sharp scissors.

If I was a flower, I’d be a tulip.
If I was a type of weather, I’d be an early hot summer morning.

If I was a musical instrument, I’d be bells.
If I was a color, I’d be purple.

If I was an emotion, I’d be reflective.

If I was a fruit, I’d be a blueberry.
If I was a sound, I’d be windchimes.

If I was an element, I’d be water.
If I was a car, I’d be Toyota Rav 4, what I drive now, preferably shiny black.

If I was a food ... I would be a mozarella, olive and basil homemade pizza (with garlic bread).

If I was a place, I’d be right here...south coast of Ireland.

If I was a material, I'd be a soft, luscious velvet.

If I was a taste, I'd be fresh.
If I was a scent, I’d be oakmoss.

Do feel free to join in over at Caroline's (Coeur de La ).

~Siobhan xo

Summertime, friends and food

July has begun here in Ireland and even though it should be warm, balmy and full of sunshine, this unpredictable year has kicked in again and it's a mixture of baking sun, cold winds and Irish rain.

It's been a little bit more social for me than usual, with a surprise dinner with an old friend I hadn't seen since 1999.  We've been friends since we were 14 and every time we meet up, it's like only a few days have passed.  We had so much fun and now I miss her all over again, as she lives in the US.  A photo of some very happy gingerbread men from the restaurant where we ate:

Then a few days later it was my birthday.  With recent events and the ups and downs of the year so far, I was unusually ambivalent about this annual milestone.  I feel lucky to have made it through another year (not to be overly melodramatic, but I really do feel blessed) and we celebrated with lunch at the Romany Stone in Wicklow. Picture is of sweet potato and chili soup, homemade pesto, wholemeal bread, breadsticks, white wine...yum yum....

Then there was a late birthday shopping trip into Wexford, where I bought some cute black Mary Janes, tonnes of glossy magazines, art supplies, scented candles and then collapsed with a Mocha Coffee and fudgey brownie.  These things are quite necessary sometimes:

Sadly, it's back to reality this week, with work beginning on Wednesday.  Until then I shall spend these rainy, unsettled July days tending the garden and our increasingly heavily-laden tomato plants - I can't wait to eat them with some sea salt and olive oil!  Hope you're having a fabulous summer wherever you are! ~Siobhan xox

Easy-does-it December...

I knew that December was going to be a rocky month - astrologically speaking and it has proved true.

Ireland was deluged with Arctic snow and sub-zero temperatures the first week of this delightful month, which may look fairytale-ish, but when you live in the country over here, the roads aren't cleared and you're pretty much stuck. I ventured out in our jeep,creeping along (I'm a real scaredy cat) and suddenly it took off sideways down a road and crashed into a stone wall. Yikes. Big hole in the door and cracked bumper and a driver (me) with a serious phobia now of driving on snow and ice. Sigh.

This was followed by a co-worker who wouldn't come in during the snow, so I had major overtime and stress and super tiredness set in. I'm not so nice when I'm tired!

So, we're at the 15th of December now and I thought I'd post some pictures of life here in Ireland, no crashed jeeps though!

Our wonderful fireplace and stove that has kept us all snug as bugs during this freezing weather.

The books that have kept me entertained, and sane, during the snow-in!

The lane to our house, so beautiful, so dangerous!

Mega-icicles hanging from our bedroom window. Shiver....

One magical night-scape, a waning moon and a shining star (or planet)

Phew...I hope your December has been better than mine so far.  Stay safe and enjoy the run-up to Christmas.  Magic is truly everywhere.  ~Siobhan xox









Good Friday in Ireland

It's a damp, wet, mossy, ferny morning here in Ireland - I love it! The wind howled all night with the rain battering the roof and kept me awake most of the night.

Just off to have a French coffee in my Italian coffee maker (which is supposed to be for espressos but we drink the coffee in big mugs!) Possibly some French toast to go with, then a spot of house tidying this Good Friday.

Happy Easter to all with a wealth of Easter eggs finding their way to you! xox

Saturday Happiness

Blissful day yesterday. First, we wandered in Wexford and picked up the Saturday Irish Times (which I have to read every weekend), strolled around a couple of shops and then, feeling in need of chocolate and a pick-me-up, we found ourselves in Whites Hotel, having chocolate fudge cake and mocha coffees. Yum.
















As the day was so sunny, we then drove to Kilmore Quay and sat on the rocks in the sun. This is one of the chocolate box thatched houses that line the main (and only) street in Kilmore.

















After that, home, walks with the dogs in the forestry, and a glass of wine in front of the fire. Happy weekend! xox

A rocking St. Patrick's Day!

Wishing all my readers a fabulous St. Patrick's Day!

Beautiful day here, in the southeast of Ireland, the pubs are full, the energy is high and it's all going on!

Off to a little dinner party in honor of our patron saint tonight - I love meeting with friends for chat, food and a drop or two of wine!

Hope you're having a magical Wednesday wherever you are... xox

The Inaugural Post

My first post!

This blog is intended to be about the magical, whimsical things of life, in Ireland, where I live.

Just to get a little snapshot of me, I live in the southeast of Ireland, on the coast, in a 400 year old house with forestry all around.

These are the things I like:

The whimsical, the magical, the fairy-ish










Green, dark, luscious trees











Sprawling museums










Mocha coffee, any coffee

Old Cemeteries

Chocolate













and my orange cat Charlie

Here's what I don't like:

Gossip
Bad manners
Fish
Avocadoes
Dried flowers
The cold
Trips to the dentist
Moodiness
Vacuuming

Like everywhere in the world, Ireland is proving a challenge to live in. Everything is way too expensive (for what you get), people are in a bad mood constantly, the roads are....indescribable, and everyone whines constantly about how bad everything is.

So, what you won't find on this blog is negativity, or complaining or whining.

There's enough of that around already!

What you will find are things/people/moments that inspire and uplift me, that make me smile, make me laugh, make me go weak at the knees (in a good way).

Wishing you happiness and a delightful week ahead!