Year i: Home, Suddenly

The last photo I took in Dublin was these famine figures, here’s a link to the AI portrait generator I used below. We had 12 average hours sunlight and the clocks went back. All paintings you’ll see in this series are by my Dad.

Letters from friends, Zoom bingo calls and some really vivid sunsets helping everything. The lambs arrived, concerts were postponed by a year and I decided to turn off news notifications.

Warm days and blue skies making it feel like a normal summer. Flower drying, baking & golden hours became ritual. A nest that unfortunately was breached or disturbed.

More warm days but with moodier skies. The option to travel more than 5Km, catching the elderflower before it went and a big storm with fork lightning.

Picking cherries and raspberries for homemade cordial therapy. Bees, blooms and hay bails. Also, a surprise, still warm pheasants egg, dropped into my hand by my dog Jack.

Goat horn chillies from Gorse Farm, beginnings of the blackberries and getting sucked into whipped coffee recipes online. Lankum live from The Abbey theatre and some really late dark sunflowers.

A streak of end of summer uninterrupted blue skies, screens with squares full of faces, and screens for cross Atlantic FaceTime. AI inspired music and Long Distance Love both live from The Concert Hall, some even later orange sunflowers and a nasty burn.

Cold but bright with lots of long shadows. Comfort curries, comfort toast and comfort soups. Coming across strange mushrooms and never finishing jigsaw puzzles.

A tense period while the world watched America. Picking the final roses before winter and making willow wreaths. Spirit held together with powerful sunrises, Notes To Self and affirmations from Damien Dempsey at Other Voices live.

A strange season. The usual colours, lights and rituals but all feeling slightly too quiet and solitary. Watching the winter solstice live was a joy. Other supporting acts were blue skies, mince pies, baked cheese and wine in the bath.

A long series of days that included white mornings, frosty walks and regular fearful news monitoring. Cross stitch therapy, an energising live stream for Nollaig Na mBan from two of Ireland’s finest female musicians and an excess of birthday cake.

Rain came after what felt like a long hiatus and I doubled down on rescue remedy. It got really cold and the mornings were mostly blue, dark and dead. Pancakes, daffodils, more baking, and some buds arriving hinting at spring.

Full circle, one year, 365 days.