Marysia's ACTive Blog - 5.10.18

I woke up to a new day and being inspired to get on with my world as though the beautiful places of nature I experienced over the last few weeks had spurred me on creatively.

NOTE TO SELF! ​​Remember ​Art-Culture-Tourism is an initiative.

After some weeks of deliberation prior to my trips, I have decided to go back to what ACT successfully started with in Beeston in December 2013 and through 2014, which was performance networking evenings telling Beeston, Nottingham and the world, what the town was really about and what made it so special with its overflowing creativity and entrepreneurship, and fostering that abundance.

So from January 2019 onwards, during the 4th week of each month, Art Culture Tourism will host a LIVE review magazine 'show' of What’s On over the months to come by staging 6-10 minute slots of performances. All in between opportunities to networking, chat and drink. Each evening will start 6.00pm and finish 8.30pm, held at different venues in and around Beeston. I, together with interns joining the ACT intern programme in association with Nottingham Trent University, will be garnering hyper local and Nottinghamshire Sponsors to sustain these events and more. ACT NTU intern students will help operate ACT to further their work experience, enhance their own projects. There are so many specialisms that thrive on arts and culture, in arts and humanities, art and design, cultural heritage, tourism, creative writing and journalism to name but a few. The continual theme of Crossing Cultures will be reflective of what the community means to the town. ACT's cross cultural exchange and study trips will be running again in 2019.

ACT will develop its Promotions consultancy local to global and I, and our specially recruited interns and writers, will regularly blog on our website and across social media platforms to sustain ACT’s mission, aims and objectives.

This will allow me to focus on my writing features (and blogging) and liaise, with not only local businesses, but with countries overseas who have continued to enquire over the last three years, if they can collaborate with ACT to develop and sustain their own art, cultural and tourism projects with help from The Ghost Bus Project, Robin Hood initiatives and pan educational projects.

I need to pursue my own personal goals and one of them is to write a small book called “The Adventures of Tag and Miss Zippy”, and then to continue to write a collection of small books along the same theme, subject and format encompassing philosophical and moral tales.

See Tag and Miss Zippy (me) here. Tag was LinkedIn’s Mascot and became rather famous!

​​Retirement is out of the question!

So there we have it in black and white and

colour!

Marysia's DUBLIN Blog - 4.10.18

Unfortunately Kilruddery House was closed but we saw these adorable piggies on our way to the car park. They were enjoying the sunshine. — med Marysia Zipser på Kilruddery House.

Places we visited -

• Kilruddery House and Gardens ... but closed when we got there as changed to weekends opening from beg of October!
  

• So travelled onto instead to Mount Usher gardens 20 mins away. ​

• Dartmouth Square and Fitzwilliam Square.

My final morning with Theresa and Ellie. Off we went motoring onwards Kilruddery House and Gardens but... on arrival we found that October visiting times had changed and it was no longer open to the public, only at weekends.

We clambered out of the car and into glorious sunshine and wandered off to the welcoming courtyard of shops, coffee shop and restaurant. All I can say is that Mount Usher Gardens is one of the most wondrous places I have ever visited. It is awe inspiring. Theresa’s photos distill its perfection for all to appreciate. Its history and development owe much to the foresight of William Robinson, champion of the wild garden. It is a 22 acre paradise with the tumbling Vartry river as its spine. Edward Walpole first started planting here way back in 1868. ​Whatever season you visit in, it is always a jewel of discovery.

On the way back and reaching Dublin city, Theresa veered off in certain directions to show me some typical Dublin heritage architecture, and we passed through red-bricked Dartmouth Square (loved it) and then onto the gracious and majestic Fitzwilliam Square with its tall grey-bricked town houses and customary black railings rising from the pavements. Thank you Theresa, you know I’m passionate about historic architecture and heritage, and you always know what will grab my attention.

Theresa dropped me off at Dublin international airport to catch the plane home to Nottingham East Midlands Airport and back to Beeston. I was fortunate enough to meet a lovely lady, a sculptor and architectural landscaper, who suggested a joined-up taxi ride home knowing we would have to wait another 30-40 minutes at the Skylink bus stop. I took her up on her offer and we had a most enlightening conversation back talking about Beeston and its how public art and sculptures, and proposed architecture could be used more effectively to arouse spatial awareness and creative urban planning.

​Home at last and straight into bed.

What a fantastic two weeks I had experienced with Pam Miller in London and Theresa Moynes in and around Dublin. Never to be forgotten. Thank you lovely ladies for your joyful and invigorating company.

Marysia's DUBLIN Blog - 3.10.18

Howth Head overlooking Dublin Bay

Places we visited

• Howth Harbour and Howth Head overlooking Dublin Bay

• Malahide Castle Garden

• Powerscourt House and Gardens

Wednesday we were up very early to drive over to collect Theresa’s lovely grand daughter who we looked after during the day so then we veered onto beautiful Howth harbour and saw the many fish markets and shops and fishing boats and yachts moored there.

Theresa purchased a selection of fresh fish for our dinners that evening. She then drove upwards to Howth Head overlooking Dublin Bay which gave us a stunning vista all around.

Onwards to Malahide Castle not too far away from Theresa’s Farmleigh home where the great expanse of park, gardens and arboretum took my breath away. ​I didn’t venture into the castle this time but wandered around the gardens with huge over arching tree branches that fell to the ground. The castle provided a magnificent backdrop with its gothic towers and red leafed Virginia creeper adorning its walls. ​I’m sure it is haunted, and wouldn’t like to be inside it on a moon lit or dark night when the owls would be howling!

Back home and then off again further to Powercourt House, within the 1,000 acre Powercourt estate in County Wicklow with 47 acres of gardens.

There’s also two championship golf courses and a 5 star luxury hotel and spa in Palladian style, and also Ireland’s highest waterfall at 121m.

​The splendid Sugarloaf Mountain overlooks the estate. So you can imagine Theresa and I taking photographs everywhere we walked.

We wondered around the Italian Garden, Tower Valley, Japanese Garden, walled gardens, Dolphin Pond, and Triton Lake, all magnificent and akin to Versailles grandness and classical appearance.

Malahide Castle Garden

We arrived back quite late and to supper for all of us. Little Ellie was in her element and still squealing with delight.