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the return of the rain
The one thing you can be guaranteed of in Ireland is that rain will always return. After a streak of stunning weather precipitation has swaggered across the land to reclaim its sovereignty. But rain has its beauties. I took that shot yesterday evening of water beads on a clover that was just beginning to flower. I love how the water forms tiny, perfect spheres that balance on the clover’s stubble. And how about that syrupy blob that’s ready to detach, which reflects the scene around it. Water is beautiful – when it isn’t a deluge or a flood, which is just terrifying. For the moment in Ireland it’s at manageable…
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green life
Flowers are pretty, but there is plenty of fresh green life that is beautiful at the moment. Like this trio: I love their fuzzy little siblings pushing up after them. I’m sure the older ones will complain they had it much harder… I have a particular fondness for light shining through the early leaves of spring. There is a vitality and optimism that you can almost inhale underneath their green haze. I love this image because it communicates some of that to me in an almost abstract way. The new leaves were jouncing about in a breeze. They were limp and hairy with youth, and flopped along with the rough…
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bealtaine blossoms
May 1st – the traditional date for the beginning of summer in Ireland – had a diffident start here, rather like the year. But it unfurled into beauty, so I got out this evening to take some snaps. The blossoms were sublime. A perfect tribute for Bealtaine. These are blackthorn blossoms. They are more individual than cherry blossoms which congregate together in grand clusters. This is from the tree in my front garden, which has just gone into bloom. These petals look like a divine fabric I would love to be clothed in. I liked the lighting and colour in this shot. What a glorious start to the summer!
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freshly minted leaves
I love the colour of freshly minted leaves after they break free from their sticky cocoons. They are soft, vunerable, and vividly green. The potential of a long summer shines in them, especially when golden evening light pours across their trembling veins. I took this shot from below, looking straight up at the leaf, suspended in all its glory. With much to watch in the undergrowth, and at eye level, in woodlands you can sometimes forget to look up, to the snatches of sky in between the looming treetops. Yesterday the wind gusted through the branches, and it sounded like the sea: waves crashed in the distance and washed up…
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where did the summer go?
This is one of my favourite flower photographs of the summer, taken on a rare hot day in Galway. There must be a miniature sun secreted in the folds of that rose to account for its Hollywood glow (no spray tan required). The image cheers me up as the days take on a duller, less L.A. sheen.