I’ve been home at my parents’ house (and where I lived from age 6-18) for the past week, in the deep countryside of County Tyrone.
It felt funny to go to NI during the historic hosting of the Fleadh in Belfast and not go near it at all, but I was in desperate need of time out from the world, as Alison would say. It never fails to amaze me that just because I decide to go and hide further away from things, it doesn’t stop me from knowing, feeling and experiencing, perhaps it even makes things worse. Yes, feeling a lot like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
I gathered up some photos for book research purposes, hung out with 3/6 siblings and 2/5 nephews, 0/30-odd cousins, 2/20-odd aunties&uncles and both my parents. I saw hens, Bruce, my uncle’s dog, and another neighbour dog who looks like a fake Bruce and fooled me, lots of butterflies, some hummingbird hawk moths, a kingfisher (fishing in the Strule – it was amazing!) and both pied and non-pied wagtails, a wren and some bats. My little bro took us on a little day trip out to Tannaghmore to see some rare breed goats, more hens, pigs, horses, ducks and of course, cows.
His gf told me this beautiful cow is probably a Dexter, very chunky but low to the ground on wee short legs. I took a pic of this beauty and enjoyed time at George Best Airport chilling out and sketching the gorgeous girl. The cows across the country looked very wary this trip – I think a lot of them had young calves they were protecting (this one did too – I might yet draw it in here, peeping out from a clump of grass). I went for a (truncated) walk up the hill behind our house, but there were too many cows not behind fences or hedges and I thought they all looked a bit too spookable. I got a couple of pics of the view from the corner of the hill though.
I’m struggling a bit at the moment. Feeling quite overwhelmed.
I want to know how to draw cows, as one of the folklore stories of Brigid says she was accompanied by a white cow (would that be bó bán in Irish?) and my sketches of cows have been poor. I like the enormity of this breed.
Doing a load of crosshatching can only help so long before it’s just another avoidance activity. The emails need to be responded to. The finances need to be taken care of somehow.
Hopefully I won’t be so frozen with fear by the next time I post on here. Wish me luck! In the meantime here’s a couple of snaps from Altamuskin 🙂
