In the beginning, there was Carrick, quietly huddled onto the majestic river Shannon, which was the olden day when it was almost impossible to get a decent cuppa in town. Then, there was The Dock, a magnificent centre for the arts emerging within the shell of the town’s former courthouse. And there am I, never a local, but never a stranger, my father has not worked the Irish land, but here it is where my daughter will get her first kiss and my sons play hide and seek in the field as if it always has been their own. Remember those summers 1995, ’96, with a full blazing sun for weeks on end? That was when this country became my home, it seems a lifetime away, and today I endure the rain like all of us…

I am finally getting around uploading the pictures from the girls night last week, ladies night in the Leitrim Design house followed by The Nualas in The Dock, and what pleasure it was! Leitrim based Milliner David Ballantine and crew charmed all of us ladies with his new creations of quirky and approachable hats, while Caroline Murray from Turning Heads was there to show us her latest hair and make-up tricks.  I had done all the girlie bits at home already so I didn’t give the latter a try but every lady emerging of Caroline’s chair and hands looked sparkling and happy, next time I know to turn up bare-faced! But what I did realize on the night, there is a hat for every face, I would have put a bet on it that like so not one single hat will sit right on that head of mine, but the Milliner and friends proved me wrong and herewith I am correcting myself: I do have a hat face after all! Was hoping to win the raffle for the kinky prize of David’s, but since I never really win anything -surprise surprise- the lucky girl was someone else.. The Design House was packed, glasses clinking, and the level of chatter reached more the noise level of a Dublin Pub at this stage of the eve, am loving it, there is life in our Carrick when you don’t go looking!

Have you heard of Google Sketch-Up yet? Well, I hadn’t, so I made sure I tagged along to Leitrim-based Designer Gordon Ryan’s Workshop/Class last Saturday to check it out. I have done the whole designing  a kitchen thing, but in the cute and long-winded old-fashioned way of using a sharpened pencil and countless wads of paper… so Google Sketch-Up (I have to admit) blew my mind! It is a free and amazingly well developed drafting program, but no, that doesn’t even begin to describe it! Talking ALL dimensions here, designing rooms, furniture, anything that takes your fancy and checking it out from all sides and angles, playing with ideas till your head spins from unknown possibilities… Gordon gave us 3 hours to get introduced to the program, and even though I am not from yesterday I have to say that introduction was needed and greatly appreciated by everybody in the group! Looks like I got to find a new project to put that new-found tool into action, once you start playing around with it it’s hard to stop, Gordon showed us the most basic steps all the way through class and then let us loose onto little mini projects on our laptops, what joyful mistake making and getting it right eventually!. I don’t think I did so well with measuring the room we sat in and translating it into the program, but my 3D sofa design was pretty cool for a first, I don’t think Ikea is doing so much better… The idea is to get a group together and maybe meet weekly or fortnightly to work on own projects in a kind of studio/workshop atmosphere, with Gordon mentoring the crowd and teaching us the little tricks up his sleeves, that way the costs would be something along the lines of a weekly Yoga class, which is not really breaking the bank just yet. Self-builders, renovators, those planning a new kitchen or furniture arrangements or any old room for that matter, Artists and Crafts People, Designers and Engineers… step forward, this class is for you, here is where you’ll be working with a fantastic tool for expressing design ideas, drawing discussion and pricing… the class is for absolute beginners, all you need is your own laptop, and it seems I was the last person in the county who didn’t own one, so that should be no problem for you either! If you are interested please leave a comment here or contact Gordon directly under 085 156 7807… Or for more info log on to www.inspirationalhomes.com.

I don’t think there is any need to introduce Duke Special (even though it was a first live show for me), he was eagerly awaited, played to a full house here at The Dock last night, and a pretty late night it turned into, well done Duke Special and Band for this extraordinary show, for the songs and music, and the laughter… It was actually the opening night of his tour to introduce the new album, and between old and new songs the hours just flew by, and somewhat it seemed that all the people I know were in that audience, bar one or two that is…

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