Sweet Auburn Life: 2013

Sunday 20 October 2013

Beets Me!!

Leaving work on Friday evening I was delighted to be given a bag of fantastic home-grown goodies from a fellow workmate which included these beauties straight out of the ground...

Well I can't say I have much experience cooking fresh beets so I had a look on the net for potential recipes. Recipes, I might add, that did not require a trip to the shop as the beautiful autumn weather we had been having turned sooooo wet over the weekend.

I came up with Roasted Beet and Feta Salad!

I peeled the beets, cut them into wedges and roasted them in the oven (1 hour at 180 degrees Celsius) with a little olive oil, sea salt and garlic. I thought they looked pretty appealing at this stage!

When cooled, I used the garlicky oil to make a dressing with some balsamic vinegar, toasted some walnuts and assembled...mixed leaved with balsamic dressing, peppered salami, roasted beets, crumbled feta, and toasted walnuts!

I'm sure there are more sophisticated beet recipes out there (suggestions welcome should I get another food parcel!) but I have to say this was delicious!!

Sunday 13 October 2013

Instant Art!

On a recent trip to Ikea, I came across some items which I thought could be the makings of some instant artwork!

These tiny wooden frames at €1.75 each...

...these lovely gift tags at 70c, which look like they were drawn in ink...

And voilà!!

More dust catchers for my black and cream water closet!
At the risk of over doing it now, I think I should leave well enough alone in this room!
You can have too much of a good thing!

And because I couldn't resist these little frames, I bought them in this colour also...

So I thought what else could I put in something which has a mount the size of a postage stamp?

Why of course, a postage stamp!

With philately being one of my many hobbies, I had these little beauties ready for framing.

They are from a Flora and Fauna series from the year Mr. Auburn and I were born.

Just one problem, four stamps, three frames, think it's back to Ikea for me!

To be continued......

Saturday 5 October 2013

A New Arrival!

There has been a new arrival at my father-in-law's farm!

The call came late Friday night, it was time. Mr. Auburn quickly got dressed and headed for the labour ward. Some help was required as Mammy Cow had become very tired. In the small hours of Saturday morning, this little one arrived...

She is about 12 hours old in these pictures and still a bit unsteady on her hooves.

She hasn't quite figured out where to get the milk from herself yet but we're hoping she'll get the hang of it soon...

..both Mother and baby are doing just fine!

Sunday 29 September 2013

Culture Night 2013!

Last Friday Night was Culture Night!

Culture Night is a night of artistic and cultural entertainment around Ireland where Art Galleries, Museums, etc. throw open their doors and put on events which are all free! Lovely Michelle over at michellemadethis had her own Culture Night at the Cottage.

So what did the Auburn’s do?
We attended a Gala Concert featuring The Priests at the beautiful St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church in Athlone. The concert wasn't free but it was for a really good cause. The church was built in 1937 and renovated in 2007. The money made on the night will go towards repaying the bill!

The church looked amazing decorated with beautiful floral arrangements, lanterns filled with candles and the altar uplit with blue lights.

For those of you who are not familiar, The Priests are a hugely talented classical trio from Northern Ireland and as the name suggests are catholic priests.

So when they are not releasing No.1 albums and touring the world, they are doing their normal priestly duties in their respective parishes.

They entertained us with classical pieces from around the globe, some more sacred pieces and some well know Irish tunes like this one....

They even snook in a little Christmas carol, You'll Never Walk Alone (which really pleased Mr. Auburn as a Liverpool supporter!) and Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles.

A truly cultural night was had by all!!

Saturday 24 August 2013

Hello Again!

Hello Again!! I am very pleased to be back in blog land once again!

Somehow, I blinked and missed a whole season!

To all my lovely fellow bloggers who left comments and sent mails in my absence, I assure you I am quite well! Thank you all none the less for your enquiries and well wishes. It was nice to know I was missed!

So what was my excuse??

Well, I became entirely preoccupied with a project at work; the opening of a new Mental Health Day Centre. A worthwhile project I think you will agree but boy was it exhausting! Coming home with square eyes at the end of a 12 hour day, I must admit, sadly my blog was not one of my priorities.

Anyway, the centre opened this week to great excitement and I am now looking forward to getting back to some semblance of normality, well at least until the next project kicks off!

So what were the highlights of my summer??

Well, May started with a trip to the lovely Italian island of Sardinia with my husband and some friends. We enjoyed the sunshine and the sights and ate, drank and were merry for a week!

At the end of May my Mam and I spent a lovely day at Bloom. For those of you who are not familiar, it is Ireland's answer to the Chelsea flower show, albeit on a slightly smaller scale.

There were so many inspirational gardens there but this Silver medal winning Fairy Garden by Kate Kurevleva was among my favourites...

June was a month for celebrations! We celebrated my Dad's 60th birthday with a weekend of festivities culminating in a family BBQ chez Auburn. This also involved eating, drinking and making merry! Later on in June we celebrated Father's Day, Mr Auburn's birthday and my parent's anniversary!

July involved yet more celebrating! For our lovely friend Clare's birthday we spent a day in gothic splendour at the magnificent Cloonacauneen Castle in Galway. We had a gorgeous lunch packed full of local ingredients after which we retreated to the bar to soak up the atmosphere!

Speaking of friends, I made a new one this summer. Meet Jack...

He strayed in, scruffy, thin and covered in lice. I am pleased to say he is now lice free, has had a wash and a haircut, his hooves pared and is enjoying the countryside of the Midlands.

How cute is he with his hair spiked up with rain??

So what's the plan for Autumn??

Well, it's starting with a staycation next week! By that I mean a holiday from work which I will spend at largely at home, except for the occasional day trip!

Will keep you posted...

I promise!!

Tuesday 30 April 2013

Twit Twoo!

I have always had a grá for Owls...

Our house has an owl window; it perfectly frames a beautiful horse chestnut tree to the front of the house...

While on honeymoon in Bali, we went to a craft village where one of the villagers carved this little guy from wood...

It's even creeping into my clothes from Swamp...

I think they are such amazing creatures.

I have only ever seen a real life owl once. It flew over my head one evening at dusk in the middle of a woodland area. It was an amazing sight.

Sadly, my husband recently informed me that their numbers are dwindling. In fact barn owl numbers have plummeted by 50% in the last 25 years. There may be just 450 pairs left in Ireland. The severe winter weather hasn't helped in recent years. Also their natural habitats are disappearing and the use of rodenticides has increased.

For the last number of weeks I have been following a series called Living The Wildlife which follows Emmy award winning cinematographer Colin Stafford-Johnson as he travels across Ireland in search of our most fascinating fauna. Episode 5 featured the barn owl. Colin travelled around Ireland with owl expert John Lusby who each summer monitors the barn owl chick population.

Look at Colin with this beautiful baby barn owl...

So I thought, what can I do to help this precious creature??

Well, it seems I could sponsor a Barn Owl Nest Box here...

Or as that costs €200, maybe I could make my own???

From what I read, it seems nest boxes should be erected around mid-March to allow for the nesting season to take place from April to July. Maybe I am too late for this year but I could be early for next year! Watch this space!

Have you ever erected a nest box?
Or are you lucky enough to have these beauties nesting nearby?

Sunday 31 March 2013

Easter Eggcessories!

Well, I made it, just in time! The Easter decorating ran a little late this year. I just finished last night!

This was because I have been a little under the weather but also as some of my new decorations were handmade. Most of my new tree decorations were made using my craft du jour...Decoupage!

It sure is time consuming. I'm a newbie and self-thought so please be kind!

First off, I decoupaged some eggs...

These were made from Polystyrene. The one on the left was decoupaged using old stamps, the other two with paper napkins. To finish, I added a ribbon from my stash using a pearl topped straight pin.

Then, I decoupaged some cute little paper mache bird houses...

These were made using a combination of coloured paper and little flowers cut from paper napkins.

These decorations went on my Easter tree...

As Mr. Auburn was away, I had to call on my father-in-law for assistance. I had more a branch in mind but this is what I got and now it's in I really like it!

Of course I had to do an egg and a birdhouse to match the downstairs loo...

It took all I had to cut up this vintage sheet music! It was 'The Seasons' by Haydn too!!

I think they look nice though with the cream and black decor, as does this birdhouse; quite fitting with my wallpaper...

Then I made some nests; this one with the help of a tutorial from Perpetual Plum.

It was made using a wire coat hanger and the offcuts from my Easter tree. The moss and feathers I gathered on a walk, the quail eggs; I blew out a couple of years back. This was a little fiddly but the most natural looking nest I think.