Kilteel St. Brigids Art Festival hosts a wide range of activities over the first week in February: art exhibition, workshops, trad session, hill walking, drama, stalls, cafe. A full list of activities can be found on Kilteel St Brigid’s Arts Weekend.

I also noticed on Facebook that Burtown House and Garden near Athy

reopens on Feb 3rd. The gardens at Burtown are unusual in that they were worked by three generations of the family; the late Wendy Walsh, one of Ireland’s finest botanical artists; Wendy’s daughter the painter Lesley Fennell, and her son James, a professional photographer.

If you love food, if you love colour and want to spend a tranquil few hours come to The Green Barn at Burtown, open from Wed to Sunday for Brunch and Lunch.

Families of all ages are welcome and believe it or not, the dog can come too. Take a healthy walk in the gardens, view the garden art and breathe fresh air tinted with the wholesome herbs from the kitchen gardens. What an absolute pleasure.

 

Hard to believe, but on this last day of 2018, there’s a tiny little clump of  snowdrops already blooming in my garden. So I thought it would be fitting to include Wordsworth’s poem about these tiny white flowers.

TO A SNOWDROP

Lone flower, hemmed in with snows, and white as they

But hardier far, once more I see thee bend

Thy forehead as if fearful to offend,

Like an unbidden guest. Though day by day

Storms sallying from the mountain-tops, waylay

The rising sun, and on the plains descend;

Yet art though welcome, welcome as a friend

Whose zeal outruns his promise! Blue-eyed May

Shall soon behold this border thickly set

With bright jonquils, their odours lavishing

On the soft west-wind and his frolic peers;

Nor will I then thy modest grace forget,

Chaste snowdrop, venturous harbinger of spring,

And pensive monitor of fleeting years.

 

And with thoughts of January 1st and as gifs and wishes ping on my phone: Athbhliain shona díobh go léir!