Both of them make great company – Noah wants to share pretty much all his food with you, while three-year-old Ethan randomly bursts out with adorable things like “I love you so much!” and “Can you come over and play Super Mario on the Wii, four player?” He wasn’t a fan of my Connect4 tactics though, and kept scolding me for blocking him.

Something about the straight lines of the stems, the soft, hazy purple tones, and the possibility that a bee might not ever be far off makes it impossible for me to walk by any without taking a picture. There were tufts of lavender dotted all around Treebones, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

Then we went for a wander around the gorgeous grounds and into their organic gardens, where lots of what we’d eaten for dinner the night before was grown.

I can’t wait to post more snaps, hope you enjoyed these.

I’m going to start halfway through the trip, with some shots from our stay at Treebones Resort. It’s a self-sustained ‘glamping’ resort along the Big Sur California. There are no rooms – instead we stayed in ‘yurts’, which are kind of like fancy tents (and I’m not talking Electric Picnic fancy; these things come with double beds, heaters, sinks and skylights!) which boast spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.

Treebones is completely off the grid, and stepping onto it, you kind of go off the grid too. We got there late in the evening, but made sure to get up early to catch the sunrise.

I posted some shots of my lil’ nephew Noah at eight weeks last August, so thought it would be fun to post pics of him at eight months too, from a quick and spontaneous session (on the kitchen table no less). Isn’t he dotey? He’s super smiley and happy, and a natural poser. Hobbies include grabbing for anything within reach, including his big brother and Dudi, the family dog.

I’ll start with Karen and Paul’s, a warm, fun and colourful affair in Ballintaggart House, Dingle, Co Kerry.

There were so many great details – Karen’s bright blue vintage dress, adorable hand-made bunting, incredible details, pretty mis-matched china (from the ever-incredible Pearl & Godiva), soft and natural floral arrangements and a mouth-watering dessert table.

Some pics from the day below.

Karen and Paul, thank you so much again for making me feel so welcome and for letting me be a part of your day. Also, major thanks and props to Ben for shooting alongside me, and making the day a whole lot easier.

*Update*

I’ll continue to update this post with vendor deets as I get them!

Venue: Ballintaggart House, Dingle, Co Kerry.

Vintage china and styling: Pearl & Godiva

Dress: Vintage, sourced by Dirty Fabulous.

Litte being the operative word here. Just a quick post to wish you all a very happy, relaxing, lovely Christmas and sparkling, fun-filled new year. I’ll be spending the day with my family, including my much doted-on nephews –  this little bundle of cuteness, and his very excited three year old brother who is getting a “very big, red, big bike” from Santa.

Just a couple of days after the present unwrapping and turkey eating I will be boarding a plane with Ben and heading on a 12-day road trip across California’s West Coast. We’ll be taking in San Francisco, the Big Sur, Paso Robles, San Diego and LA. Needless to say, I’m insanely excited, both for the amazing sights and tastes that await us, and for the opportunity to spend time hanging out with one of the funniest, loveliest people I know (who just so happens to be as big a photo nerd as I am). The blog will be quiet for a little while, but expect an explosion of shots when I return in January.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting, and see you in 2012!

I got a really lovely DM on Twitter from someone who has been having a hard time recently, telling me that they’ve enjoyed the blog. So to that lovely person, I really hope these pics cheer you up – they certainly brought a smile to my face.

Every autumn, as the temperature drops and the rain kicks in, I have a similar-ish routine – dig out every old scarf I’ve ever owned, ever, buy a very bright umbrella, hunt for that adorable pair of mittens from last winter (and fail, leading to a mitten spree in Accessorize) and dust off this old recipe for Mexican broth. It’s nourishing, warming, and tasty – the perfect thing to tuck into as rain rattles against the window. Plus, the addition of fresh red chilli is great for clearing fuzzy, under-the-weather heads.

I posted it before on an old blog from a couple of years ago, but thought I’d update and re-post. Find it after the jump, and hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!

You’ll need (for 2 people, plus a bit left over for lunch the next day):

• For the soup

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped or grated

a few stalks of celery, chopped

2 chicken breasts

1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped

1 small carrot, cut into slices

1/2 litre of chicken stock (I use 1 Knorr cube)

salt and pepper

1 lime

• For the rice

1/2 cup of rice

1/4 onion

1 chicken stock cube

• For the topping

3-4 cherry tomatoes

2-3 spring onions

A handful of hopped (or a pinch of dried) coriander

1/2 lime + 1 lime for serving

salt and pepper

–

To make the rice:

Add a bit of olive oil to a hot saucepan. Then, add in the onion and fry until softened and lightly golden. Add the rice and fry it just a tiny bit – let it get coated in the oil. Then break up the stock cube and add that in, making sure no clumps are left (a little water helps here). Once the stock cube is well blended in, add in the requisite amount of boiling water, as per your pack’s instructions. Let it cook while you do the soup, then drain and set aside (covered). This is rice the way my mum cooks it and it also goes really well with fajitas.

To make the soup:

Season the chicken (I usually go for salt, pepper, and cayenne with a bit of lime juice), grill and chop into bite-size pieces.

For the broth, heat a glug of olive oil in a medium-sized pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion, cook until softened, then add in the chilli, carrots, and garlic. After a few minutes, add in the 1/2 litre of stock. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Here, I normally add in about a tablespoon of Chipotles en Adobo, a salsa which can be found at the Sabores de Mexico stand in Temple Bar’s Meeting House Square on Saturdays. It’s not necessary, but it does gives it a nice kick.

Add the cooked chicken and leave on the heat while you mix up the topping.

To make the topping:

Roughly chop and mix the tomatoes and spring onions, then add a pinch of salt, pepper, coriander and the juice of half a lime. For a bonus kick, add some finely chopped red chilli.

Serve it up: Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the rice into a deep bowl. Ladle in the soup, add a tablespoon of topping, serve with the juice of a quarter of a lime. Enjoy!

(PS - Taco, Taco, the Mexican stall in the Epicurean Food Hall, on Abbey Street, do something similar (but much better) – it’s called Caldo Talpeño and costs around €3.50. Total bargain.