Friday, March 26, 2010

Feargal touches down!

Feargal landed yesterday at the first stop on his Grand Tour!!!
It was such a relief to know that he is safe.
Where is he????
Visiting his bro' Finnbarr,
in Zurich, Switzerland.

Finnbarr used to live in Dublin with his new mum Suneeti.....but.....
they have moved to Switzerland.

Wow what will he get up to among the Gnomes of Zurich!!

Tadgh and Nollaig have just got home form a visit to Northern Ireland....we will show you if we have time.
I asked them if they missed Feargal....... 
What do you think? 
they both said, in unison,
this is the first time we have ever got to go on a trip!!!
mmmmmmmmmm!

Monday, March 22, 2010

...and he is off!!

Fergeal set off on his grand tour this afternoon, 
I guess his flight will be tomorrow. 
He has NO IDEA where he is going....but then neither have you!
Safe landing Fergeal!
Keep in touch....please...
I worry about you.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Feargal drops a bombshell!

I KNEW HE WAS UP TO SOMETHING!!

First things first tho'.
I know you are dying to know which of the ladies  got the job.
Maureen was the only one to take a guess...and she was right!!
It WAS the lady in Red... I had a hunch it would either be her or one of the ladies in Green, knowing his penchant for those colours.
Here he is offering her the job...
Of course the first thing we all want to know is...why did he pick her...was it for..
her typing skills,
proficiency at shorthand,
or even her neat handwriting??

NOPE none of these.
Apparently it was her ability to sit in his chair, get her feet under his desk and be able to work at his desk!! 
He reckoned some of those skirts and petticoats were so stiff that the ladies could never sit down...let alone work!


Apparently he asked her what he name was and she replied that she didn't have a name...aw shucks how awful! so he decided to call, her Scarlett....how sweet...or is it!!

Now you want to know what the job is...so do I,
making lists to start with he says....
......he showed her what he wanted her to do.

But her book looks awfully empty to me....
Nothing to write in it yet!!
So her gave her a tea break...and it wasn't even Tuesday!!
and with cake too!!
He doesn't bake cakes for me!
So what is the list???
We need to know Feargal.

Ok so he breaks down....
.......he has been feeling awfully lonely because every time he gets some more siblings or cousins they emmigrate....typical Irish!
That's why he wanted to keep Tadgh as his apprentice (just an excuse)!
But wouldn't you think that now he has Tadgh and Nollaig that he would be contented....
but nope they have jsut given him an excuse. He says that he wouldn't be leaving me on my own..with no help!
I feel like saying...help! what help! but he is getting a bit weepy and he knows that he can twist me

AND SO
WHAT IS HE UP TO!!
Here is the bombshell..
He has decided to go on a world tour...a grand tour to visit as many of his cousins/siblings whose mums will give him a bed for a week....take him out and show him the sights...and he says...give him a good time.

He wants to travel while he is still young......
(he wants to see Blathnaid again!!)

I warned him of the dangers of travel...he is going by air..can't take a long voyage!
He says that he will take the risk! Fingers will be crossed...for a long time.
So he wants names to go on his list, but he isn't going to plan an itinerary he says...so that he will never know where is is going to be landing next.
He needs Scarlett to manage things and tick off where he has been and has still to go to.

Sorry but he is restricting this tour to visit only other leprechauns....I know so many of you would like to be his host. Maybe next time.
Wow! how long will it take???

For St Patrick's Day, he gave me this...forgot to show you/forgot to wear it!
Can you read it????
How true it is!
So get in those names ASAP.
He says that he intended to leave on January the first, but it was toooo cold! so he postponed to St Patrick's Day...now he is determined to leave before International Tatting Day...

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St Patrick's Day from Feargal, Tadgh and Nolliag.

Leprechauns were spotted cavorting in the Shamrock.

Tadgh managed to locate the only snake left in Ireland after St Patrick banished them and cavorted all round the house on him while Shamrock's fell all around.

Feargal went to Brownies for the very first time last Friday.
Mostly he just sat on the toadstool and watched.


He sat and watched the fun....

....this is my favourite meeting of the year....I loaded up 4 bags from my collection, from my friend in Mississsippi, of all things green. Mostly necklaces but also dubloons, snakes, tankards, pipes and all sorts of novelties thrown from the floats.
They HAVE to jump up and down and shout
'throw me something Mister!' while we hurl them up into the air. I particularly like the sound of the dubloons tinking as they hit the ground.
I used to think that all American parades were like this! are they???
My daughter is in Canada at this very moment so I am dying to know what happens there.

Can you feel the excitement??
No prizes for guessing that the one in the big hat at the back is me! When I arrived with my hat and my neck festooned with necklaces and my green and orange earrings made by my daughter,,,,the other leaders remarked....'understated as usual!!'

Then we have our parade, they begged to let Feargal join in...
...he was in his element.
At the end of the day they have to give it all back so that Brownies next year can enjoy it all over again. But I do give them each a necklace, I have given hundreds away over the last few years. If I stay in Brownies much longer I will need to restock!!

It's a National Holiday today, we were promised the warmest day of the year so far but it's actually overcast and quite chilly with out the record breaking sunshine we have been getting. We will watch the parades all over the world on TV.
Hope you all have a happy happy day. The lads wish all their cousins and siblings a happy day and lots of mischief! He needs to know what you all did! Nollaig is a bit stunned by it all so far.
PS. Feargal has yet to tell me who he appointed as his NPDA!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Fergeal is interviewing again!


Long post..you might need a cup of tea.
Anyone who is living with a leprechaun will by now know just how nosy they are! They just can't be happy where they are, they just have to go snooping around.
BUT
If you live with 3 leprechauns, then you are really in for it.
They are trouble on 2 legs..or 6 in this case!

No where in my house is sacred, not a box nor a cubby hole.....and so this is how they came across my 'ladies'.
Mostly they live in shoebox except for a few that live in my display cabinet amongst the china. I suppose that's a shame!

The first thing that I knew about this was when I came into my study and there was Fergeal on top of my piano in his 'area' doing interviews again!
Looks like there was only one applicant for the job doesn't it??
But don't be fooled....

.......he had them all lined up!


He took sooooh long and asked so many questions, with Tadgh and Nollaig chipping in all the time, that pretty soon the ladies at the back of the queue were chatting amongst themselves...as ladies do!

I knew that would like to have a closer look at them so I asked them if they would mind posing for some photos....
...and...
......it would be good if you turned round to face the camera, I said....

.
.....so they did...

 

......she even out her hat back on....

....they are so elegant...

.....it's hard to believe that I actually made them......seems like a hundred years ago.
The framework is pipe-cleaners encased in cotton finger bandage, that you can buy on a roll.
The heads are wooden beads.  Getting a nice looking face is the most difficult bit, you need a very steady hand.
The hair is made from embroidery thread twisted into a coil or plaited and then coiled round the head.
Those were the days of fiddle faddle! Now wouldn't they be lovely with tatted trims.


Fergeal tells me that they are 12th Scale dolls dressed in the Edwardian style.....now how would he know!!
He says that he studied the History of fashion in the Lep Academy!...the stuff that he learned and he was only there for a week...well in our time that is!!

I know that you are dying to know what the are wearing under their dresses!!
One of them agreed to lift up her skirt to show you... but she wasn't all that keen when I lifted up her petticoat to show you her pantaloons. they never bother with shoes round the house, nobody sees!
The little hats are made from plaited plasticy twine stuff from Fiji...they make mock grass skirts out of it...but that's another story!

Of course I have digressed away from the most important thing......and that is....
Why is Fergeal interviewing them and what is the job he is offering !!!

He says that since the other two arrived his job has got so much harder, not only does he have to look after me and the house and the tatting supplies...but he has to look after them as well and keep them out of trouble....and then he says there are the lists.....he just can't keep up with it all.

So he says that he needs a NDPDA!!!

What's that I ask innocently....he gives me that withering look...
a Non Digital Personal Assistant of course he says.
he insists that he doesn't want a computer (phew!) and tells me to get real!
He reckons that I live in a virtual world and that's not good, i should get back to reality and the simple things (like him!!)

He reckons that these Edwardian ladies should be well used to making lists....and he likes them because they are just his height......mmmmm and I have to ask my self why they are so gullible!

I can't help thinking that he is up to something!!!

So the thing is which one of them got the job...any ideas? I don't even know their names. Just hoping that they don't need a NDPDA each!

If you enjoyed this post do leave a comment.....it took ages to write.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Fergeal gets a present.


 There was something extra in the giveaway package that I received from TypsTatting.
Well
It was a little square package wrapped in tissue with a letter attached,
I was just reading the letter when up popped Fergeal by my side.....I swear these leprechauns are psychic.
He read the letter over my shoulder and then hopped down to examine the package.
 
The letter read...
This little quilt is for the leprechaun in your life.
For the cold nights and  sitting watching the television.
To share if he wants or just to enjoy!
He had it opened in an instant, he laid it out on the floor and popped under it.
Isn't it just gorgeous. he wants to say a big thanks to TypsTatting.



A couple of little voices were heard to say.....
did we hear that something was to share...
And before you could say leprechauns knees, they were under the quilt too.

talk about cozy!
And then....
He had another idea....
Lets try it over our knees sitting on the sofa..like Typs Tatting meant.


And then he had an even better idea....
Instead of getting under it, let's get on top of it..
it would make a wonderful carpet! and make my little space so cosy.
 
Just look how the colours match my sofa, he said, she must have seen my sofa before!

And so that was his decision, he called the lads to bring some more chairs and a tea table and some tea,
and they did. They all sat down to enjoy Tatting Tea Tuesday, Tadgh was all ready to pour the tea from Fergeal's BEST teapot.
  
lets take a birds eye view


isn't that just perfect for a leprechaun party.
But
along came my friend Jackie
with her tea service!!
  
Isn't that just something. It's from Martha Ess's Teapot book, she is just such a clever designer...and Jackie is such a clever tatter.
The set is sitting on the top of my coffee cup.


Well the lads heard about it and in an instant they had cleared Fergeal's tea set off the table onto the floor and demanded to have Jackie's one instead!


The lads were over the moon....but it is tatted in my Coral Reef HDT and Fergeal says that it just doesn't go with his decor!!
Now he wants me to make one to suit his colour scheme....any ideas....not that he is going to get one anytime soon!
The three lads think that their life is going very smoothly at the moment and wish to continue to be kept in the manner that they have become accustomed to!
He says thanks Typs...it's very cool!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Special Alert! Lep Attacked!

I have a horrid tale to tell! I was mortified the other night when I came home...it has taken me TWO days to recover! Well, let me start at the beginning.

You may remember I brought Cormac home from my office where he had been visiting and getting to know my coworkers, guarding my microwave and teapots. It was Christmas, after all, so I brought him home and he found a favorite spot nestled in my tabletop chimes, a gift from a dear friend. It was a good partnership - Cormac and the chimes both being gifts from special friends, and he could see almost EVERYTHING from this vantage point. Once I took all the Christmas stuff down, he had all kinds of room to move around.

This weekend it was so very nice and I decided it was safe to open up the drapes and let some sunshine in! They are nice thermal drapes and keep the cold out but we were all badly needing some sunlight so I opened them up and left them that way. I came home the other night, Monday night, and was admiring the open feeling in the living room when I happened to glance down at the carpet.

HORRORS!


There was poor Cormac! His hat was nearly torn off and he was crouched down in a fetal position. Oh, who could have done this dastardly deed? Was he all right? I knelt down beside him and gently turned him over.

Ah, I should have known! He's a hardy lad! He was all smiles and I picked him up and set his cap back upon his head. No scratches or torn clothing. I must have just gotten home in the nick of time!

Oh, but what is this???? It's his coin! And his tatted shamrocks! Someone tried to rob him!

Ah, thanks be to the Irish spirit in him! He told me he never saw them coming but they were huge and pushed him off the chimes and batted him around. He thought he was a goner and kept his eyes tightly shut - and then....he heard me open the door!

Well...I have an idea who his attacker was. There are FOUR suspects so we'll just try to narrow it down.

This is Skunk, the leader of the pack. He is the oldest and claims his territory regularly, but he's lazy and once he claims a spot, he hardly moves from it for weeks at a time. Besides, he is missing some crucial teeth and likes to only chew on soft stuff.

Next in line is Chewie, named after the famous Star Wars wookie because of her coloring. She is the smallest but only a year younger than Skunk and she is his half sister, born the following year. She likes to groom him from time to time and she certainly claims her territory right next to him. Sometimes I think she actually has the upper hand even if she is tiny and can't meow very loud. She's got a whale of a HISSSSS though. She's not too playful either and likes to tell everyone what to do without too much action herself.

Now this fellow, Dillon, is sneaky. When he first came here and Skunk and Chewie were still outside, HE claimed the house for himself. When the others came in, he got knocked down a notch or two but he likes to sneak up on everyone, cat and human alike, and rub on them. He's very inquisitive and sometimes agitates the others on purpose. He's certainly a more likely culprit than the first two.

And now we have Diogi...low kitty on the Cat pole. For that reason alone, I think she may be harboring a grudge and takes it out on anyone she can. I've also caught her on top of the entertainment center. She certainly has had me fooled with the way she always acquiesces to the others. I think she's just been biding her time.

Unfortunately, I cannot prove it so everyone is free for now. In the meantime, I brought Cormac into my computer/craft studio where he will remain safe as I keep the door closed.

Thank goodness he lives to celebrate another St. Paddy's Day!!!!!