magnolias

 I was walking around a neighbourhood in Dublin one day last week and was delighted to see a number of magnolia trees in bloom. It's definitely springtime. I had never actually seen magnolia trees until I moved to Ireland, though I was familiar with their existence from Billie Holiday's amazing song "Strange Fruit" (and I also enjoyed the Siouxsie and the Banshees post-punk cover in my youth). Since my move to this side of the world I have often seen these trees at this time of year and just love them.

What really surprised me in that neighbourhood though, was a magnolia hedge - something I had never encountered before.

In front of another house I saw a hedge that I almost identified as magnolia but then dubbed it an imposter as I thought the open blossoms were definitely not correct. I was wrong! When I got home I did a google search and discovered that this is simply a different species of magnolia with which I was unfamiliar. You really do learn something new every day!

I fully admit that I love magnolias and find them inspirational. There is a fabulous magnolia tree in the middle of town, in Bray, just down the street from where I lived for a few years. I did sketches of the tree and in 1999 my acrylic painting Magnolia (3' x4'//91.5 cm x 122 cm) was included in my exhibition Blessings. The painting was bought by my husband's uncle in the USA and is beautifully framed and residing in Iowa City.

Spring

One glorious day last week (18C!) I was down the town doing some errands, and really feeling like summer, never mind spring, was here. Magnolia and blossom trees were flowering beautifully. I expect there'll be petal pollution soon.

That same day, while waiting for a bus, I was simply delighted by the blue sky. Though the trees were still bare, they were noticeably budding and will be leafy very, very soon.

A huge part of spring, is the cleaning part. Actually, this attic work has been ongoing for a few months -- as I have been trying to reorganise my studio space for guests coming soon in a few weeks, and for me to get back to work in it following their departure.

These pictures of a disaster-area space are in stark contrast with the way it looks now! Many items have been recycled, thrown out, or homes have been found for them. It is very satisfying to go up to the attic studio and NOT see this anymore.

Another sign of spring is Mothering Sunday, i..e., Mother's Day here in Ireland (always in March, not in May like North America). I am a mother and this is my bouquet of spring flowers.