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!