Days out – Page 9 – Beastie HQ

A Sunny Stroll by the Grand Canal

Posted on January 8, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie's Dublin

New year, new feature… Welcome to the first instalment of Explorer Beastie’s Dublin!

Explorer Beastie had a bit of a quiet year in 2015…

… So we thought that it would be fun for both of us to get out a little more, and show you the hidden corners of our city from a Beastie’s-eye point of view!

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, so we scrapped our original plans for an indoor adventure and made for the canal instead. There are two canals in Dublin’s city centre, the Grand Canal in the south and the Royal Canal in the north, and both canals eventually link up with the River Shannon in the west, via a whole string of towns and villages throughout Ireland’s midlands. The Grand Canal is nearer Beastie Towers though, so that’s where we headed.

The first part of our route was along the side of a busy road (boooo!) but once you pass the top of Clanbrassil Street Upper there’s a pedestrian path along one side of the canal, which makes for a much more peaceful walk… and better photos!

There’s plenty of wildlife to see along the canal banks – we spotted mallard ducks, mute swans, moorhens and a couple of different species of gulls.

Explorer Beastie even tried to make friends with one of the swans…

… With limited success.

Never mind, there’s much more to see…

… And sunny streets to explore!

This canal is still in use, and the working lock gates along the way break the waterway into smaller sections, each with its own distinct character!

This stretch beside The Barge pub is especially popular – it looks quiet now, but you should see it in the summer! On a warm evening, you’d think half the city had turned out to enjoy a pint by the water’s edge!

And further along, this wall usually has some interesting graffiti to look at…

We carried on past the top of Leeson Street, right in the city centre. A perfect chance to sit on an old bench and admire the view…

…Before heading to one of our favourite cafés for a sandwich and a warming cup of tea!

Remind us to take you there sometime…

We’ll be back with another slice of Dublin life in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you can find out more about the Grand Canal here – this site lists all kinds of interesting canal-based activities, including walking tours, food markets and dinner cruises. Or if there’s anywhere you think we should visit, let us know in the comments!

Christmas Explorer Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

Beastie Newsflash!

Posted on December 15, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info

Well, there’s no getting away from the fact that Christmas is in full swing! We’ve been BUUUUSYYYYY here in Beastie Towers, and there’s still a lot for us to do over the next couple of weeks before we get to put our feet/paws up by the fire and enjoy some festive treats!

For starters, we’ll be heading out to MART in Rathmines, Dublin 6 this coming Friday (that’s the 18th) for their Christmas market. This is going to be the Beasties’ last outing before Christmas – so if you’re around, do drop in and say hello!
We’ll be sharing the space with lots of other great artists and craftspeople, and there’s a fancy dress photobooth too – so we’re looking forward to a fun day out!

And if you’re still trying to figure out the best way to get 2016 off to a good start, I heartily recommend getting your paws on a Beastie calendar!

Explorer Beastie certainly got good use out of his last year…

This year’s edition can be yours for just €10, plus P&P. All you have to do is email me at crawcraftsbeasties@gmail.com and we’ll take it from there!

Righty, better get back to work! The Beasties and I will be back next week… see you then!

Paddy and the Crocodile - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Paddy and Plunkett’s Spa Weekend

Posted on December 1, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

Sometimes you just need to get away from it all – even if you’re an adventurous little woolly monster! So when Paddy and Plunkett were offered the chance to spend a weekend in Leamington Spa, they thought it would be a super opportunity to catch up on a little R&R. And how better to start their break than with a sedate stroll around Jephson Gardens?

Aaaaah, that’s better! Jephson Gardens are named in honour of Dr Henry Jephson, a local doctor and philanthropist who did much to promote the healing properties of the town’s spa waters. As a result, the small town of Leamington Priors (as it was then known) boomed, and became known as Leamington Spa. The final flourish was the granting of a “Royal” prefix by Queen Victoria in 1838, and now Royal Leamington Spa is apparently one of the best places in Britain to spend your retirement!

So, after a wander around the duckpond, a visit to some of the park’s busier residents…

… And a look at the sculpture garden…

…The boys were feeling pretty chilled out!

But they can never stay out of trouble for long… Um, is that really a good idea, Paddy?

“Of course! I’m being very caref… AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!”

Oh no! PADDY!!

But thankfully, help came along in the nick of time – thank you, friendly passing elephant!

Maybe that’s enough “peace and quiet” for one day! Time to hop on a boat home, I reckon.

See you next week!

Beasties in a Giant Bird's Nest - CrawCrafts Beasties

Beasties, It’s Cold Outside!

Posted on November 24, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

Well, that photo might be a slight exaggeration. But even so, after a surprisingly warm start to November, it’s got mighty chilly here in Dublin lately!

And despite promises of a clear, bright day on Friday, low temperatures and teeming rain did temporarily stop play when Sweetheart Beastie, Christmas Gift Beastie and I headed out for another photoshoot with Eirin Torgersen! Anyone who has spent any time here ever will know that weather forecasting in Ireland is never an exact science, and at least it gave us an excuse to seek shelter in the Natural History Museum for a few minutes until it dried up a bit outside. Just enough time for the Beasties to make a new friend!

Once the sun came out again, we headed across the road to Merrion Square, which I’ve been meaning to use for Beastie photos for ages!

And it seems like there have been some changes since I last stopped in myself – a giant bird has taken up residence, for starters…

The Beasties were having a great time hanging out in this cosy nest, until I pointed out that each egg was bigger than both of them put together…

“Gaaaaaah! Wait for me!”

Where’s Sweetheart Beastie run off to?

Ah, there she is. But what’s she sitting on?

Ha! Looks like a giant shoe. But where’s the…

GIIIIAAAAAAANT! Eeeeeeeek!

First rain, now giants… will I EVER get any pictures taken?!

Luckily Beasties are expert escape artists…

…And charming enough to win over just about anybody!

But we needn’t have worried. Turns out giants are victims of bad press – this one was a real softie, and he even agreed to let his new Beastie pals dance around on his luxuriant eyebrows for these pictures!

And it’s not just giants who live in Merrion Square – the park has one very famous resident, who we went to visit next!

No, not her! Although if anyone was in need of some winter woolies that day…

Anyway, can anyone guess who this rather dapper foot belongs to?

If you guessed Oscar Wilde, then award yourself a first-edition signed copy of “The Picture of Dorian Gray”! This characterful sculpture lives on the north corner of the park, and from where he sits, he can look out into the street and (I like to imagine) make witty comments about the people who pass by.

I wonder what he’d have to say about the Beasties’ antics…

After that, there was just time to call in at the memorial to Dermot Morgan (of “Father Ted” fame)…

…Before we headed off inside to warm up. Brrrrr!

The Beasties and I will be back for more monster fun next Tuesday… December is going to be a busy month, so things are going to be a little quieter on the BeastieBlog for the next few weeks! If you need an extra Beastie fix in the meantime, be sure to check out Eirin’s photos from our visit to Merrion Square!

See you soon!

It's the Paddy and Plunkett Show! H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Sending Paddy and Plunkett to Coventry

Posted on November 20, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

In my (now fairly distant) youth, I read a lot of Enid Blyton books. For the characters in these stories, the idea of being “sent to Coventry” was just awful – it’s a slightly dated idiom that describes the timeless playground punishment of completely freezing someone out, by pretending you can neither see nor hear them.

However, Paddy and Plunkett are complete strangers to the work of Ms Blyton, and being generally optimistic little creatures, they jumped at the chance to be sent to Coventry for their latest adventure! Their first stop was in the oldest part of the city – although much of Coventry suffered severe bomb damage during the Second World War, some buildings did survive. Let’s take a walk, shall we?

On the left of these photos, you can see the shell of the old St Michael’s Cathedral. Most of the cathedral was destroyed in the Coventry Blitz, but the spire (apparently the third tallest in England) still stands… in fact, Paddy and Plunkett were treated to the sounds of bell-ringing practice while they strolled around!

Next, they went to take a peek at the new St Michael’s Cathedral, which is just next door. It was opened in 1962, and looks very different to its 14th century predecessor. Paddy and Plunkett were hoping to catch up with St Michael himself, but when they found him he looked a little busy…

Never mind, there’s plenty more to see! Paddy has a bit of a thing for classic cars, so there was one place the boys definitely had to go…

Plunkett had to pose for the photo, because Paddy had already run off to have a look around.

The Transport Museum isn’t just for car buffs, either! From the very earliest days of two-wheeled travel, Coventry was a veritable hub of bicycle manufacture, so you can find all sorts of crazy bikes in here…

… As well as the cars Paddy wants to see! Here are the lads enjoying the rather morbid display of hearses.

And Paddy was thrilled to be able to see ThrustSSC, current holder of the land speed record!

He was just about to climb aboard and take it for a spin, but fortunately Plunkett was able to distract him by appealing to his inner showman…

That’s the way to do it, indeed!

And after checking out every vehicle in the whole museum, the boys were finally able to find a Beastie-sized one to drive home. Thanks for the lift, Brum!

See you next time!

Mame-Chan and Friends - CrawCrafts Beasties

Monster Market Day!

Posted on November 10, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Oh woweeeee! What a super weekend we all had at the Creative Collective Ireland Craft Fair! I’ve been working flat out since I came back from my holidays, and I think I assembled one of my best-ever teams of Beasties…

…With some super accessories!

I also brought along some Beans (which are fast becoming a market day staple!) and an order form for my Beastie 2016 calendar!

And if that wasn’t enough excitement for one day, my Beastiebuddy Eirin stopped by to take some photos of the stall for a project she’s working on!

She got some great shots of my monster Christmas tree, complete with Jingle Bean decorations…

… Beasties playing hide and seek…

…And even some of me.

You can see more photos on her Facebook page, or check out her website!

What I love most about markets is that it gives me a chance to leave Beastie Towers for the day and introduce my little monsters to the world! I still get such a kick out of seeing people’s reactions when they meet the Beasties for the first time, and I was especially chuffed to talk to people who remembered us from the last time we did this market, back in 2013! So thanks to everybody who stopped for a chat, or decided to bring a woolly friend home with them. I also lucked out with my neighbours – cheers to Kate and Andrew from Baressential soap and Aoife from Diplodocus Books for Beastie-sitting when I went on a caffiene run! Aoife even adopted a Beastie of her own…

Meanwhile, I think I showed admirable restraint… I only bought myself a couple of teeny treats! Explorer Beastie seems pleased with them too…

Clockwise from top left: Hand-bound Crow notebook by Diplodocus Books, Ruth Turpin‘s homemade mince meat, chamomile and juniper natural soaps from Baressential, Ye Old Town Candles‘ Winter Time tin and felt bowl by Teri Collins.

I’m hoping to do a couple more markets before Christmas… hopefully I’ll get to see some of you there!

Helen's Bay Beach - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Paddy and Plunkett’s Seaside Adventure!

Posted on October 16, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

Autumn may be in full swing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a day by the sea! And this isn’t any old seaside – Paddy and Plunkett took a day trip to my childhood stomping grounds, where I spent many happy hours (at all times of the year) clambering over the stones and poking around in rock pools. Come and see for yourself!

Our tour starts at the local railway station. Getting here from Belfast only takes about half an hour, and then it’s just a short walk to the beach!

See?

Plunkett’s certainly enjoying the view!

The next stop if you carry on along the coast is Crawfordsburn Country Park. Formerly a private house and grounds, the park is now open to the public year-round, and is great for walking, cycling and picnics! It’s also home to all kinds of wildlife, since it contains a variety of different habitats – you’ll find seashore, woodlands and meadows here. Paddy and Plunkett bumped into a couple of the local residents at the Countryside Centre when they dropped in for a quick cup of tea!

Since it was such a lovely sunny day (we’ve really been enjoying some very un-Irish weather these last few weeks), the boys decided to carry on walking. There’s a coastal route that takes you all the way around to Bangor, a seaside town which was a popular local holiday destination back in the day. Of course, there’s a proper human-sized path you can use to get there, but the lads thought it would be more fun to take the scenic route…

Much later (they do only have little short legs, after all) they arrived at journey’s end! They resisted the urge to set sail on one of the swan boats at Pickie Fun Park…

… But they were really kicking themselves when they found out that
they could have done part of their travelling on the Beastie-sized Pickie Puffer train!

Oh well, at least they still had time to enjoy the walled garden at Bangor Castle before they had to head for home!

All in all, a great day out! Where was your favourite childhood haunt?

Sleepy Fox and Chilled-out Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

A Monster Day Out… With Crafting!

Posted on October 9, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Much as I love crafting, the life of a monster-maker can be a lonely one sometimes… Even with a houseful of Beasties to talk to! So last week, I set out from Beastie Towers with a bagful of WIPs to spend some time in the company of another crafty lady, and her marvellous creations.

I met Guadalupe at my first ever market, where I fell in love with the beautiful handcrafted dolls and Christmas decorations she makes. Her daughter also became my unofficial assistant and PR person that weekend, bringing all her friends over to my stall, and keeping a careful eye on which Beasties had left since her last visit!

So while we enjoyed tea and chat, and did a bit of work (honest!), we left some of our little creatures out in the garden, to see how they got on.

Pretty well, it seems!

Guadalupe’s Sleepy Foxes make great companions – just looking at these photos makes me feel relaxed! You can meet more of her creations in her Etsy shop (I especially love the sweet Bunny Girl dolls and hairy lions), or find out more about the lady herself on Pod. And for a dose of instant joy, check out her Instagram 🙂

And what about that mysterious Beastie? Who is she? All will be revealed on Tuesday, so don’t forget to stop by!

Have a monster weekend, everybody!

Explorer Beastie's Jigsaw Angel - CrawCrafts Beasties

Teatime with Explorer Beastie!

Posted on September 25, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

Poor Explorer Beastie hasn’t got out and about much recently. In fact, he’s been spending an unreasonable amount of time hanging out on my desk, watching me type up the adventures of other Beasties instead! So when I went out last Saturday to somewhere that wasn’t Other Work or the supermarket, it only seemed fair to bring him along.

First stop – the Canal Bank Market! We even met some of the local residents on the way there…

And there was plenty to see at the market itself too!

After a lot of wandering, and only a little bit of shopping, we decided to grab some tea at Wall & Keogh – one of my favourite Dublin tea emporiums! Well, it was just around the corner from the market… Even so, Explorer Beastie decided to hitch a lift in my bag for the journey!

At least I didn’t have to buy him lunch – as usual, he brought his own.

Hey, what’s that?

Oh, cool! Let’s do the jigsaw!

Um, not sure you’ve quite got the right idea here…

Nope. Definitely not.

Ah, now we’re getting somewhere!

…Or not.

Well, at least he’s having a good time!

More tea?

Yes please!

How are your weekend plans shaping up? Have a good one, wherever you are!

Statue in the Temperate House, Kew Gardens - CrawCrafts Beasties

Weekly Photo Challenge – “Grid”

Posted on September 23, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Weekly Photo Challenge

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Grid.”

Turns out that I didn’t need to look too far for pictures for this week’s Photo Challenge! Going through the holiday snaps from the trip Explorer Beastie and I took to London last year, I found a surprising number of grids – in Kew Gardens (above and below)…

… At Shakespeare’s Globe…

… And on the banks of the Thames!

Lucky we decided to take a city break, isn’t it? Grids are a lot harder to come by in the country!

See you next time!

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