1//2013 He is here.

Well, he's actually been here for 5 weeks at this point - he's grown quite a bit and lost a lot of hair since this photo was taken. I never imagined the time would go by so quickly, though we do little more than eat, sleep and change nappies (diapers). We are incredibly lucky to have a very chilled little fella who rarely makes a fuss. His mum and dad are completely and utterly in love.

Donnacha was a bigun... 9lbs 11oz, almost 22inches tall, and was too big for many of his clothes from the start. Thankfully all the things I made for him still fit, though I need to get to work on more! The mammy-made object I've been happiest with is the puerperium cardigan, knit with Madelinetosh Tosh Merino DK (in denim and candlewick). Both the pattern and the wool are a joy - I'm going to cast on a larger size as soon as I have a chance! I'll make the next one stripey too; just like babies, I love stripes!

#FEBphotoaday

I came across the February photo-a-day challenge on Fat Mum Slim... it's just what I need! Today's assignment: your view today. Nice and easy!

The photo captures my computer (my view everyday), a pleasingly (or challengingly) full fruit bowl, and my Elizabeth Zimmermann "Knitting Without Tears" book. I have been attempting to knit a Seamless Hybrid sweater for Simon for about 4 months now, and cannot vouch for the "without tears" part. I don't have particularly extensive knitting experience but it is definitely the hardest thing I've tried so far, with a whole lot of frogging going on. Hopefully I will write a post all about it when I'm finished. If that ever happens!

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A habit, even one as ill-formed as mine, once broken even for a few days takes a long time to re-establish. Is it a cliché to say that "blogging more" is a new year's resolution? Ah well, I can only try.

So what of 2010? There are so many aspects of the year's end that I want to remember... the last-minute crafts and presents, the time spent running around Ireland to spend time with friends and family. But something I'll never forget is the weather. Ireland experienced the coldest December on record, and during the week preceding Christmas day, it seemed that the temperature never rose above 0 Celsius. There was travel chaos for many - we were lucky we had taken early holidays and made it home before the craziness began. The snow and ice made for some amazing photographs though - with everything appearing frozen solid, and a steaming-warm sea (so (relatively) warm that I even could take a dip on Christmas Day!).

The windscreen, early in the morning.

Barnesmore and Donegal Bay.

Benbulben.

A hungry robin. My mum kept the birds well-fed!

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Assaroe Lake, frozen (almost) solid.

Béal Átha Seanaidh.

A very cold Rory Gallagher.

A steamy sea, Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day Dip!

You have to start somewhere..

And where better than with this..

Look how fantastically shiny the chocolate filling is before it's cooked! The recipe is from one of my favorite cooking blogs, smitten kitchen. So far, every recipe I've tried from that blog has been absolutely scrumptious - Deb (the author) has a real gift, and her incredible food photography (food porn!) makes my mouth water.

In order to make the tart taste extra good, I did two things: I used these fantastically delicious ginger snap cookies, called Anna's Swedish Ginger Thins (about a packet and a half), and Lindt Bittersweet chocolate (not cheap, considering you need 12oz. But worth it!!).

Before I could snap a picture of the cooked tart, it was all gobbled up with some whipped cream, and washed down with beer, and friends.

So... who am I and why am I here? I'm not 100% sure yet, but I've been in the contemplation phase of blogging for so long now, it's time to be brave and just get stuck in! I really hope to come here as often as I can to write about life and the stuff it's packed with, to help keep track of all the good stuff as it goes whizzing by.