Long Lost Summer
It’s been a few months since I’ve been here - hello to everyone who reads my (shamefully infrequent) blog posts! I was meant to improve my blogging skills this year, but as we’re all too aware New Years’ resolutions are only made to be broken.
I do have a valid excuse however. I’ve been working on a few exciting projects the last few months which have eaten up a sizeable portion of my spare time. Personal projects have had to be sidelined, hobbies were largely ignored, and new shop products were shelved. As a freelancer, sometimes our schedules have to be moved around to prioritise deadlines and career-fulfilling projects. However having said that, it is also important to take a break away from work - which is something I find quite difficult to do. When you have a career which is also a passion/hobby/love, it can be strange to establish a day or a week which does not involve drawing or researching creative ideas.
I’m lucky that my twin sister lives on an idyllic farm deep in the Irish countryside. It’s such a relief to leave the claustrophobic constraints of suburban Dublin, and to venture out to rolling fields and secret forests where hardly a soul calls home. My imagination and heart is completely revived by solitude and a blanket of rich green nature.
The colourful tapestries of tufted fields are always a delight to wander through, especially during the summer months when the fields are dried-out from the warm sunny days. Whenever I explore the fields, I’m always followed by a farm kitty, or two. They show me the best paths to ramble, and the best views to gaze over.
Biddy and Chubbers traverse through the flowing tendrils of lush grasses. They squeak and meow their way through a wall of green, and I have to squeak and meow back to them so they can find me! The grass was so long it was almost like wading through deep restorative waters.
While in the countryside, I like to visit one of my favourite places, Florence Court. It is a hidden gem within old red brick walls and ancient woodlands. I feel like I’m transported back in time, and I imagine the secret garden and the rose cottage are my own.
I’m endlessly fascinated by old buildings and the worn textures of their exteriors. The varying ruby and terracotta tones of a brick wall, or the jigsaw puzzle cobblestones tug at my imagination and enter my minds sketchbook.
Who doesn’t love cottages and secret walled gardens? They appear in my favourite books, and stepping into Florence Court means I get to vicariously ramble through the pages of the most beautiful story.
I hope you find some time (and excuses) to holiday this year, and experience a moment away from ‘the real world.’ ~ Rachel x