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Artists who paints in oil en plein aire. Member of the three member Plein Aire Cottage Artists. Members: Mary Rose Holmes, Violetta Chandler and Helen Tilston

Sunday, June 16, 2013

You are Heartily Welcome

Helen Tilston
A day trip - Photo Helen Tilston



Our plane lands at Dublin Airport and passengers are ushered through Customs and Immigration. As in previous years the Official inspects my passport, reads my place of birth, namely Galway, and says:
"Welcome Home, Helen".  Thanks you Customs &; Immigration Ireland for including this welcome in your training.






Youghal, photo: Helen Tilston
 With a lifted spirit and a sunny day, we depart for our home away from home, in Youghal, Co. Cork

We are delighted to hear that the Moby Dick Festival will be celebrated whilst there.  In 1956 the film, Moby Dick, directed by John Houston, starring, Gregory Peck was filmed in Youghal.
For those who have not viewed the film, you may do so, at no cost, on You Tube.

The Festival closes with Moby Dick being towed into Youghal Harbour.





Moby Dick, photo: Helen Tilston
This is Moby Dick anchored at Youghal Harbour.  Does he scare you?
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50 comments:

  1. ~Lavender Dreamer~June 16, 2013 at 6:02 PM

    He makes me smile! Enjoy your wonderful trip! The water looks such a dark beautiful blue! Enjoy!

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    1. helen tilstonJune 18, 2013 at 7:19 AM

      Hello Diane
      Glad Moby Dick made you smile, he did us too. When we saw it being towed into the harbour our first thought was it an iceberg or a bath-tub. The water in Ireland can be spectacular in colour, like Florida

      Helen xx

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  2. BonnieJune 16, 2013 at 6:48 PM

    Oh you are back in Ireland. Sigh....I would love to return. Enjoy your visit.

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    1. helen tilstonJune 18, 2013 at 7:20 AM

      Hello Bonnie

      Ireland awaits you and I have instructed Customs and Immigration to give you an extra special welcome.

      Helen xx

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  3. sandaJune 16, 2013 at 6:49 PM

    Hi Helen
    Hope your stay in Irrland will be wonderful. That was a very nice gesture by the customs agent. But then, the Irish are the friendliest people! Not scared of the Moby Dick you picture but the real ones, yes indeed!

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    1. helen tilstonJune 18, 2013 at 7:22 AM

      Hello Sanda

      Yes the welcome was indeed special and it is small acts of kindness which make fond memories. The original Moby Dick was definitely more horrific than the mascot which floats in Youghal harbour. Lots of fun

      Helen xx

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  4. BrittaJune 16, 2013 at 11:25 PM

    Dear Helen,
    I found you via Sapphire. Words like those you mention - welcome home - have great power (as being an author, I should know, In blogland I have a transparent alias, to separate personal from business, but my photos are real) This year I stay 1 month in London, but Ireland it will be next year - my husband raves of the Irish friendliness.

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    1. helen tilstonJune 18, 2013 at 7:24 AM

      Hello Britta and a warm and heart felt welcome to my blog. I love Sapphire's blog too. How exciting you will spend a nice period of tie in London. Perhaps our paths shall cross in Ireland in 2014, what a lovely thought


      Helen xx

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  5. RosemaryJune 17, 2013 at 2:31 AM

    What a lovely welcome back home for you Helen - it is the small gestures and courtesies that make our day.
    You are back in Ireland again? - have a wonderful stay and look forward to your forthcoming posts.

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:24 PM

      Hello Rosemary

      So right when you say it is the small gestures and courtesies that make our day. Travelling through airports and on board some airlines is often unpleasant and when we find kindness it is so uplifting.
      Hope your week is special

      Helen xx

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  6. PatriciaJune 17, 2013 at 3:38 AM

    How wonderful to be back in Ireland, a country I have never seen but, with Irish ancestry, I would love to visit. Moby in the harbour is not scary at all, but the movie - we have watched it several times and it is definitely scary!

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:25 PM

      Hello Patricia

      I hope you come to Ireland and make a nice long visit. The movie and Moby Dick was very scary and has stood the test of time. Have a brilliant week

      Helen xx

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  7. PoppyJune 17, 2013 at 4:24 AM

    G'Day to you, Helen!

    Welcome to Europe! I hope you have a wonderful adventure while in Ireland, a country I long to visit, so coloured by song and dance and merry people! Enjoy your stay!

    Poppy

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:26 PM

      Hello Poppy

      Lovely to see you and I do hope you will grace Ireland with your presence one day Hope your week is special

      Helen xx

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  8. Castles Crowns and CottagesJune 17, 2013 at 4:37 AM

    OH HOW LOVELY! Blue waters such as these give me joy. Helen dear, out again traveling? How very kind of you to come to visit me! LOVE TO YOU! Anita

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:27 PM

      Hello Anita

      I share you love for the ocean and azure waters. Hope you enjoy your summer and I will be looking forward to hearing all about your plans

      Helen x

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  9. Jackie and Joel SmithJune 17, 2013 at 6:48 AM

    Looking forward to your reports from Ireland. . .How nice to have been welcomed 'home'. Funny how something so simple can mean so much. It has happened once or twice in the U.S. when we've returned from trips. . .it does mean a lot, even from a stranger in uniform whom we may never see again. xx J.

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:30 PM

      Hello Jackie and Joel

      It is indeed most important for us to be polite and kind when travelling. We all represent the country whose passport we hold. Can can say we are Ambassadors?
      My best

      Helen xx

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  10. Vintage JaneJune 17, 2013 at 8:58 AM

    Enjoy your trip 'home'. Moby Dick looks rather cute. M x

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  11. A Super DilettanteJune 17, 2013 at 11:14 AM

    My dearest Helen, Welcome home indeed. Hope you make the most of your time in Ireland. Moby Dick festival sounds fascinating and I'd love to hear more about it. After all your hard works painting in your studio, you deserve a good break by being by the seaside and breathing fresh air and looking around the countryside for more inspiration for your future artistic projects perhaps. I hope the sun will keep on shining for you in Ireland! With love, ASD

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:35 PM

      Dearest ASD

      Thank you for your welcome. The festival is fun and seems a good excuse for families to assemble and enjoy. We do not expect good weather in Ireland but always are surprised. There is so much inspiration here and I am indeed sketching and creating watercolours.
      Wishing you a wonderful week my dear friend

      Helen xx

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  12. MrsLittleJeansJune 17, 2013 at 11:54 AM

    Oh how lovely to be in Ireland...I have never been and dying to someday visit...love that Moby Dick...enjoy your time there ...look forward to more scenery from way out there xxx

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:36 PM

      Hello Mona

      Lovely to hear from you and I do hope you will come to Ireland one day soon. The festival is a fun event.
      Hope all is wonderful with you

      Helen xx

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  13. MadeliefJune 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM

    I think that Moby Dick doesn't look scarry at all Helen :-) Is the US your home now of Ireland?

    Wishing you lots of fun visiting family & places. Ireland is one of my favourite countries. It's so quiet and green and the people are very kind. We loved Cork, the Killarney area and Glendalough.

    Happy week!

    Madelief x

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:39 PM

      Oh Madelief...Moby will be disappointed to hear you are not scared of him!! he hee.
      We enjoy travelling and as my husband puts it, we have 2 bottles of ketchup and sometimes 3.
      Hope your weekend is special

      Helen xx

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  14. Down by the seaJune 17, 2013 at 12:11 PM

    It's lovely to see you are back in Ireland again. i loved your photographs!
    Sarah x

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:40 PM

      Hello Sarah

      Thanks for stopping by. It is difficult to stay away from the land of my birth, there is a constant pull to return.
      Hope you have a wonderful week

      Helen xx

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  15. ☆sapphireJune 18, 2013 at 1:56 AM

    Hello Helen

    The sea is so beautiful! I love sea photos and you know we are now in the middle of the rainy season that makes me a little bit gloomy. Your lovely photos are really delight to the eye. I didn't know that the famous film, Moby Dick, was filmed in Youghal. I absolutely want to watch it on youtube. Thank you for the information.

    PS
    The window in the previous post looks great. I've long wanted to take pictures of windows. But still now I have not yet found good ones.

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:44 PM

      Hello Sapphire

      I find the sea soothes the soul. I need to be near the ocean. We have found a wonderful, remote beach which we call our secret. A winding road leads to it and it is magical.
      We were delighted to find Moby Dick on you tube.
      Don't you find windows hold so much interest and mystery?

      Have a brilliant week and may the rain fall softly

      Helen xx

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  16. AnnaJune 18, 2013 at 5:20 AM

    Hi Helen! Those shades of blue, white and grey "are" Ireland to me! So... you are back home. I know how special that feels! I am here in Italy, in the new house we bought... lovely, hot... blue sky... but I feel like I really don't have just one home, but two! Is that a good thing? Don't know!
    I am so busy, trying to do too much at once!

    Enjoy your stay, Helen! I like the little Moby Dick. He's cute! I am not too keen on the whale in Disney's Pinocchio, an Italian classic by Carlo Collodi, totally spoilt by the cartoon version!

    HAPPY HOLIDAY! I hope you like rain!

    HUGS

    ANNA
    xxx

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:47 PM

      Hello Anna
      I am going to have to bring you to Ireland and show you the blue oceans. Those grey and white beaches are for tourists!! hee hee

      Delighted to hear you have a new home in Italy. Two homes is perfect and makes life interesting if not confusing at times.

      Continued joy and sunshine

      Helen xx

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  17. Pura VidaJune 18, 2013 at 7:15 AM

    I would love to visit there..your photos are wonderful...that water!!!

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:47 PM

      You must come on over and visit I will ensure the friendly Customs official is on duty for your arrival.
      Helen xx

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  18. Elizabeth Rose StantonJune 18, 2013 at 11:18 AM

    Pretty photos! Moby looks rather buoyant. Have fun!

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:49 PM

      Hello Elizabeth

      Moby needs a Henny logo on his side!! hee

      Thanks for the good wishes

      Helen xx

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  19. GillianJune 18, 2013 at 12:18 PM

    Well Helen!
    Back home in Ireland again and isn't the sky a welcoming blue? That small dinghy is aching to be painted, but not the moby dick. He's best left waiting for a storm.
    Cheers Gillian

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:50 PM

      Hello Gillian

      You are a mind reader and know me too well. I painted some boats already and with the light here I think I shall paint some more.

      To a great week.

      Helen xx

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  20. rjerdeeJune 19, 2013 at 4:14 AM

    Oh, to go to Ireland. It's on our travel list...have a wonderful time, Helen!

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    1. helen tilstonJune 19, 2013 at 6:50 PM

      Come on over Becky! We will have the red carpet laid out

      Helen xx

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  21. Woodside ParkJune 20, 2013 at 11:37 AM

    Welcome home, indeed! Enjoy your stay in beautiful Ireland, and hope you'll paint there, Helen.
    Safe travels,
    Loi

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    1. helen tilstonJune 22, 2013 at 5:02 AM

      My dear Loi

      Thank you for taking time, on your travels, to stop and say hello. You know me too well and the paint brush is like a magnet to my hand. Thanks for your good wishes and looking forward to hearing all your tales
      Helen xx

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  22. Things and ThoughtsJune 21, 2013 at 5:03 AM

    Just the word Ireland makes me dream of an enchanting land full of mystery...I'm sure you will get a lot of inspiration there.
    Have fun and take care dear Helen!
    Olympia

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    1. helen tilstonJune 22, 2013 at 5:05 AM

      Hello Olympia
      How interesting that you also find the word Ireland enchanting. The scenery always surprises and the more I travel the more I appreciate what I took for granted. Do you suppose that it should be mandatory for all people to spent at least 3 years away from their country of birth?
      Hope your weekend is brilliant

      Helen xx

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  23. CatherineJune 22, 2013 at 4:33 AM

    Welcome home Helen!! I hope it warms your heart and brings you lots of happy inspiration for the seasons ahead. ENJOY!!!

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    1. helen tilstonJune 22, 2013 at 5:07 AM

      Good Morning Catherine

      Thank you for your warm welcome. So much to paint and so little time! I will certainly give it my best.
      Hope your weekend is special.

      Helen xx

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  24. Jenny WoolfJune 22, 2013 at 2:58 PM

    I'm looking at that heavenly blue sea like something in a dream.

    Now why is it that no matter how nice the day, the North Sea always looks brownish grey?

    What a nice thing to say to you. No wonder you felt happy.

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    1. helen tilstonJune 23, 2013 at 3:58 PM

      Hello Jenny

      That is an interesting comment on the North Sea, I did not know.

      It was a warm gesture by Customs and it has been said to me before when arriving in Ireland, which makes us think it is part of their training.

      Hope your week is special
      Helen xx

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  25. UnknownJune 23, 2013 at 1:30 AM

    Thank you that you visit my blog, and that you following me.
    I go following youre beautiful blog also.

    Happy Sunday,
    Inge, my choice

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    1. helen tilstonJune 23, 2013 at 3:59 PM

      Hello Inge and a very warm welcome to my blog and thank you for following. I look forward to your future visits.

      Have a glorious week

      Helen xx

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  26. Cait O'ConnorJuly 7, 2013 at 1:22 AM

    I love Youghal. My father's family originally were from West Cork but left because of famine. (My mother was born in Kerry).
    Wasn't the 'Welcome Home' wonderful?

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