Cattapilla Dreaming

Headed off to County Kerry the other day to make a marmalade delivery and have a day out.  Left Kenmare and climbed up through the Kerry hills to Molls Gap, an isolated spot  and at this time of year free of coaches and cars.  Our destination was Avoca, a well known Irish shop and cafe.  But sadly not open yet so could only imagine the shop filled with soft vibrant woollen throws and rugs together with bright stylish clothes;  and I had already decided on my choice of salads to eat upstairs whilest gazing across the snow capped mountains.  That treat will have to wait!

But it was worth the drive as the day was clear and sunny and the deep blue sky was full of vapour trails, as if the planes had just come out of hibernation and were playing like birds catching the thermals

Back home I found  the stunning Iris reticulata finally in flower.  Which prompted me to find my favourite vases and give them a clean.  And so for the first time I used the Magic Balls!  These come from one of my favourite shops, Lakeland , and are tiny copper coloured balls that clean those impossible places like the inside of narrow vases that always get grubby.  I bought them ages ago knowing they’d be useful one day and they certainly were.  The two bubble vases I have are so good for displaying a single stem.  I have no idea where they came from, probably a charity shop, or anything about where they were made and when.

Back to the flower.  Irises are some of my favourite flowers and their perfection always surprises me.  The reticulata, so named for it’s net  like bulb surround, is normally in flower in early February so is a welcome sight.  I love the deep rich purply-blue with it’s splashes of yellow and white on the falls and it’s delicate sweet scent.  Back in 1937,  Vita Sackville -West encouraged  ’every flower-lover to grow a patch of the little reticulata somewhere in their garden’ and, as always, she was spot on.