I won at the fair!!! by Conor

Oh Joy! I have had a great time this weekend! My mom was going to put my best friend, pd the dragon, in the fair, and since I couldn't live without him for a whole week, I begged her to let me go, too! Well, she did and guess what? We BOTH won 1st prize blue ribbons! We are so proud. And, it is a good thing we both won, too, that way there will be no teasing by the winner to the loser. Mom said she will take better photos of us when she picks us up on Sunday. In this picture, I was so exhausted from the excitement I had to lay down. It is very cool, people coming by constantly to visit us and smile! I miss Mom, as I have to be away for a whole week, but I will see her on her visits to the fair. If you want to see more of the stuff she won ribbons on, check out her blog!

http://www.battatter.blogspot.com/

Bye for now... Conor

115 Degrees in AZ...get the point?

Donnacha perches upon needles for this photo taken between Wickenburg and Phoenix, AZ

This is a "still" from a hilarious video taken by DH (an accident) and viewed by very, very few!
If it were longer, I'd send it to America's Funniest Videos.... Oh! That's Bev, Donnacha's human. There is also a short video of Donnacha waving at the Cacti because HE thought they were waving their arms at him! If he can figure out how to share it, he will.

Donnacha Searches for a friend. . .

Donnacha went looking for a friend; at first, he rode around on the tractor...but soon he thought going on foot would be better because the "pop" "pop" of the tractor was frightening all the wood critters.

This is really the end of Dom's search for a friend. It all began when. . .

"Dom" found a friend, but it was not easy! He found a friend dressed in the same colors as himself; and, yes the new friend is a gnome and not a Lep ~ but they are distant cousins ~ I think! Mom and DH had been visiting with relatives, making new friends; and, while Dom enjoyed all the photo sessions ~ he, too, wanted to meet a Lep, a gnome or even an elf! He visited Bear, but the bear was looking at his ladybug friend which had landed on his nose. This made Bear cross eyed ~ and cross indeed!

Dom climbed as high as he could to reach a duck in a pond ~ but Duck was not talking.

He searched through the many flowers Cousin Trudy has growing in her yard. She is a Master Gardner and there were A LOT of flowers and critters...He even asked squirrels because they are busy and in every part of the flower and vegetable gardens, but he found the squirrels were really quite ignorant of friends for a Lep.

Dom tried befriending the geese, but the Momma Goose came after him ~ hissing, "get away from my goslings"

Then he came to pigs drinking at the pond...but being pigs they slurped and slurped and did not talk at all! They oinked in his general direction. Sadly, he pressed on. . . would he never find a friend of his own?

Dom saw Owl and climbed up and up...Owl was wise. Owl would know where he could find a friend. "Go past the potted pansies" and turn left and there you will find a Gnome who is dressed in gold and green, wearing a red hat and red shoes ~ just like yours. He will be your friend".

And so, Dom followed Owl's wise counsel. He traveled past the potted pansies, turned left and there he was ~ the Gnome! Sitting by the mushrooms. Gnome and Dom spent the afternoon chatting and Dom learned all about Big Bear. And he learned that he was going to get to go to fireworks, right at the lakeside on the Fourth of July! Gnome could not go, he had to tend to the mushrooms, but Dom's person would take him to the big party on the deck. Donnacha was tired from all that climbing and trekking; he and Gnome had a nice nap under the mushrooms in the afternoon sunshine. Dom dreamt of a hissing goose and FIREWORKS over Big Bear lake.

. . .whereupon the mischeiveous Donnacha escapes!

Where's Donnacha? That's DH on the right! What a guy, lifted me right up on the counter at Big Bear California's, Big Juan's eatery.
We love chocolate ~ Right?

Really, I wanted Carmel Apple Crisp

"On the road again. . "

This is me ~ right next to her favorite Tatting bag!

My name is Donnacha (my Human calls me Dom; because she has a very short memory and can't remember Donnacha...I TELL her..."It's like Don likes nacha's ~nachos? " She says, "it's tradition; you come from over the sea and someone in the USA gives you a new name...like they did on Ellis Island in the 1800's""

Leps love travel...I enjoy looking at the exotic places my cousins have gone! Sometimes Mom goes to Wal-Mart; but really, how exciting can that be when it's the only clothes store within two hours? I don't mean to insult where my human lives...but it really isn't anything like the end of the rainbow! She keeps asking herself "Why?"

Then, her paisley Roly Poly tatting bag went into the purse with many zippers....and she huffed and puffed for a whole week! Filling two suitcases, a bigger tatting bag; and, I hopped inside! Right beside the tatting bag. I knew she'd be getting that out and would find me and.....maybe, just maybe she'd take some pictures of me! We might go someplace exciting and then I could share with my cousins.

We left New Mexico and drove through Phoenix and got to Wickenburg, Arizona ~ and ate!

I really, really hinted about getting a Carmel Apple Crisp. Later, she gave me a Snickers candy bar which I did not have to share with that little beastie, Sara. The next morning we got up very early and I saw cotton tail bunnies hopping across a parking lot!

We drove all day long, eight hours! And came to Big Bear, California ~ where we ate! The food was just too spicy for me but I did enjoy the fountain and having my picture taken. I wonder why the people looked at Mom's DH so much when he moved me around the fountain for pictures. I mean, haven't they ever seen a leprechaun?

I don't know where we will be next. I want to see the lake, I want to meet Mom's cousin...I want to eat out again and get some dessert. I can't wait for tomorrow...I'll let you know what happens ~ I'm so excited....hummm, do I smell chocolate?

Cormac has been hanging out in my office ever since St. Paddy's Day. The pics didn't turn out very well and he thought I'd try for another photo opportunity or at least that's what he told me. I think he just liked eavesdropping on the gossip! He's nestled in the honey sticks and mint chocolate stir sticks that I keep for my tea.


He thought he was in American Heaven - a pot of silver! (minus the rainbow) Truly it was only a bowl of Hershey's Kisses, but chocolate is as good as any pot of gold or silver, isn't it?

Fergeal's additions!

Just gotta get a few things straightened out. My mom just got a CD full of photos...only another 286..that's all. She got a fab photo of them there Giants at the causeway.



Just look at those lips!!

I sneeked a look and found a photo of my mom. She hates photos of her but serves her right. You can see how tight she is holding on to me!!





Do I look like I am going to do a runner!!

Some of you have been asking about Toastie...well he is one special little bear. He came free in a winter survival pack from a well know tissue manufacturer. he came in a padded bag inn the post and all over the outside in big letters was written...

I'm here let me out!!

So we have always had to be real careful not to suffocate him.

He is a Hug me better bear

He has a hole in his back and inside him is a bag of wheat seeds that can be heated in the microwave and then when they are put back he is is Toastie warm inside.

Well the other advantage of the bag of seeds is that when he is going on holiday he can be eviscerated...ouch!! so he is very light. When he gets where he is going he usually gets a sock stuffed inside him to make him feel more human!

Here is a sketch she did of him in a jumper that he borrowed...





Here he is in real life on one of his holidays..crossing the Irish sea....



and on a coach. You should never travel without a stuffie!

Fergeal's Wonderful Weekend! Part 3.

The lady who had the Antique Lace brought in some more..this time bobbin lace. I had a good look. She said that it was ok to show these pictures. I wanted top learn as much as possible.





This one is Honiton Lace...gosh what eyesight they must have had.

There was a lady making bobbin lace



Good heavens all those bobbins!!

My mom was given a job...they told her to untangle all these threads!!! she didn't do it tho!!



The most fun that I had was when we went into a shop! and i found a lot of books that were soooh interesting.



Oh my he looks ugly!!, I never did find out what the truth was as she wouldn't buy it for me!



This one isn't quite so scary but doesn't look much like me.



But can ya see what it says on the back.. I am learning stuff here that I never knew !!!

Just in case ya can't read!! this is what it says.....


Leprechauns are supposed to know where pots of gold are buried and they guard this sectet very well. They are very hard to ensnare, and if you manage to catch one then you must hold him very firmly and never, even for a second, take your eyes off him, because in the blink of an eye he can dissapear and will use every trick he knows to escape..so be warned!!

Ooops! Brendan must have know this!! No wonder she held on to my feet at the Giants Causeway...as if I would!! Some of us know when we have a good thing going!!



One more book to read and this one looks like fun!

My mom showed me to the man behind the counter and he said that I was too tall to be a leprechaun...now how does he know that????
She told him tho', she said "He is a Cork Leprechaun, we breed them tall there!!"

See!!



Well she caught me trying to run off with this...so she bought it for me!!

I soon got rid of those chocolate imposters!.....



and now its MINE..all mine.





I'll be seeing ya!!

Gotta tell ya about Toastie tomorow...by request!

Fergeal's Wonderful Weekend! Part 2

I just found out while we were in the Bushmill's distillery that my name should be spelled Feargal and that it means Golden One....very appropriate I think. I found out also that i like a drop of whiskey...and a drop was all I got!!



We went on to the Giant's Causeway, somewhere I have always wanted to go...and we weren't disappointed. Here is proof!! I wuz there!!



They held on to me really tightly...I found out why later!!!





I think we saw some signs of the Giants.



Pretty scary!! I was really interested in the story of the Giants...this is what Wikepedia says..... remember Fionn is our grandson..this is another story about his namesake.

Legend has it that the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. One version of the legend tells that Fionn fell asleep before he got to Scotland. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Fionn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. In a variation, Fionn fled after seeing Benandonner's great bulk, and asked his wife to disguise him as the baby. In both versions, when Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Fionn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Fionn.

Another variation is that Oonagh painted a rock shaped like a steak and gave it to Benandonner, whilst giving the baby (Fionn) a normal steak. When Benandonner saw that the baby was able to eat it so easily, he ran away, tearing up the causeway.

The "causeway" legend corresponds with geological history in as much as there are similar basalt formations (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at the site of Fingal's Cave on the isle of Staffa in Scotland.


Oh man! we just couldn't stop taking photos. It was so funny when we heard a voice behind us say...."would you mind doing that again...I have never seen anything like that!!" So I was held up again in front of that wonderful view and he took my photo. I couldn't believe that he had never seen a leprechaun before. We are all over the place but you got to know where to look.

The bus driver told us a leprechaun story.... a woman went into a garden centre and asked for a leprechaun ( she really meant a garden gnome I think!) well the man behind the counter dashed to the door and ran outside. He came back a few minutes later and said "darn it they have all gone, there were 5 of them out there last time I looked!!"

We sure are slippery customers!



Isn't this amazing, I bet Brendan would enjoy coming here.

Fergal's wonderful weekend, part 1.

Oh my! I had SUCH a good time in Northern Ireland. I just never knew anything about the North of my Ireland. I expected it to be cold, being in the north and all...but in fact we had better weather than they did down south. It didn't rain at all the important times.

So what should I tell you about...
well firstly the food was delicious, just like me. Just look at the colours!




The room was plenty big enough for the three of us, 'her' and Toastie and me. You can just see Toastie peeping out of 'her' rucksack, 'she' always gives him plenty of air.



Well as you know i am a tatter but I decided to broaden my horizons and learn something new. First I tried to join the Guild, they asked if I was a good luck charm...huh!!



After that I laid low for a bit and just watched.



'Her' friend Carmel was doing something really interesting on a sort of roller. It looked fun so she let me take a peek.



Ok! I have gotta explain this one to you. First of all how to pronounce Youghal, it's Yawl. It's a seaside town in East Cork. This is what Lacefairy has to say about the lace:-

Of all the varieties of Irish lace that are known, Youghal lace is justly regarded as the most beautiful. It is at the same time the most difficult to make as it is worked stitch by stitch without any foundation. The Youghal lace industry had its birth in 1847, the Irish famine year. Mother Margret Smyth, a nun in the presentation, convent of County Cork, horror stricken at the sight of starting women and children around her, conceived the idea of starting some employment which might provide them with bread. But of what that employment should consist of perplexed mother Smyth. It so happens that one day, searching in out of the way nooks and corners, she chanced to light upon a scrap of rare old Italian lace. The moment of inspiration had come. Here was work which might yield bread for the poor hungry girls and children. That lovely scrap should be made to give up the secret of its construction. Setting to work, she picked the lace to pieces, unraveling it unraveling the thread, until at last she fully grasped all the details of the delicate and intricate pattern. Mother Smiths difficulties were however, by no means at an end. Her self imposed task was an arduous one; but at last, after many attempts and repeated disappointments she succeeded in establishing a school for lace which is now of European reputation.

It's a very difficult lace to make...I think as it has no foundation material to work on. That green stuff that you see does not become part of the lace. the stitches are worked on top of it.

Next I went to see what Jackie was working on....they were all doing a butterfly...'she' was doing a Carrickmacross mat...but she is so slow!!

Jackie was doing Tambour Lace and she let me have a go! She uses a hook and very fine thread. Can you see the Swallowtail Butterfly that she is copying. The net is stretched over a frame the Tambour like a drum and the hook draws the thread through the net to make a chain stitch.



See!!! aren't I the educated Leprechaun!!

Danny at Hector

Danny had a fine time at Hector though he was a little naughty. We realized he was missing from the table and finally found him in the vending area. I guess the bins of thread looked a lot like a playground ball pit.



Here he is checking out some of the silent auctions.