Festival of Bridges #9 ~ Someone’s Dad

I like to think that I’m not all that shockable but today’s contributor to The Festival of Bridges caught me off guard not just once but twice.

The contributor in question is Catherine Drea, who lives just a few miles from me here in Co. Waterford. She has just won the Photography Section in The Irish Blog Awards for the second year in a row with her delightfully creative and colourful blog, Foxglove Lane. Be sure to check it out as you are in for a huge treat.

I had been expecting a photograph from Ireland and more than likely somewhere in Co. Waterford but Catherine brings us to the other end of the earth, Australia, while highlighting its deep connections to Ireland. I was also stunned with the way in which the photograph she chose from her vast collection connected so completely with my interest in ageing and elderly parents. Here’s what she wrote:

My youngest lives in Sydney and I often wondered what the attraction was for our young people to head down under. Last year I finally made the trek and was bowled over by Sydney in particular. It is a stunning harbour dominated by the bridge on one side and the Opera House on the other. The situation is mesmerising.

I picked this photo for you Jean as it is called Someone’s Dad……This man caught my eye as like you I have a great affinity with older people and their stillness. The bridge constructed by the Irish and other immigrants who came here is a beautiful testament to their labour and now I know, Australia is awesome!!

Someone’s Dad
Photo: Catherine Drea

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The Festival of Bridges runs until October 31st. If you would like to take part, please email your submission to me at jeantubridy@aol.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Theme Thoughts

During my recent blogging break, I came to realise how I am drawn to the idea of posts that are written around specific themes. Last year, I found the whole concept of ‘Gatherings from Ireland’ to be a great way to harness my thoughts and I’m just loving two very different blogs that are using  specific themes this year.

The first is There is No Cavalry  in which David Milligan-Croft is writing a captivating  365- post series called: Things for which I am Grateful.  The second is,  that of my neighbour here in Co. Waterford, Foxglove Lane, who has chosen the interesting theme Pilgrimage on her brilliant photographic and writing blog.  Be sure to check out these blogs if they are new to you!

Sheep’s Bridge, Co. Waterford

I’ve been playing around with all sorts of possibilities but I keep coming back to the word Connection. For me, that’s what blogging is really all about ~ finding connections, building connections, seeing connections and,  of course, exploring the multitude of ways in which social bridges are built both within and between people, places, events, ideas, imaginings and a host of other things.

So, 2014 is going to be my year of Connections here on Social Bridge and I hope that it will be a journey which allows me to consolidate existing friendships and forge new ones with people from all across the globe.

Celebration of 300 ~ Gatherings from Ireland # 300

Festival of Colour, Creativity and Connection

This marks the 300th post in the Gatherings from Ireland series and I would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all those who have been so supportive and interactive on what is proving to be a fascinating journey that began last December.

I would like to mark the occasion by bringing you two photographs from Co. Waterford which were submitted by Catherine Drea to my November Festival of Colour, Creativity and Connection. 

I had long been an admirer of Catherine’s wonderfully evocative work on http://www.foxglovelane.com/ and love how she makes the point there that: Creativity feeds the soul and helps to illuminate the way.’

I was stunned and delighted to find that Catherine had decided to send photographs of Annestown here in Co. Waterford which is a place I love and one which I associate with precious holidays with my late parents when I was in my twenties.

Annestown, Co. Waterford

This is what Catherine wrote about the photographs:

Thought I would share pics of these colourful houses in Annestown. Maybe we forget how important our own human contribution is to colour in our environment? Isn’t it gorgeous how people paint their front doors and plant roses on their walls just to make this a more beautiful world?

Thatched Cottage, Annestown, Co. Waterford

I would be delighted to receive YOUR submissions to this  Festival of Colour, Creativity and C0nnection which is aimed at bringing warmth and light to November. I look forward to receiving your prose, poetry, photographs, artwork, songs ….. anything that spells Colour, Creativity and Connection to you. My email is jeantubridy@aol.com.

A Blogger’s Party in my Tramore Utility Room ~ Gatherings from Ireland # 25

View of the Metal Man from The Pier, Tramore, Co, Waterford

I am in the throes of cleaning out my ‘utility room’ ~ now that’s a nice term for a room that has reached the point of un-enterability. See, I even need to invent words to convey the absolute mountain of mess, memories, LP’s of the Moody Blues …, dust, rubbish, junk ….. that have amassed in this room which doesn’t even have the lovely Virginia Creeper that once adorned the walls with red, red leaves. What’s left, though, is a heap of dried up dead leaves after a clippers was let loose on the outside wall.

So what has all this to do with a Blogger’s Party? Well, I was having a little breather from the hard labour of ‘de-cluttering’ and happened on Tramore Tourism’s online paper where a number of our local blogger’s were featured.  Needless to say, I got stuck into reading their new posts and I ended up having a great exchange about the relief of reading blog posts as ‘diversion’ and how maybe I should have a Blogger’s Party to give them all insight into the wonders and inspiration that can be derived from ‘utility rooms’ like mine!

Thing is, I’ve been reading these people’s blogs for ages now and they are great.  We have award winners and all sorts here in the Tramore area. So let me recommend that you feast your eyes on this sample of the many blogs that relate to the area:

http://loneswimmer.com/

FOXGLOVE LANE

http://clarescott.wordpress.com

While you’re perusing these great blogs,  please make some jottings about what kind of a party I should have to entertain them. What do you think about a ‘Dive into the Utility Room Party’ or  a ‘Find some Foxglove under the Freezer Party’ or ………..????????????

After reading all about the wonders of  Tramore and its environs, you’ll see why my attentions have strayed from the dreaded Utility Room!