Beasties – Page 15

Old Wall, New Market Season Beasties - CrawCrafts Beasties

The Calm Before Market Season

Posted on November 6, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Hello everybody! There’s heavy weather forecast for Dublin later today, so as I write I’m looking out the window and enjoying the bright sky and autumn colours before the storm sets in! And it seems doubly apt, because with market season on the way, right now is the calm before THAT particular storm kicks off too.

So, I thought it would be the perfect moment to share some sunny snaps I took on a bright, crisp Saturday a couple of weeks ago, when I let a few Beasties off the leash in the gardens at the Irish Museum of Modern Art!

First of all, I had to get them there. And that wasn’t easy, with every other tree presenting them with a tantalising climbing challenge and colourful photo opportunity!
Although it turns out that urban scenery appeals to them too.And interestingly, Aran Beastie has stumbled upon The River That Google Maps Forgot! This is the River Camac, whose name took some pretty intense searching to find… Possibly because it has been sent underground in several places along its course to avoid various roads, canals and other man-made features, and then it trickles unobtrusively into the Liffey at the end of its journey. Around here, though, its rushing waters made a pleasant soundtrack to our wanderings.

Now, onwards! We’re almost there.

Inside the gate, we found a rustic stone wall that was crying out for some Beastie action!
And a faded alcove at the entrance to the formal gardens made an excellent spot for a group photo.
But when I turned the Beasties loose in the hedges, they really started to have fun!
They also enjoyed walking down the tree-lined avenues, and marvelling at how tall their shadows looked in the sunshine!
As the sun started to set, it was time to think about heading for home. But wait a sec, isn’t there someone missing?

GAAAAAAAAH! PANIC!

Fortunately, Gift Beastie’s lovely bright pink complexion was easy to spot among the green grass and fallen leaves.
“I just stopped to look at this leaf… Check out that yellow! You should get some wool this colour for next year.”

And with that, all the Beasties piled into my bag and let me carry them home. Thanks, lads.

Back at Beastie Towers, I was able to put these pics to good use… As market season promotional shots! I sent them off to the nice folks at the Dublin Flea Christmas Market, and my profile on their site went live this morning! See which photos made the cut here.

And don’t forget to join us again next week, when I’ll be confirming my final lineup for Market Season 2018!

See you then!

A Bevy of Hallowe'en Beasties, by CrawCrafts Beasties

Happy Hallowe’en!

Posted on October 31, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties, Life at Beastie Towers

Woooooooooooo!

We couldn’t resist popping in an extra post to celebrate the Beasties’ favourite holiday!

Soooo…

Have a spooktacular Hallowe’en!

And here are some seasonal monsters to get your own festivities started!
First of all, we’ve got Dracula Beastie stopping in for a bite!

Then Ghostie Beastie’s going to drift through later on.
And who knows… If the party starts to quieten down, Frankenstein’s Monster Beastie might well be on hand to bring it back to life!

Well, as long as nobody lets this guy in.

Have a monster time… And don’t forget to tell us all about your own Hallowe’en plans in the comments!

Paddy and Plunkett in the Woods - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Beasts in the Woods!

Posted on October 30, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Paddy and Plunkett

Hello everybody! How’s your week going? We’ve been enjoying some beautiful crisp Autumn days here recently – the bright sun and cool air really helps clear the cobwebs. So, it will be no surprise to hear that Paddy and Plunkett have been out and about, and a little closer to home than usual, too. Let’s join them for a wander in the woods!

At the edge of the forest…

Ah, there they are! About to hop over the gate and go inside.
Uh-oh! Looks like excitement has got the better of Plunkett!
Fortunately, Paddy’s ninja-like reflexes saved him from a nasty tumble. But maybe next time they should go through the turnstile at the side, the way human visitors do.

Paddy has already spotted something interesting up ahead – that big white wedge-shaped stone!
“Hey, look! We’re in Canal Wood!”

Canal Wood is pretty young, as woods go. Volunteers from the Woodland Trust, a British conservation charity, planted the first trees to mark the millenium. Then, in 2014, extra funding allowed a few spiffy new features to be added, like better paths, a boardwalk over the marshy areas… And this sculpture! These leaves in the centre were designed by local schoolchildren – they show things like the wildlife you might meet on your visit, and the hand tools used to build the railway line and canal that border the woods.

To Paddy’s delight, it also features a Beastie-sized train and canal barge!
But as you go deeper into the woods, it’s easy to forget that these busy thoroughfares are close at hand. It’s so peaceful here! Plunkett is really in his element.
But peace and quiet isn’t really Paddy’s deal. It wasn’t long before he started looking for mischief… And he found it, in the shape of an unattended tandem.
He had high hopes of whizzing along the towpath of the Newry Canal on a bicycle made for two… Except that this one isn’t exactly made for two Beasties. Better just hop in one of the paniers and let the humans do the legwork when they come back!

Next stop, Poyntzpass!

This small village originally grew up around a crossing point in the surrounding marshes. Later, it became an important port on the canal, a link in the Belfast-Dublin railway and hosted a large monthly cattle market. It’s a little quieter now, but this beautiful metal sign celebrates its busy past. Plunkett had a closer look while Paddy dashed off to get some coffee – because of course, Paddy needs more hyperactive energy.
As well as the cattle market, horse-drawn barge and railway, the sign also shows the old schoolhouse and celebrates the awarding of the Victoria Cross (the most prestigious military decoration in Britain) to a locally-born man. Plunkett couldn’t resist getting a little closer – but then…
Oh no! He’s been bartered for a prize cow!

Will he ever find his way home? You’ll have to join us next week to find out!

Sloes Featured - Foraging - CrawCrafts Beasties

A Beastie Foraging Feast!

Posted on October 23, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Life at Beastie Towers

Hello there Beastie friends! How was your weekend? Ours turned out to be surprisingly fruitful, when we went for a late autumn walk in the Irish countryside! Join us as we head out foraging in nature’s larder… Well, if Explorer Beastie can be coaxed out of the flower beds.

A Sloe Day for Foraging

We honestly weren’t expecting great results from our wanderings… Although it’s been a super year for blackberries, birds and other free food enthusiasts had long since stripped the best pickings from the hedgerows. And our other quarry, the humble sloe, didn’t seem to enjoy the unusually warm weather this summer as much as the rest of us did. All our usual picking spots were turning up bare!

But fortunately, Explorer Beastie stopped to check out this cushiony bit of moss growing among the spines of a blackthorn…
… And turned up some sloes clinging to the branches of its neighbour!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with sloes, they’re the fruit of the blackthorn tree. And although they’re related to plums and damsons, and look mighty like blueberries, you reeeeealllllly don’t want to just eat them. They’re unbelievably bitter, and biting into one will leave your mouth feeling like you’ve been wandering in the Sahara for a week! No, we have other plans for these… More on that later.

Continuing with our walk, we decided to check in on some four-legged friends further along the road.
This little lady calf was especially keen to come over and say hello. But wait a sec, what’s she spotted over there?
– GASP! –

It’s a monster mushroom!
What a beauty! And we were so sure that mushroom season was over!

“Look! It’s nearly the same size as me!”
Yum! But what should we do with it?

Back in my own Unphotogenic Kitchen…

Explorer Beastie supervised while I chopped the prized fungus into wedges, and we made up the numbers with a couple of large brown mushrooms from the greengrocer.

Then, with a little monster magic (and an onion, some ready-made puff pastry, crème fraîche, gruyere cheese and a smidge of bacon)… TA DAAAAH!
Mushroom tart à la Beastie! It was really rather good, even if it didn’t photograph particularly well. I don’t think the food bloggers out there have to worry about this turning into a cookery blog anytime soon!

And as for those Sloes…

Those other fruits of our foraging trip are destined to become sloe gin!

These bitter little berries undergo a marvellous transformation when they’re soaked in gin, sweetened with sugar and left alone for 3 months. (But then again, who wouldn’t respond favourably to such treatment? Ha!)

The end result is a fruity, bright pink liqueur which is delicious by itself, or topped up with sparkling water and some ice. I’ve been making a batch every autumn for the last few years, and I’ve amassed quite a collection. Feast your eyes on the wondrous Gin Gallery!
As you can see, every batch gets a pun-tastic name. Previous (long since departed) incarnations include Sloe Learner and Sloe Train to Oblivion, and that Vintage Reserve on the left is now a whopping 5 years old! Apparently the brew improves with age, so I’m going to see how long I can keep it.

But this year, a name is yet to suggest itself. Oh no! But I know there are a few of you out there who share my appreciation of a good/bad pun, so I’m opening the naming question to the floor. Leave your choicest boozy puns in the comments, and my favourite will grace the bottles of the 2018 batch!

Have any of you enjoyed foraging success this autumn? Share your food-for-free stories with us below. And also, pleeeeeeeease be super-careful when foraging for yourselves, especially where mushrooms are concerned!

Good hunting!

Tae (Tea) Beasties, by CrawCrafts Beasties

Beastie News Roundup!

Posted on October 16, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Info, Life at Beastie Towers

Hello there Beastie friends! How’s your week going? This week’s post is going to be a bit of a mixed bag, as we catch up with a few snippets of Beastie news that I’ve been meaning to share for a while.

So, without further ado, let’s start the show…

Beastie Autumn Fun Worldwide!

Explorer Beastie isn’t the only little monster who’s been out and about enjoying the fall colours. Before he even stuck a paw outside, tierneycreates Beastie was enjoying the great outdoors with her mini-miniature schnauzer Mikelet!

tierneycreates Beastie and Mikelet - T Hogan — Picture sneakily borrowed from https://tierneycreates.com

This woolly little lady was so excited to change into her handknitted Aran sweater and kick through the fallen leaves… Although be advised that this post contains – SHOCK – Beastie nudity! You have been warned! Be sure to skip over to Tierney’s blog and check out the full post – it really made me smile.

If you’re in the mood for something more blood-curdling though, you might want to swing by Tammie Painter’s site and see what Finn McSpool encountered on his autumnal wanderings.

Finn McSpool at Hallowe'en - T Painter — Image spirited away from https://tammiepainter.com

Portland, Oregon is already gearing up for Hallowe’en, and the city is sporting some truly spine-chilling finery! Finn caught up with some celebrity spookies at City Hall, but the true horror was lurking in someone’s garden on the walk home. And if that wasn’t enough to turn you into a gibbering wreck, Tammie also used my October calendar page as the basis for a tale of Beastie terror that will scare the stuffing out of even the most courageous woolly monster!

Spooky Beastie Colouring - T Painter — Image Beastie-napped from https://tammiepainter.com

And Also in the Blogosphere…

Now, I usually like to keep things nice and upbeat here on the BeastieBlog. I mean, life is serious enough, right? But wow, this year September was tough! A couple of side projects that I’d invested a bit of time in came to nothing, and then I found out that I’d managed to completely miss the application call for my favourite Christmas market. Disaster!
Fortunately, I stumbled on some good readin’ among my fellow bloggers that helped perk me back up again. It was super cool to hear all about Weekes finding her creative feet again, and how taking photographs helped Paula of Typewriter Girl discover that she has an artistic streak after all! So thanks to both of you for making me smile!

Oh, and my mood lifted completely when I learned that the market I thought I’d missed out on had added an extra weekend, so I’m in! Hurrah! Full steam ahead on the Beastie-making!

And Looking Further Ahead…

While we’re on the subject of Christmas markets, I’m in the process of confirming a few for this coming festive season! Check out my scedule so far!

The Dublin Christmas Flea is the big one, and, all being well, I’ll be there with bells on for the second weekend (that’s the 13th-16th December inclusive). If you’re in the neighbourhood, come on over and say hi! Entry is free, and there is always SO MUCH GREAT STUFF THERE! (Besides the Beasties, obviously.)
I’m also going to be selling at the Dublin Cat Fair for the first time! So I’m currently working on a few feline sidelines that will be exclusive to that event, as well as some cat-themed Beasties. That’s on the 25th November.

There are a couple more in the pipeline, which I’ll post about as soon as the details are finalised.

Phew! Beastie news roundup complete! So I’d better get on with some crafting now, or those market stalls are going to be a little bare!

How about you? Are you prepping for festivities, or planning to remain blissfully in denial until the 15th of December? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

Autumn in Dublin's Parks - CrawCrafts Beasties

Dublin in Autumn

Posted on October 9, 2018June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie's Dublin, Knitted Beasties

Hello there, Beastie friends! How’s your week been? I’m juggling a couple of ongoing monster projects just now, but unfortunately none of them are at a publishable stage yet! So for today’s post, I thought I would share some pics of Dublin’s parks in their autumn finery instead. Care to wander with us?
Living in the middle of a city is great – if you feel like walking, there’s always somewhere interesting to walk to. And in Dublin, we’re lucky to have several beautiful parks right in the city centre! So anytime I’m in town, I’ll usually find an excuse to take a toddle around St Stephen’s Green, at least. It’s probably Dublin’s most famous and busiest park, since it’s just a stone’s throw from Grafton Street, one of our main shopping districts.

Explorer Beastie is posing in one of my favourite bits of St Stephen’s Green – an avenue of lime trees that leads away from the main gate. Lush and green in spring, shady and cool in the summer… And in Autumn, a riot of yellow leaves!

We would have taken more pictures here, but the downside of being in a popular park is that a Beastie could easily get trampled underfoot. Time to cut across to the far gate and seek out a hidden gem only a few streets away!

Much better! This is Iveagh Gardens… It may not be a truly secret garden, but it certainly feels that way. Two of the three main entrances are set well back from the street, and the park is full of quiet walks and crumbling statues.
Explorer Beastie also likes this big heap of rocks, which provides the perfect mountaineering challenge for an adventurous Beastie!
And from the top, you can enjoy the spectacle of the trees glowing in the Autumn sunshine. (Or catch your breath a bit, whichever fits!)

On this walkabout, we had an ulterior motive – to audition potential candidates for a holly-packed Beastie calendar page for December! Explorer Beastie threw himself into the challenge with gusto – braving the prickly leaves to help you all to better organise your busy lives.
Actually, those prickles don’t seem to be bothering him much at all…
And with the photoshoot complete, we were able to enjoy kick back and enjoy the morning sunshine.
Explorer Beastie really appreciates how tall he looks in the slanted sunlight – well, his shadow at least!

We even had a chance to meet some of the park’s residents…
… Although some of them were a little camerashy!
So, have your paws taken you anywhere interesting lately? And how is Autumn (or Spring) in your part of the world? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!

Oh, and don’t forget to grab your free Calendar Pages for the last three months of 2018, and see which photos made the cut for November and December.

See you again next week for more monster adventures!

Woolly Wedding Gift II – The Groom Arrives!

Posted on October 2, 2018June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Commissions, Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Hey everybody! I hope the new week (and new month) are treating you well! It’s been another busy week here at Beastie Towers… So much so that last Tuesday’s post feels like a loooong time ago! But you might remember meeting this lovely Beastie lady…
… And getting a brief peek at the handsome monster man in her life, too!
This happy pair were created as a one-of-a-kind wedding gift, to be given to the groom on the big day itself! So perhaps we should take this opportunity to get to know him a little better.

Hey there, Mr Adam Beastie!
Ahhh, look at that winning smile!

In keeping with the “us as we are everyday” wardrobe brief, I kitted him out in knitted jeans and a bright green felt t-shirt. I think the zingy lime shade really makes the most of his lovely blue complexion!
And what’s this? Do we have another guitar-playing Beastie in our midst? I think so!
As usual, I’ve tried to capture the essence of Human Adam’s favourite guitar in Beastified form! This process always takes a while – when I made my first Beastie guitar many years ago, I couldn’t have imagined the huge number of shapes the humble guitar could potentially take! Every Beastie guitar calls for a serious tweaking of existing templates – if not a complete redesign.

That said, the end result always makes me smile… And I’m grateful that I’ve never (yet) been asked to Beastify something really tricky, like a tuba or a trombone! Perhaps you’d like to play us something, Adam Beastie?
Aaaah, music to my ears! And it looks like I’m not the only one enjoying it…
His Beastie Bride certainly seems to be a fan too! Oh, and who’s this coming over to join them?
It’s Zoey, their fuzzy, faithful Beastiedog!
Beastie Zoey was an essential part of this wedding gift, and I brought her to life through the magic of needle felting! She’s also wearing a felt collar personalised with her initial, so there’s no mistaking who she is.

Oh, it looks like she’d like to get to know YOU a little better!
But of course, her heart belongs to her adopted mum!
Looks like doggies really ARE a Beast’s best friend!

And now that everyone’s here, it’s time for…
…WALKIES!

Thanks again to Kristen for requesting this super-special wedding gift, and trusting me to Beastify her family! It’s been a lot of fun, and got me trying out some new skills to boot!

Oh, and in case you missed Saturday’s post, I blitzed the final 3 calendar pages of 2018 at the end of last week, and uploaded them all together as a single handy package.
As usual, they’re totally free… So don’t forget to grab your copy from our online store! And October’s page is a bit special, because it’s another colour-it-yourself drawing. We’d love to see your finished masterpieces, so tag ’em on Instagram or Twitter with #beastiegallery so I can enjoy them!

To inspire you, here’s one Weekes did earlier!

View this post on Instagram

Took time out for some relaxing adult colouring thanks to @crawcraftsbeasties 🍂🍁👩🏻‍🎨 @tammiepainter I featured Finn in his most likely position 🙄 #beastiegallery 🎨

A post shared by xWeekes ll @weekes (@dazeandweekes) on Oct 1, 2018 at 7:01am PDT

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

And now I’m off to set a good example, and colour mine in too! I’ll be back next week with some autumnal pictures from Dublin’s parks, so be sure to join us then!

Have a super week!

October View - Calendar Pages - CrawCrafts Beasties

Wrapping up the Year – Last of the Calendar Pages!

Posted on September 29, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Info, Life at Beastie Towers

Hey there everybody! OK, I know I said that this would be ready yesterday, but due to some computer-related issues, I totally ran out of Friday. Who would have thought that uploading crazy giant image files and trying to play around with them would really slow down the editing process?! Ah well, we’ll chalk that one up to experience. Anyway, even with that little hiccup, I’ve managed to cobble together the final installment of this year’s free downloadable calendar pages!
You can grab yours right now, from our online store!

I’ve put them together as one file, so you only need to download once. After that, you can print them all out together, or page-by-page as you need them! And as usual, you can ignore the part of the order form that asks for your postal address – all we need to deliver this deeeelightful free goodie to your inbox is your name and email.

If you don’t get your download immediately, check your spam or promotions folder.

And here’s what you’ll get…

October

Grab those crayons… It’s another colour-it-yourself bonanza! Hallowe’en is still my favourite festival, so October’s page is all about the best bits of the spookiest night of the year. Sparklers and toffee apples were the highlights of Hallowe’en as a kid – am I the only one who mysteriously lost their appetite after eating all the sticky sugar shell from the toffee apple?

Pumpkin carving is a more recent addition to the festivities, and I’m making up for my apple-dodging younger days by using all the pumpkin’s insides once the carving is done. Pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds? Yes please! As for the broomstick aerobatics… Well, maybe someday.

Of course, we’d love to see your finished calendar pages, so don’t forget to share! Use #Beastiegallery on Instagram and Twitter so we don’t miss your masterpieces!

November

Explorer Beastie is back for November! We took a lovely sunlit wander through some of Dublin’s parks yesterday, and I thought this photo of him kicking through the fallen leaves and conkers would be a nice reminder of how lovely autumn can be. Yes, the days are getting shorter and it’s not as warm as it was… But when the sun shines, there’s no finer time of year!

December

And finally… Well, I wanted to avoid getting full-on Christmassy, so Explorer Beastie and I braved the spines of a selection of local holly trees to bring you a nice cheery picture to wrap up the year. And after all that prickliness, the best of the bunch proved to be this smooth-leaved one!

So, that’s it – 2018 calendar pages complete! And I’d be interested to know how this experimental calendar delivery method has worked out for you. From my end, it’s been a bit more work through the year… But not having to deal with under/over supply, delivery problems and getting overcharged at the Post Office has been brilliant! What do you reckon? Let me know in the comments!

Oh, and we’ll be back on Tuesday with the second part of my latest Beastification – I promise!

Woolly Wedding Day!

Posted on September 25, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Commissions, Knitted Beasties

Hello there Beastie friends! It’s Tuesday again, and guess what? It’s another new Beastie day! I think I might have mentioned once or twice that I had a pretty busy summer, and I love that I can share these creations with you at last. Today’s project was commissioned as a very special surprise gift from a bride-to-be to her new hubby on their wedding day. So, no pressure!

How about we start with the beautiful Beastie bride?
The brief for this Beastification was to show how this couple looks every day, rather than their one-off wedding outfits. So Mrs Kristen Beastie is wearing her favourite yoga pants and a stylish vest top… Although I couldn’t resist adding some extra detail on the back of the top to make it extra special!
I also had a great time capturing her multi-toned blonde hair!

Oh, and in case you were wondering what that blue stripe across her front in the first picture was…
It’s a Beastie-sized yoga mat in its own custom-made bag! The mat has an embroidered edge that matches Mrs Beastie’s vest top, while the bag has a handy drawstring closure decorated with silver beads.

And speaking of all things silver and sparkly… Perhaps it’s time to add a little extra glamour to the proceedings!
Waaaay back at the beginning of this Beastification, Kristen Beastie’s human counterpart sent a few photos to help me along. One of them showed her dressed for a big night out, with a twinkly tiara to complete the look. She asked if I could make a Beastie-sized version… How could I resist a challenge like that?!

I used silver-coated wire and Swarovski crystal beads to create the teardrop-shaped loops of the original in miniature. It was fun to work with these new materials, but they’re much harder on your hands than the soft wool and felt I usually work with. So, I have a new respect for all the jewellery makers out there! And although I wasn’t able to capture it on camera, the sparkle and rainbow reflections from the crystal beads when they caught the sunlight was off the charts! I might need to make one of these for myself…

After that, this little monster lady just needed one more thing to complete her lineup of accessories…
Well, she has to keep her energy up, doesn’t she? And since a Beastie could easily take a bath in a human-size grande latte from international coffee purveyors Starbucks, she’s chosen a caffeinated pick-me-up from her local Starbeasts instead. Delicious!

This Beastie beverage comes in a wool felt cup, with needle-felted sculpted lid and a hand-embroidered Starbeasts logo. And it just fits nicely in her little woolly paw!
Ready to go!

But wait, you probably need more than one person for a wedding! Has anyone seen Mr Beastie?

Aha! There he is.
A handsome fellow indeed! But you’ll have to wait until next week to meet him… And there might be another family member joining us in the pictures too, so stay tuned!

Also, don’t forget to swing by again on Friday for a between-the-numbers post about Beastie calendars… See you then!

Buckfast Abbey Exterior - B Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Buckfast Beasties!

Posted on September 18, 2018June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Paddy and Plunkett

Hello everybody, and I hope this new week is treating you well! Today we’re going to catch up with Paddy and Plunkett, who we last saw exploring the weird and wonderful environs of the Lost Gardens of Heligan.
This time, they’re much less likely to have to save their woolly skins from prowling mud giants. Their wandering paws have brought them to this peaceful place!
This is Buckfast Abbey, home to an entirely self-supporting community of Benedictine monks.

The original abbey at Buckfast was demolished in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the site became a quarry, then the grounds of a private house. But then, in 1882, the land was purchased by the Benedictines, who set about re-establishing a monastic community here.

Building work started in 1907, and took around 30 years to complete. And looking at what they created…
… You’d never know that this was accomplished with virtually no mechanical assistance. The monks borrowed a horse and cart from a local farmer for transportation, and their scaffolding was held together with tied ropes! And if you think that’s impressive…
… The interior will take your breath away!
And outside the Abbey, the grounds also contain a farm, sensory garden, lavender garden and a working water mill. The atmosphere of calm and reflection here really amazed the boys – maybe that’s why they’re not gadding about in front of the camera as much as usual!

However, on the way out, they stopped by the Abbey’s produce shop…
… To pick up a Beastie-sized sample of one of the monks’ most celebrated creations – Buckfast Tonic Wine!

“I think it’s important we support all the good work these people do, Plunkett. Now, follow me!”
Finding the perfect picnic spot isn’t always easy, but remembering that the monks built an entire Abbey using the most rudimentary equipment, the lads figured they could probably manage a short flight of steps.
“Nearly there! Aha, this looks perfect!”
Of course, Paddy was first to take a hearty glug from the bottle… I think we can all see where this is going.
Then again, Plunkett doesn’t look too steady on his feet either! This is potent stuff!
“Paddy, you are my bessshhht friend…”

Uh-oh, he’s away.
Quick, Paddy! Help him up! But carefully now, in case you…
… Fall over.

Oh well, I suppose we’d better leave them to sleep it off! There’s a lesson here about enjoying your fortified wines responsibly – especially if you’re only 5 and a half inches tall.

And how about you lot? Have you tried any interesting or unusual elixirs lately? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!

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