We spend a glorious spring weekend
at Tollymore forest.
Our holiday house
is the gate lodge –
pastel-pink and white
with church-style windows –
charming!
Step through the gate
and there we are,
right in the grounds
of Tollymore!

Dawn walks
while the busy world sleeps
and birds chorus.
Grass tinted silver
by early morning dew.
Tall shadows
striding before us
like giant match-stick men.
Red squirrels bounding gracefully
out of sight.

Afternoon walks
in warm sunshine
where we gaze in wonder
at huge expanses of bluebells
which form a purple haze
among the trees.

Dusk walks
in soft rain
where we spot timid deer
who watch cautiously
for a moment
before slipping silently
into shadows.

A whole weekend
for our wee family
to explore Tollymore
at any time of the day
or night.

Peaceful, beautiful,
bluebell-full.
Thank You, Lord!

© Claire Murray, 8th May 2023

Our daughter, Niamh,
has arranged to go litter-picking
and I go along with her
to lend a helping hand.
We grab litter-pickers, gloves
and rubbish bags
before dandering off
to the big roundabout
near our home.

The sun shines down on us
and it feels like summer!

Then, the work begins.
Red Bull tins and Coke tins,
chocolate wrappers and crisp bags,
coffee cups and McDonalds’ bags,
cigarette butts and disposable vapes
and plastic bottles
in all shapes and sizes!

Dry rubbish and sodden rubbish,
mucky rubbish and shiny rubbish,
all gathered and bagged
as cars pass constantly
and motorway traffic thunders
overhead.

All of this bending and bagging
is hard work
and reminds me
of one of my Daddy’s favourite sayings –
“hard work’s not easy
and easy work’s hard to find!”
(How right he is!)

And yet, there is time for laughter
as jokes and smiles are shared
and as tiny surprises are spotted –
a ladybird, basking in the sun
and a butterfly flitting about
among the shrubs.

Finally,
bags and bags of rubbish
to lug home
as we leave the roundabout behind –
clean now
(for how long, we wonder?)

Thank You, Lord,
for sunshine and smiles
laughter and ladybirds
as I litter-picked with Niamh.
Whoever would have thought
that litter-picking
could be such fun?

© Claire Murray, 19th April 2023

We drive from Strabane to Belfast
one sunny afternoon
and our route takes us
over the gentle, heather-clad slopes
of the Sperrins.

Our journey is bright and colourful
and it feels like there’s gold
everywhere!
Bright yellow dandelions
line the country roads
and hills are fringed
with amber gorse hedges,
resplendent in the spring sunshine.
A shady bank is carpeted
in primroses
and a yellow field of oil seed rape
shimmers
on a distant hillside.

Today is one of those
rare spring days
that has cloudless, blue skies
and all the warmth
of summer.

Lambs abound
on this sunny, spring day –
basking in the sun,
clambering over grassy banks
and frolicking in excitement.
A startled rabbit
bolts
in a field beside us.

Truly a golden, spring afternoon
spent driving
through the Sperrins –
thank You, Lord!

© Claire Murray, 20th April 2023

It’s March.
There’s been loads of rain
this month already
and it feels as if April showers
have arrived early!

I feel cheated!

Off we go
to Banagher dam.
It’s raining (again!)
The steep banks of the road
constantly
drip … drip … drip
onto damp, dark green
ferns, mosses, primroses
and drooping swathes
of long, pointed leaves
that hold a promise
of bluebells
in the months ahead.
Dozens of tiny waterfalls
cascade
and water flows freely
along the road.

This is really wet!

But when we reach Banagher dam,
we are delighted to see
that the reservoir is so high
its overflow is in full flow,
sending water pouring
into a pool
and from there
down a series of giant steps.

We set off to explore!

Before long
we find ourselves standing
on a bridge
right in front of
a series of huge steps,
each one taller than me
while Coca-Cola-coloured water
pours down with a roar.
I feel as if I’ve wandered
on to the film set
of “The Incredible Shrinking Man”!

Despite visiting Banagher
many times before,
we have never seen anything
like this.
We stand for ages gazing,
fascinated.

And as we walk back to the car
I find myself doing something
that surprises me
absolutely –
giving silent thanks to God
for all of that rain
during March
that had annoyed me so much
at the time!

Isn’t it amazing,
isn’t it wonderful
how life can be
so full of surprises?

(Thanks be to God!)

© Claire Murray, 2nd April 2023

It’s Sunday morning.
I’m on my own today
and the sun is shining
so I decide to treat myself
to breakfast in the garden.

How peaceful it is!

Sunday morning traffic
is barely noticeable.
Around the garden
robins and blackbirds are singing,
finches are chattering,
dicky birds are shrieking
and magpies are calling
raucously.

And how beautiful it is!

Camelias are resplendent
with hundreds of pink flowers.
Heather is in bloom,
in marshmallow pink and white.
Purple pulmonarias peek out
from a small, sunny flower bed.
Six primroses are dotted
about the lawn
and a solitary violet blooms
under our cherry tree.

Coffee and croissants,
birdsong and blossoms,
a leisurely read in the sun
and the prospect
of Latin Sunday Mass
in our wee chapel
at the top of our street.

A feeling of being
wonderfully spoiled
by God this morning.
A feeling of being
deeply blessed.

Doesn’t that just sound like
the perfect Sunday morning?

© Claire Murray, 4th April 2023