Back home the temps have dropped. Rick has been keeping the home fires burning, the animals well fed, and the paths shoveled. Here in Ireland, the weather has taken a turn, and the wind and rain (serious wind and rain!) prevail. Picnics are off the list for a day or so. Our plan was to head over to Rossbeigh or to Kells beach in search of lichens for wool dyeing. Perhaps not a good day to be scurrying around on wet slippery rocks. So it looks like we’ll be hunkering down here at home and making bone broth. I guess if we’re not going to be gathering and boiling a pot of lichens to dip wool into, then we may as well simmer a batch of bones. Why am I cooking bones? How about this, I’ll go ahead and cook up some bone broth today, and in the next day or so , I’ll post some pictures and include an explanation of its health benefits. For now, I’ll just go ahead and share with you a few photos from our time spent up in the hills of Treanmanagh. 
Feb
17
2016
Fernwood Nursery & Gardens 
Hi Denise! The pictures are wonderful! Miss you and hope you’re enjoying the lushness of Ireland.
I’m very close to the Sahara here so it’s very desert-y. I’ve been missing the beauty and moisture of the forest so these photos make me happy.
Enjoy the rest of your trip. Hope you and Sally are sharing lots of laughs!
Best,
Hannah
Hi Hannah,
Yes, we are having a great time here in Ireland, as usual…always plenty of fun and laughter. Hope you are enjoying your travels in Africa…cannot wait to hear!!
Glad to hear you and Sally are having fun! The lichen dying interests me!
I have been trying to keep a blog so if you have time to check it out its hannahisabroad.wordpress.com
Best,
Hannah
I’ll check that out Hannah…hope you are having a good time as well…see you soon, I hope. we all miss you!
You are having altogether way too much fun and food! Everything looks gorgeous! My yarn is wonderful from you! I am knitting up the first skein and loving it!
Hi Amy, My last hooray before the busy season of gardening, the nursery, and teaching classes in the new studio. Glad you like the yarn, so good to hear…the 2nd skein should be arriving any day, if it hasn’t already. Nice to hear from you!
Pam, I think so, too! What could be more sweet and hopeful than that tray of brightly colored blooms?!
It will be a few more months before blooms here in Maine…but they will appear!
ohhhhh how gorgeous/yummy; the scenery and the snacks! :)))))
You would love it, Melody…put a visit to Ireland on your list!
I’m sorry to hear that the weather isn’t cooperating. I’m sure Rick told you that it’s now ridiculously warm in Maine. Felt like real spring today. You have the most amazing (and photogenic) picnics. It seems almost a shame to destroy such beauty by eating it. I don’t know what is in the jars but–being Ireland–the lovely words “clotted cream” come to mind.
The weather turns off and on here pretty quickly. We’ve had one full day of rain but the other days have been quite nice. The jars are filled with berries and fresh Irish yogurt..the best, yum! and a base layer of the remainder of a plum gingerbread we made.
Darn, I was hoping for clotted cream! But the plum gingerbread makes up for it.
You made the best of the sunshine. We had to empty out our rain gauge today–full up with five inches of rain already this month. And just discovered a hole in my wellies! Any tips on mending? Look forward to reading about your bone broth. My intro to it was via Sally Fallon’s ‘Nourishing Traditions’ cookbook, but have still never made it. Perhaps your next post will inspire me to give it a go at last. Hugs to you and Sally…so close, yet so far away. Stay dry and enjoy your time in the kitchen girls!!
Gorgeous. But, I really, really want what’s in the glass jar with the handle and then I’d like to keep the jar please. š