Tuesday 25 September 2012

Trip to Ireland

                                                    View from the Back Door.
Hello! Hello! Yes, I haven't dropped off the edge of the Planet - though it does indeed feel like it! The header photo is of the field next door, with the silage all baled and ready for what is probably going to be a long and wet Autumn/Winter. I rather like this, I think it should go in the Country File Calendar. Do you have the same groan going on in your household everytime John Craven says '...and now here are the entries for this years competition!'...not that we don't enjoy the photographs, but my poor husband just can't bear the whole rigmarole every week in the lead up. I, in turn, can't bear him making the same remark every week...............

 We had a lovely week in Ireland with friends Lesley and Mike. We stayed a few days in their beautiful house just outside a tiny village called Drinagh, in West Cork, then we moved to a hotel in Clonmel while the chaps did fishing related stuff and Lesley and I did.....a lotta chillin'! We swam, I was seen, briefly, on a treadmill, we had some FABULOUS pampering, we sat around and read and nattered and drank coffee and nattered some more. We did not feel in the LEAST guilty as we felt we deserved the rest. I maxed out on as many versions of seafood chowder as I could find....the best? Well, an even draw between Dinty's pub in Union Hall and a hotel in Kenmare, but they were all good, it has to be said.

I was very remiss and didn't make notes of the place names when I took photos so you'll have to excuse the lack of information, just enjoy the photos!


                     Lesley and Mike's house which they've extended and modernised beautifully.

               Conservatory view across to Drinagh..wooded stone circle in the mid-ground.

                                                        Mist on the Hills.

                             Across to Drinagh - a little further than it looks on this zoom shot.

                                                          The Square at Skibereen.

                         Heron on the river at Skibereen. So close to us, he just walked right past!

                        The bay at Union Hall, taken before we went for our meal.

                      Lesley, Mike and Jim  heading into Dinty's Bar for some lovely grub!

                                                       Approaching Bantry Bay.

                                                               Fellow travellers.

    Very orange hotel in Glengarriff - we spotted several houses within a 25 mile radius which had      obviously come out of the same pot!

                                             Buildings in Kenmare - I think!

                         A tiny pub where we stopped off on the way home from Kenmare, for a cuppa.

        City sight-seeing at Waterford. Amazed at the beautiful crystal we couldn't afford!

Well, I think I managed to remember most of the names. Lesley you'll have to fill me in if I made a mistake. I took no photos in Clonmel so that's your lot! We saw some beautiful scenery, met some lovely people. I had a great conversation with a guy in a music shop in Kenmare about various systems of accordians/ melodeons, I could have stayed all day! But I was not tempted! Oh, we did pop into a music shop in Waterford but they were more into guitars, though I did have a little go on a BC melodeon....ooooooh VERY different to my DG one! We will definitely be going back to West Cork, lots more to see, and of course, there's the rest of the whole of Ireland!

Too much sitting in 4x4's though, have really done for my back and the following week wasn't very comfortable. However, almost sorted now. There were so many things I'd intended doing last week, too, but feeling under par, and then having a flat tyre many miles from home, loads of catching up stuff for mum......where did the days go? So sorry I haven't been reading blogs and keeping in touch, but hopefully all back to normal now.

I did have some great postcards printed of some of my textiles and journal pages, so impressed I shall be across to see The Man to have some more done soon! And some greetings cards too. Here are the proofs:

                                 I'll put some pics of the actual cards up next time.

Before we popped up to Dersingham to collect them Jim and I went to market. This is what my money went on this week:


Good, eh? Most - or certainly much -  of this little lot is destined for my new juicer. The rest will be side dishes or luverlee soups. I made one the other day....it does look a bit brown and yuk but it was delicious.....lentil dahl. mmmmmmmmmmm!


I do want to talk about juicers, had a few enquiries after the earlier post. No, we aren't going vegan or fruitarian, just having a little re-jig of the way we eat. More next time!

Oooh and I should really change my profile photo too....I decided to go au naturel, hair wise, and it took me a while to get used to it, I can tell you! Jim prefers it. I call my new shade "Fifty Shades of Grey" (well what did you expect????? and no, I am holding out and intend being the last woman on earth to read the damned thing. Several people whose views I respect have told me the writing is execrable, and I really didn't like what I saw of the author when she was interviewed. Just my opinion.)

Sooooooo, looking forward to having a few chats, and catching up with all your blogs too. See you next time!







25 comments:

  1. Lynne, did you visit the Famine Graveyard just outside Skibbereen? a ver touching place, and you could feel the sorrow in there.
    I recognise the places you were - it was lovely when We were there too.
    don't you just love the paint jobs of the houses? I think they are wonderful - they vie for your attention, don't they?
    R
    X

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    1. Hi Rob, no we didn't go and see it but we did discuss it. Jimalso got out somewhere along the road to photograph the memorial of the Ambush of the Black and Tans. Very thought-provoking.

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  2. All looks great. Love the coloured buildings - with all that green they probably need a bit of colour to go with it all! I haven't read the Shades of Grey books either and have no intention of doing so just to be in with the in-crowd!

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    1. Yes, they might not look so good under different skies and other environments. Personally I love 'em! And I think we should start a Anti-Grey Group!

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  3. Sounds like you have had a lovely time - your photos are beautiful!
    Claire

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    1. Thanks Claire, I'm amazed at the photos this little camera takes - it certainly isn't my photography!

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  4. I love all those coloured houses! I'm with you on the book, won't be reading it, i like to be different! Ada :)

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    1. Thanks Ada, see my comment above on the Anti Grey Society!

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  5. Welcome back Lynne- great post and pics ! Look forward to the next one, I love your prints too- make lovely cards!
    heatherxx

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    1. Hello Heather, yes, I'm so chuffed with the postcards, it was such an easy process, chap in a village a few miles away, very laid back very accommodating and great results.

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  6. Your photos make me want to plan another trip! Did you visit Loch Gur? The stone circle photo reminded me of Grange stone circle there.
    I certainly won't be reading 50 Shades, either!
    And I'd still love a set of those postcards... x

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    1. Loch Gur....now I don't think so, Jayne, but as I say we saw a lot of West Cork and I didn't write stuff down. Probably not, as I would have recognised a Loch! Fabulous place, looking forward to seeing more of it.
      Seems there is a LOT of dissent re The Book (mainly because of the way it has been so strongly marketed and virtually shoved down our throats) (hmmm, may amend that!!!!!) Just rubbish really, and I don't wish to be associated with it, and as you know, I am not a prude!
      Now re the cards, are you sure? Would you like to pick some out? There are 12 altogether and I was thinking of selling them at 50p each which seems to be the going rate. Let me know in a pm. Lx

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  7. Lovely photos, one of the things I love about Ireland are their colourful buildings.
    Postcards look good, take it they were printed where I live?
    Had a juicer, but it took up too much space, was a pain to clean, so I gave up.
    And I will be the only woman then, who won't read that book. I have no interest in it, and none of my close female friends have either.
    Sorry to hear about the back though, a rotten end to a lovely holiday, and looking forward to the au naturel hair colour photo!

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  8. Hi Maggie, join the Anti-Grey group! Yes, I had a cheap juicer years ago which lived in the cupboard for the same reasons you give. But this one is a breeze to clean, and we've found a place on a shelf for it to sit all ready for use...anything to make life easy!

    Must get a decent photo of self...very few of those exist! But I must say I quite the hair now I've got used to this stranger looking out of the morror at me!

    Oh, yes, indeed, it's Jez Batch up at Dodd's Hill who did my printing, also doing some bits and pieces for Jim. Lx

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    1. Did Jez used to have a place next to the hairdressers in Jubilee Court, now occupied by estate agents? If so, I do know him... when I worked at the hospice he did some printing for me, cheaper than usual prices as it was for the hospice. Very nice man...

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    2. Not sure, Maggie, but I suspect so. Very pleasant, laid back kinda guy and I liked what he does. Lx

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  9. Haven't read Fifty Shades and will not ever. Sounds vile. And I agree with you that the author didn't seem, what I saw of her on TV, to be a particularly appealing person.

    Must say, though, that I am nowhere near ready to let my grey show yet - you're a brave lady.

    Your veggies look delicious - I would go mad with such a choice - my veg drawer is woefully empty at the moment. And actually that lentil dhal looks yummy not horrid at all - I love dhal. Yum. Do you cook on an Aga? The idea of it is super but what's the reality like?

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    1. Oh ...meant say that Ireland looks wonderful - great photos - I'd love to visit there one day.

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    2. Well, re the hair, I wasn't very happy with the shade ...it was beginning to look definitely coloured. I missed an appointment and rather more grey grew out and my hairdresser said she liked it give it a go, so I did. I'm used to it now. And a good bit older than you so of course that makes a difference!

      We have a Rayburn, made by Aga, but more flexible. You don't have to have a boiling hot kitchen in the summer because the Aga is bubbling away merrily to itself. You certainly have to cook slightly differently , much more is done IN the oven rather than on the stove top, and heating up time is a bit longer. And of course there is no flame, I really do like a gas hob, to be honest. But nothing beats the oven cooking of an Aga/Rayburn, succulent roast, moist, dreamy casseroles and so on. And you CAN bake cakes perfectly well, though I've heasrd people say you can't. Bread is fabulous. There, I should be getting a free one any day now!

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  10. Beautiful, beautiful photos! Good shot of that Heron! Fifty Shades of Grey?? Too funny!! Some libraries have banned that book over here. We have it here at our library, little old ladies come up to my desk and say "I want to read that book but don't tell anybody"... :-)

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    1. Hi Dorothy, yes, we couldn't believe the heron just moseying on by us, completely un-bothered! I love the image of the little old ladies sidling up to the counter.......oh dear, what does it say about us all, I wonder??

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  11. You're back, as you said a post ago, but I missed it! Lovely Ireland pics, scrummy looking soup, and WOW at the postcards!!!

    I yet be the only woman who hasn't read 50 Shades of Grey!

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    1. Hi Annie, thanks for popping across! Yes, we are back and I must get another blog post done and dusted very soon. Seems to be a lot of agreement re the '50 Shades', and I don't mean my hair!! Lx

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  12. Hello Lynne
    I love Ireland and have only been once with my Mum in 1996. I love that all the villages and towns have such colourful buildings, this really was a surprise as we drove through southern Ireland. It truly is the greenest countryside I have ever seen. Looks like you had a fabby time, nothing better than TIME chilling and catching up with friends.
    Loving all those anti-oxidants in your fruit and veg choices (sorry I don't normally have my professional head on in blog land :o)
    As for 50 shades...I can't even type the title! Hideous is word that comes to mind and I most certainly wont be reading it. What on earth is our society coming to?
    Glad to have you back xox Look forward to seeing your grey! x Penelope

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    1. Hi Penelope, Ireland is amazing, it was only my second visit though Jim has been a few times; I loved it, and we intend to return to do a bit of music-related stuff....as well as the fishing, naturally!
      Oh that book; you know, I am no prude, but I just feel so sad and a rather annoyed that such low grade pornography (as opposed to some which may be well written) has been made so freely available and probably, because of all the hype, read by every pre-pubescent teenager as well. What an introduction to sex for them, bye bye innocence! It became kind of 'ok' to say you'd read it....smuggled, no doubt, through the self-service check-out at the supermarket.....therebye 'normalising' what is, in effect, the subjugation of a young and innocent woman by a perverse and much older man. What is consensual about that? It's about the infliction of pain and humiliation, for goodness' sake! What is loving about that?
      Ooops, sorry, on my hobby horse there! Anyway, yes, I am into giving my liver a bit of a boost and getting some anti-oxidants into my system. More later...though I don't want to bore people...fine balance I tink! Lx

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