Snowdrops & Daffodils in Blarney Castle

At the start of every year, we return to one of our favourite places - the beautiful and magical Blarney Castle and gardens, to see the dainty little snowdrops and bright and cheery daffodils in bloom.

It's a tradition we've had ever since our eldest son Tyler was a baby and I now affectionately refer to him as my 'daffodil boy' - his baby brother has become the 'bluebell boy', being born in May when the bluebells are in bloom.

The pictures myself and Jacek captured in Blarney Castle this time we our fifth year of photos of Tyler amongst the snowdrops and daffodils. These photos are so precious to me. Capturing my children in nature is my favourite thing to ever capture on camera and the fact that this is an annual tradition for us makes it all the more special.

On this visit I also asked Jacek to capture some pictures of the children and I too. When I look back at our old photos I'm saddened by the fact that I was too ashamed of my weight to be pictured with my children. I don't want them to look back at our family albums or this blog one day and notice that their mother was missing from all the pictures.

I actually love the photos Jacek took of the children and I amongst the daffodils. Sure, I still don't look perfect, I'm not at my ideal weight and my hair hasn't been cut or coloured in over a year (thank you psoriasis!), but that expression on my face is one of pure happiness. Nothing makes me happier than being outdoors with my boys.

I think traditions are important within families and to have an annual photo of Tyler with the daffodils is something I treasure. I'll continue to take these photos of him every year, as long as he lets me of course.

I don't know if 15 year old Tyler will be too willing to be photographed even, especially with bright yellow flowers, but I'll live in hope!

It's also important for me to take more pictures of Jacek with the children, he's an element missing in a lot of family photos too. I'm so lucky to have a partner who enjoys photography and nature as much as I do, but that usually means that one of us is behind the camera.

If you've never witnessed the snowdrops and daffodils in bloom in Blarney Castle then you're missing out. Avenues of both flowers bloom in January/February and they're a feast for the eyes - a must see for both flower and nature lovers. It's a sight I look forward to seeing each year.

One thing I must say did disappoint me about our visit though was the hike in price by Blarney Castle. When we visited the castle back in November the price was €15 per adult, it has now increased to €18. I actually think this is scandalous and not justified at all as there are no new attractions and building work everywhere.

We visit the grounds of the castle about four our five times a year, to see the different flowers in bloom, etc. but I don't think I can justify spending that much just to take a walk around the grounds, we don't tend to visit the castle - although I did this time with Tyler just to get our €18 worth. I think Blarney Castle should implement a separate price just for people like us who are there to enjoy the grounds and maybe have someone taking castle visit tickets inside the booth in the castle.

Have you ever seen the beautiful grounds of Blarney Castle? You can read about our other adventures from Blarney Castle and gardens here.