Hey there everyone! Wow, you’d barely know you were in Ireland today – it’s so warm and sunny outside! So I thought it might be the perfect day to catch up with the rest of Explorer Beastie’s springtime wanderings, after our slight digression last week.
Oh, and if you missed part one, you’ll find that here. We’ll kick back and relax while you get caught up.
Springtime in the Irish countryside is a very colourful time. The fields are full of blue…
… And white…
… And yellow!
Those gorgeous golden gorse flowers are always a treat. Take a good big sniff there, Explorer Beastie – being careful of those spines, of course!
“Mmmmm! It smells like… Coconut!”
He’s right, it really does. It makes a stroll in the countryside feel like a holiday in the tropics!
And the plants aren’t the only ones putting on a show in glorious technicolour.
“Look! It’s the first ladybird of the season!”
There were also plenty of butterflies to admire, but the ladybird was the only colourful critter who stayed put long enough to be photographed… Next time I’ll know to bring along my proper camera! But never mind, there’s still plenty of exploring to do.
Through the long grass and rushes, and up a staircase made of tree roots…
… To discover traces left behind by other visitors.
What’s this?
“Someone’s stopped here for dinner recently! It looks like they ordered escargots…”
Oh yes! Flat rocks and broken snail shells are a sign that a bird (usually a song thrush) has been enjoying a springtime snack. The birds use the stone as an anvil to break open the shell and extract the snail from within.
Are we having snails for lunch too, then?
“No thanks! I’ll hold out for a sandwich when we get home.”
Fair enough. Oh look, dandelion clocks! Take a deep breath, and…
… BLOW!
So, what time is it?
“Huh?”
The number of seeds still clinging to the stem after you blow supposedly tells you what time it is. That’s why these seed heads are called clocks! One seed left means it’s one o’clock, two seeds, two o’clock… You get the idea.
“Oh, okay… One, two, three – LUNCHTIME!”
Ah, a Beastie after my own heart! Let’s turn our paws for home, then.
PS…
For anybody outside Ireland who couldn’t watch me on the telly last week, the nice people at Ireland AM sent me a video clip of my segment! I’ve popped it on the Beasties’ Facebook page, here, if you’d like to see it!
And we’ll be back next week with another new Beastie for you to meet… See you then!
Roslyn from the Ireland AM crew had the presence of mind to take a few photos of the setup, thankfully… I completely forgot! She also took this picture, which some of you might have already seen on social media.
Then, what seemed like microseconds later, we were live! My Dad very kindly photographed the TV at home while the segment was on and sent me these stills… Here I am, teaching the hosts Karen and Tommy how to knit!
They both picked it up incredibly quickly, I was super impressed!
(These are very easy, by the way… And so much quicker than knitting a scarf!)
The knitting revival – you heard it here first, folks!
If you’d like to see the complete piece, it’s currently up on the Virgin Media Player, here:
Um, can you maybe turn around so we can see?
Much better! That’ll keep you nice and cosy while we go exploring. Although it looks like we’ve been uncommonly lucky with the weather – you’d hardly know we’re in Ireland at all!
“Yes, and it smells AMAZING!”
“Hey, what’s over there?”
“I’ll stand next to them, for scale!”
It’s always nice to see their sunny yellow faces peeking out of shaded, Beastie-sized hollows in the hedgerows.
… But it’s not really a substitute for the real thing, is it?
“Possibly, Paddy… But how on earth are we going to get up there? Normally the humans leave their bags on the floor.”
“… I have a cunning plan!”
“Ouch! Paddy, you’re going to have to start going easy on the Full Irish breakfasts… You weigh a TON!”
“Success!”
But while it could be argued that “clothes maketh the monster”, this woolly little gal has much more going on. Let’s take a look at what she took with her when she left Beastie Towers for her new home.
Is that a Beastie-sized drum? It certainly is!
“Oooh, a Beastie-sized glass of red wine? Don’t mind if I do!”
It’s probably not wise to drink on an empty stomach though…
Well, since she’s all set up with the proper cutlery and everything…
… We’ll see what we can rustle up in the Beastie kitchen!
Our vintage loving Beastie’s human counterpart loves a bit of fine dining… So hopefully her new monster friend will be suitably impressed by this needle-felted haute cuisine!
Check out the Beastie HQ store… Maybe your own monster friend is there waiting for you!
A good few of you got it right! Plunkett had indeed got his woolly paws on the photos of the short Russian adventure I enjoyed with my good friend and travel buddy, waaay back in 2012. We spent a fun couple of days exploring Moscow, which included wandering through the labyrinthine interior of 
… To see the treasures of the 
This is 
Also, a quick word about commissions – unfortunately my books are currently full, so I won’t be taking any new custom orders until May 25th. For anyone who has been in touch with me already (through email or social media), don’t worry! You’re all set, and your Beastification is in progress. And if you’re looking ahead to the summer, and think you’d like to have a Beastie to help celebrate a wedding, birthday or other big occasion, be sure to reach out nice and early so your lil’ monster buddy is ready in time.
… So I thought it was time to reboot this occasional feature and send them off on their (imaginary) travels again. We have to keep them entertained, after all.
“The square is named after a colour, and the big wall behind me protects an extensive fortified complex of towers, palaces and churches that includes the official residence of the country’s president.”
“Cool! The tops of the towers look like onions!”
Unfortunately, the onion domes are speaking more to Paddy’s stomach than his artistic sensibilities. So the boys cut their tour short, and head off in search of some lunch. But hopefully they’ve left you enough clues to figure out the name of the country and city they visited today! Be sure to share your guesses in the comments… Answer in next week’s post!
Look at this… A Beastie lady with THE MOST amazing hair. I had so much fun styling this – I think we’d better take a closer look!
I used two shades of pink yarn to give the hairstyle some depth, and added in some soft silvery yarn in the back to mimic her human counterpart’s ‘do.
Her scarf and sweet handknitted pink cardi are both removable, as you can see. And, because various lockdowns have forced me to improvise with my existing fabric stash rather than hitting the shops to find what I need, I ended up dyeing the scarf myself! Let’s just say I’m very glad my customer went for a nice neutral grey, rather than something more difficult to match.
And now that she’s not wearing long sleeves, it might be a good time to get on with a spot of baking. Her magic magnetic paws will help her to hold everything.
Thanks, don’t mind if I do! They look delicious.
Regular readers of this blog will be reassured to learn that, as usual, these delectable treats are free from sugar, fat, gluten, dairy products and palm oil. They’re also high in fibre – wool fibre, of course!
This Beastie’s new human friend is a fellow knitter, so I couldn’t send her little woolly monster out the door without a set of needles and a ball of yarn. As you can see, these ones a bit small for me to use anyway.
Her new human family has a strong connection with horses, and I wanted to include a big shiny felt rosette somewhere as a nod to that. Beasties have no time for modesty, so it’s a proudly-displayed “Best in Show”!
Thanks to Suzi for requesting this awesome Beastie as a special birthday gift for her mum!
You can see more pictures from this parade in the original post, 
This pretty city centre park is the perfect place for a springtime stroll… And you can admire St Patrick’s Cathedral as you wander! It’s right next door.
Of course, a St Patrick’s Day party is probably on the cards for a lot of people. Paddy Beastie will certainly be celebrating…
(Please enjoy your Paddy’s Day drinkies responsibly)
You’re also all invited to the annual monster celebration at Beastie Towers – remember 
… But went off the rails shortly afterwards.
So, will you be raising a glass to St Patrick today too? Be sure to share your party plans with us in the comments!