The Phoenix Vegetarian Restaurant & Accommodation

12/01/2026

Life has a lot going for it and the great thing about reaching a fine age of 70 is the unbelievable happiness and all that sleeps into your amazing storyline.
This beautiful girl of mine turned 50 in December. She was born in a Meditation room in a grand old villa in Zurich. The snow was falling in lazy swirls against the window panes creating a calm settling feeling in between the ruckus that shook my body with cries of "I will never ever do this again" Somebody was boiling pans of hot water in the kitchen and the midwife pressed a chilly silver speaker to my belly, listening carefully " alles gut" she said and got out her knitting "tief durchatmen"
Try as I did to remember those peaceful bubble like prenatal classes, my painful peeks were a jumble of agonising selfpity and violent anger, I swore and cursed and could have thrown punches. Transition. Then all that work, pushing and panting and refilling filling the lungs with hurried chunks of oxygen and liquids flowing and a feeling that you will never manage this crazy impossible thing. Is God a man or what you joke until the next contraction wipes the smile clean of your face. Suddenly its the precious crowning and you only want to push but the midwife is breathing with you, showing you, leading your breath and some verrsion of you knowing somewhere deep down the need to wait for the powerful muscular urge to purge, the midwife working hard now and then the pure relief of the head curling out and you are your body now listening to only encouraging words, instructions, the adrenaline pumping filling your cells filling your very soul and then whoosh, and you hug your warm and gooey baby girl with tears of joy, hearing those little gasps and then magically, her first tiny wahhh resonates against your belly.
Your gratitude is immense, tearful, joyful, it's past midnight, there is a soft carpet of snow delicate and uplifting on the big fir trees in the garden, the air is clean and fresh as you look around your new world, as a mum. All in order and you have a new baby and someone makes you a cup of tea with all that boiling water.

11/01/2026

Someone asked me recently if, back in the day, we just fell in love with the Phoenix. Well The Phoenix had not yet had it's fiery rebirth. It was a field surrounded by an ivy coated alder hedge, a mountain river on the Westerly border with cattle grazing and the back door of the deserted dwelling left open so those cattle had shelter from the storm.
One half of the garden was a quagmire of rushes, mud so powerful that my wellies sunk irretrievably deep as if the very earth was claiming me instead of respecting my plans of reclaiming the land. I salvaged and replanted baby willows, alders, elders, sycamore, ash, horse chesnut and birch. Prickly holly, blackthorn, whitethorn, hawthorn and I fought the battle of the bramble...never winning that actual war! . I collected cuttings and willow sticks to suck the water and turn it into leafy growth. I created little shelter belts. Where there was water I dug ponds and ditches, built stone walls and pathways. Many will say of course, been there, got the Tee-shirt and loudest amongst those are my kids, their friends and the hungry volunteers ( eternal gratitude). I fed and cooked for many and slowly was able to shape the land in such a way I could bring in fruit trees, oh the excitement of planting my orchard and then the more delicate specimen trees.
About 7 years ago one of my boys decided to buy a piece of Slieve Mish and plant it with trees and I too as a child have walked in wooded areas my father planted, wisps of poplar, oak,beech and birch. My brother now cares for ancient woodlands,forests that date back a millennium or more.
When travelling in Crete once to the shock and embarrassment of my youngsters I forced them out of our car to stand under and touch (while I hugged ) an olive tree which I believed to be about 4000 years old.
I am often asked when is the best time to plant a tree ahh late autumn/ winter say the learned. And how...bare rooted, well potted, pay the dosh and buy something head high. Planting trees is a bit like truth it is an individual and personal choice. However, in the greater scheme of things the best time to ever plant a tree is NOW.

09/01/2026

Recovering slowly but surely from a strangely lingering chesty cold. My allies are huge and diverse. Rest..bed in the morning or by the fire. Walks in the salty sea air, thankyou, Beauty, my lovely Inch for being so accessible. Good simple food ; veggie soups and steaming herbal teas, bless you, Billy, and my boys in the hood. And a taste of childhood comfort Hot buttered Marmite toasts anytime of day but very especially early morning with a cup of Earl Grey tea, feet still toasty warm from the nights rest and a purring cat perched on my legs pinning me horizontal. No one disturbs Snowy and consequently ' yours truly'.
Very specific homoeopathy prescribed by my bestest healing buddy, Rebecca Atkinson.. Find her here on Instagram.
And writing a journal, with or without prompts, sometimes a scribble, a scrawl,a floral doodle, words of love, my moments truth. And my little window-framed world, crackling and tinged from the inside with warm woody flames and from the outside pattering gusts of rain and rays of sun and the frosty sprinkles sparkling in the moonlight. Dreams to be noted, music to be heard, warm hats to cover the ears, wooly clothing and hot stones to hug at night. And a general nudge that tells me to slow down, go steady, let this edgy hissing snake shed away and renew at it's own ease. Shhhush, whispers the new year and Hold your Horses! For we are not yet racing, gracefully and lithe, we are hovering, barely dancing in the ether. You will feel us coming; and then the Chinese year of the Horse will gallop loudly, and pound the earth with hooves of thunder, and grind the withered dry skin of the serpent into silvery dust.
Mine at least, is not quite discarded.

09/01/2026

Prayers to all concerned

Today, Switzerland observes a National Day of Mourning in memory of the victims of the tragic fire that occurred on 1 January in Crans-Montana.

Our thoughts are with all those impacted, in Switzerland and beyond.

09/01/2026

This is my mum dancing with her youngest cousin Stevie to a well known Irish reel(?) JERUSALEM RIDGE played by her grandsons kyle and Kim.
A night to remember as it was the eve of her 90th. Mum will always swear by good food as the secret to her longevity, she is a great cook and loves most of all her daily portion of freshly steamed veg

03/01/2026

Air, fire, earth, water
The setting sun,
The rising moon,
An ancient rock
On a kerry mountain,
Crunchy sea shells
Along the salty shore
From where our ancesters
Crawled and crept once apon a time.
Curious inquisitive creatures
Discovering wonders creating
Life forms of great diversity.
Patient, caring, nurturing
Healing as we go
Born bathed in Love.
Ahh Good evening
Wolf Moon,
Resonating, pulsating
We see you,
We feel you deeply
Gleaming fiercely
In all our hearts.
Peace starts small,
Microscopic glances,
Tiny gestures,acceptance
The recognition,
Of a memory opening the soul
So the crack of compassion
Releases
The power of forgiveness.
You are;
Courageous and loyal
Stark Mother Wolf Moon,
Our vast galaxy's premiere miracle
That true reminder of the
Year to come.
All the fun and the
Fireworks of the dark night skys
And we bow, humbled
And honestly
Truly grateful
Let the party begin

31/12/2025

From Rush to Donegal and the beautiful lake of Leitrim wishing you all a very happy new year

06/12/2025

13/11/2025

Our dog Ellie passed. She was 18 & she could still catch a snack midair.
she was loved by all often ending up in our guest bedrooms. Her terrier eyes glaring definitely at me The customer is always right. Her philosophy was curiosity so when door opens get through it, closed doors challenged her but she had an Open Sesame visualisation technique & by persistent scratching she moved doors with incremental shoves or someone did the deed for her. Broken cat flaps were an asset & in her younger days she would jump straight through an open window. If you mentioned Beach, Shopping, Foleys there she was poised at the car ready to go.
She loved a cat chase & in the past, if Ellie was heard barking under a tree you'd know there would be a cat balancing on a branch needing rescue
Once she suffered a phantom pregnancy & breastfeed litters of kittens to the embarrassment of the teenagers. Farewell trips to kerry airport were her speciality. The kids would sneak her inside & she would teeter about like a dignitary getting pats & ahhs carefully avoiding me, the enemy as i would be obliged to banish her to the car.
Omnipresent described her well, although she became invisible at the mention of bath, medicine or grooming, words she could even spell. Has anyone seen Ellie? No-one had & by the time you did she had put you under a Forgetting Spell.
She was a scruffball sort of a dog with a burr filled lions mane in winter, a natural healer. She hated being referred to as a dog. The day she died she walked up the mountain with Kim & Rufus, Ouma cooked her a chicken & She spent a lot of time with Snowy our ancient cat terrorising the wily stray cat who is regular visitor.
She escaped during the night & was found by our caring neighbours by the bridge. We imagine she chased the stray. She was unscathed. We laid her by our cooker lit a candle, drank tea, coffee, ate toast, gently her presence filled the house with a pulsating vibrant energy. When the rain stopped, we buried her by the standing stone next to the pond in the garden she loved