Ruby

Dans la famille de Ruby je voudrais le père 

pas difficile de le trouver 

il est tout entier dans ses yeux ! 

If you look for her father you will find him in her eyes


Dans la famille de Ruby je voudrais le grand-père

pas difficile non plus , elle a pris le plus merveilleux 

quel bonheur pour moi  de les voir tous les deux 

As a grand father, she simply has picked out the very best 

Pendant que dans les Cévennes

Loïs, Maria et Lila ont aussi passé de merveilleuses vacances et bien grandi.

While in the Cévennes , in France, not far from Nîmes, Loïs, Maria and Lila had all the space and the love to grow .

A peine arrivés, déjà repartis

Ainsi font font font mes amours d'enfants. Une virée a Roundstone, deux petits tours dans le hot tub, trois marches sur les plages, des dizaines de sauts et voilà que déjà on refait les bagages avec quelques souvenirs en plus. Benjamin et Nicolas portent les prénoms des deux jeunes garçons que je gardais à New York quand j'avais 20 ans ! Ben et Nicky dit Nico , 47 ans plus tard ... Ils s'en sont donné à cœur joie et ont fait, entre autres, des colliers de coquillages entre deux jeux de cartes ou de ballon . Camille plus tranquille reste plus volontiers entre mère et grand-mère mais tous trois nourrissent les chevaux de carottes, cueillent les mûres, dévorent les crêpes et les custards !

To morrow already they will be gone. I will stay until sept 3rd. When I was 20, I was "au pair " in NY for 2 young chaps named Benjamin and Nicholas : Ben et Nicky . 47 years later those new young Ben et Nico bring back lots of memories. My grandson and his friend had a ball here between shrimps, balloon, jumps, cards, shells neck lesses and crazy hot tubs! Camille is more often by her mother's or grand mother's side but all of us are craving for custard !!!

Les voilà

C'est bien de débarquer à 10H30 du matin à Shannon. Trois heures plus tard on est à table. C'est qu'il y a un bon bout d'autoroute maintenant entre Shannon et Galway. Schluss sur les bigorneaux fraîchement ramassés, sur les rochers, sur les coquillages. Les journées passent à vive allure.

Entre la plage, la pêche aux crevettes, les escalades, et bien sûr, les jeux vidéos !!! Tout ce petit monde s'en va demain déjà.

The week is passing by very quickly . Crabs and shrimps to pick up , dunes or rocks to escalate , videos .. We are very lucky with the weather .

Granny off the road

Aujourd'hui deux de mes petits-enfants vont arriver en vacances.
Ils sont déjà rentrés d'Angleterre, de Grèce , de Sicile, ces veinards et viennent maintenant avec leur maman, se réaccoutumer au gris ! Camille a plus de 12 ans maintenant et Nicolas bientôt 10. Il vient avec son ami Ben . Les rochers vont se faire marcher dessus ! Il y aura les séances au golf , les balades à cheval sur la plage, le billard et les fléchettes au pub en sirotant du cidona, un petit tour en canoë sans doute, des fous rires dans le loft et des hot tubs ... Le pur bonheur quoi ! Comme d'habitude . Je suis aux fourneaux déjà pour le traditionnel welcoming irish stew !!!!

After 2 weeks in England, one week in Greece and 2 weeks in Sicily, to day Camille and Nicolas, who is bringing his best friend Ben, will arrive in Ireland with their Mam for a week of pure delight. They love those irish holydays synonymous of climb the rocks, canoe in the bay, ride on the beach, golf course ,pool or arrows in the pub sipping cidona, sleeping in the loft , washing in the hot tub while I play the fairy in the kitchen . The welcoming irish stew is already on, mind you !

Fleurs de saison

Ma cousine Martine dite Tartine, dite Mimine avant de quitter l'Ann Moor a planté un mini jardin de bégonias jaunes, de campanules, une forme de de myosotis en bordure du persil et de la menthe, et sous les feuilles, un bout de roc en forme de cœur. De quoi réjouir la nature qui du coup se montre généreuse. Les montbretias se courbent gracieusement au moindre souffle, les fuchsias versent en abondance leur larmes de clochettes. Les jumbo perrenials, sorte de lupins, ont régalé les vaches de passage. Ne restent que les tiges en souvenir de fête !

My cousin Martine before leaving the place planted a mini garden here for me with jumbo perrenials that the cows just adored! With campanules and begonias , with a border of tiny blue flowers and a stone heart hidden under the mint's leaves by the parsley's bunches ! Around Nature is festive as well : the montbricias are floatting in the wind , the fushias are crying their beauty out. Lovely to be here.

Pour commencer: langouste

Je n'étais pas là depuis deux heures que Marty livrait la langouste que nous avons dégustée hier au soir Hagen, Nylka et moi . Il avait aussi apporté des maqueraux juste pêchés et du lieu en quantité . MIAAMMMM!

I had just opened the door when Marty brought this huge old crayfish and some pollock and some fresh mackerels ...Back to the treats !

Home

J'y suis !

En vacances

Je suis sortie de l'atrium, de la cage aux travaux. Fidelma et moi avons relu, rectifié, amélioré nos cinq cents pages, serti le texte au mieux, servi le but... Reste beaucoup beaucoup de travail de biblio, d'illustration et de photos... Mais moi je suis en vacances. Je rentre à Ballyconneely où la plus jeune de mes filles et ses deux petits me rejoindront dimanche, pour une semaine.

We finish our 12 days of work at 12 hours a day . Reading, chopping, chiseling. We will need an other 12 days somewhere this fall and then , the jewel soon will be ready to be delivered overseas ! Meanwhile I am in holliday!!!! I am flying to my Bally....

Au Castle Ellen

Alors je suis rentrée chez Micheal (prononcez Mihaul) par la porte de Micheal. 
C'était la porte d'un château. 
Nous y venions en récréation du dimanche soir pour un partage historique et littéraire.
Et là en plus de la musique gaëlique offerte par deux jeunes violonistes , en plus des grosses bougies d'église et du feu vif dans la belle cheminée, en plus du vin et du dîner il n'y avait , moi mise à part, que des gens (une quinzaine), jeunes pour la plupart, qui parlaient le gaëlic. Leur amour de la langue, leur conscience du pays, la passion de Micheal pour cette propriété qu'il restaure et maintient seul depuis 36 ans m'ont transportée le temps d'une soirée dans un autre siècle, l'avant dernier sans doute.C'est sans doute comme ça qu'étaient reçus les visiteurs étrangers par la gentry ! Ce qui était bien là, c'est qu'il n'y avait plus d'Anglais à servir et à desservir ! Nous étions "entre Gaëls" ...

We went Fidelma and I to have diner in a castle in the Galway area. On top of the candles, the fire, the wine,  we had a lovely concert  before diner and a talk after . I learnt and enjoyed this special evening  a lot but the nicest thing was to see all those young poeple speaking gaëlic ...I supposed in the past centuries when foreign visitors would travel the country the gentry would receive them that way ...with generosity and style.Thank you Micheal.

Sa porte

ON ENTRE CHEZ QUELQU'UN PAR SA PORTE A LUI 

ET NON PAR LA NÔTRE     ( d'un illustre inconnu) 

Far away, long ago

Oh comme cette Irlande là qui abritait un bonheur simple, un courage inouï me touche.

Chaque ruine encore retient les blessures de l'histoire mais aussi l'inoubliable musique des origines .

'fore I go

Your breath is sweet
Your eyes are like two jewels in the sky.
Your back is straight, your hair is smooth
On the pillow where you lie.
But I don't sense affection
No gratitude or love
Your loyalty is not to me
But to the stars above.

One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.

Your daddy he's an outlaw
And a wanderer by trade
He'll teach you how to pick and choose
And how to throw the blade.
He oversees his kingdom
So no stranger does intrude
His voice it trembles as he calls out
For another plate of food.

One more cup of coffee for the road,
One more cup of coffee 'fore I go
To the valley below.

Your sister sees the future
Like your mama and yourself.
You've never learned to read or write
There's no books upon your shelf.
And your pleasure knows no limits
Your voice is like a meadowlark
But your heart is like an ocean
Mysterious and dark.

One more cup of coffee for the road,

posted by Nicholas Bergery

Lyrics by Bob Dylan 1975,1976 Ram's Horn Music

How to say "NO"

 



7 Simple Ways To Say “NO"
Rather than avoid it altogether, it’s all about learning the right way to say no. After I began to say no to others, I realized it’s really not as bad as I thought. The other people were very understanding and didn’t put up any resistance. Really, the fears of saying no are just in our mind.

If you are not sure how to do so, here are 7 simple ways for you to say no. Use the method that best meets your needs in the situation.

1. “I can’t commit to this as I have other priorities at the moment.”

If you are too busy to engage in the request/offer, this will be applicable. This lets the person know your plate is full at the moment, so he/she should hold off on this as well as future requests. If it makes it easier, you can also share what you’re working on so the person can understand better. I use this when I have too many commitments to attend to.

2. “Now’s not a good time as I’m in the middle of something. How about we reconnect at X time?”

It’s common to get sudden requests for help when you are in the middle of something. Sometimes I get phone calls from friends or associates when I’m in a meeting or doing important work. This method is a great way to (temporarily) hold off the request. First, you let the person know it’s not a good time as you are doing something. Secondly, you make known your desire to help by suggesting another time (at your convenience). This way, the person doesn’t feel blown off.

3. “I’d love to do this, but …”

I often use this as it’s a gentle way of breaking no to the other party. It’s encouraging as it lets the person know you like the idea (of course, only say this if you do like it) and there’s nothing wrong about it. I often get collaboration proposals from fellow bloggers and business associates which I can’t participate in and I use this method to gently say no. Their ideas are absolutely great, but I can’t take part due to other reasons such as prior commitments (#1) or different needs (#5).

4. “Let me think about it first and I’ll get back to you.”


This is more like a “Maybe” than a straight out “No”. If you are interested but you don’t want to say ‘yes’ just yet, use this. Sometimes I’m pitched a great idea which meets my needs, but I want to hold off on committing as I want some time to think first. There are times when new considerations pop in and I want to be certain of the decision before committing myself. If the person is sincere about the request, he/she will be more than happy to wait a short while. Specify a date / time-range (say, in 1-2 weeks) where the person can expect a reply.

If you’re not interested in what the person has to offer at all, don’t lead him/her on. Use methods #5, #6 or #7 which are definitive.

5. “This doesn’t meet my needs now but I’ll be sure to keep you in mind

If someone is pitching a deal/opportunity which isn’t what you are looking for, let him/her know straight-out that it doesn’t meet your needs. Otherwise, the discussion can drag on longer than it should. It helps as the person know it’s nothing wrong about what he/she is offering, but that you are looking for something else. At the same time, by saying you’ll keep him/her in mind, it signals you are open to future opportunities.

6. “I’m not the best person to help on this. Why don’t you try X?”

If you are being asked for help in something which you (i) can’t contribute much to (ii) don’t have resources to help, let it be known they are looking at the wrong person. If possible, refer them to a lead they can follow-up on – whether it’s someone you know, someone who might know someone else, or even a department. I always make it a point to offer an alternate contact so the person doesn’t end up in a dead end. This way you help steer the person in the right place.

7. “No, I can’t.”

The simplest and most direct way to say no. We build up too many barriers in our mind to saying no. As I shared earlier in this article, these barriers are self-created and they are not true at all. Don’t think so much about saying no and just say it outright. You’ll be surprised when the reception isn’t half as bad as what you imagined it to be.

Learn to say no to requests that don’t meet your needs, and once you do that you’ll find how easy it actually is. You’ll get more time for yourself, your work and things that are most important to you. I know I do and I’m happy I started doing that.

Celes writes at The Personal Excellence Blog on how to achieve our highest potential and live our best life. Get her free ebook “101 Things To Do Before You Die” by signing up for her free newsletter.7 Simple Ways To Say “No”

Saying “no” doesn’t have to be hard. Image source

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Celestine Chua of The Personal Excellence Blog. 

Think....Sink

Think of things that disappear

Think of what you love best
what brings tears into your eyes


Something what says "adios" to you
before you knew what it meant

or how long it was for

Naomi Shihab Nye

Pense à ce qui a disparu

Pense à ce que tu aimes le plus
à ce qui te fait venir les larmes aux yeux.
Quelque chose qui t'a dit "adieu" 
avant que tu  ne saches ce que ça représentait  
ou combien de temps ça durerait...

 

Flexibilité

« La vie est un mouvement. Plus il y a de vie plus il y a de flexibilité,

Plus vous êtes fluide plus vous êtes vivant »

Arnaud Desjardins

Dreams again

Fauché sur facebook
Merci Guillaume.

Un message de Némo

Plages ...de temps

Deux plages si différentes: celle-ci est celle de l'île d'Aran dans le Connémara
L'autre dans le Pacifique
Moi je cherche des plages de temps d'où je pourrais m'en balancer
Et aller PRESENTEMENT du rêve dépassé à la future Réalité


Such different beaches , one is in Ireland ( in the Aran) , the other by the Pacific
I am loooking for a blue inner beach where I could walk presently from past dreams towards future Reality

Illuminé!

Three dead bodies turn up at the mortuary, all with very big smiles on their faces. The coroner calls the police to tell them what has happened.

'First body: Pierre Dubois, Frenchman, 60, died of heart failure while making love to his 20-year old mistress. Hence the enormous smile, Inspector', says the Coroner.

'Second body: Hamish Campbell, Scotsman, 25, won £50,000 on the lottery, spent it all on whisky.. Died of alcohol poisoning, hence the smile.'

The Inspector asked, 'What about the third body?'

'Ah,' says the coroner, 'this is the most unusual one. Paddy Murphy, Irish, 30, struck by lightning.'

'Why is he smiling then?' inquires the Inspector.

'He thought he was having his picture taken'..

Ushi still in Tahiti

Ushi est une magnifique artiste peintre qui vit à Tahiti
Elle poste régulièrement sur Facebook de magnifiques photos
J'ai dormi dans cette pièce sur l'eau il y aura 4 ans en septembre
Le matin je n'avais qu'à me jeter à l'eau
presque par la fenêtre !
J'ai vu ces plages et cet atoll
Merci Ushi de ramener tous ces beaux souvenirs au pays des fées où je suis en bordure de la pluie.
Chez toi tout est bleu et ici tout est vert. Et pourtant tout est rose n'est-ce pas ?




Ushi is a wonderful painter living in Tahiti. She posted those beautiful pictures on FB . I slept in that room 4 years ago and saw those beaches and flowers and this atoll . Thank you dear Ushi for bringing such precious meories into my life . Where you are all seems blue. Where I am all is green . And still we see the life in pink , don't we ?




FLUENT

I would love to live
Like a river flows
Carried by the surprise
Of its own unfolding.

John O'Donoghue

Then the flower spoke and says : so why don't you ?