A cracking July

Cracking is Beflast slang for very good. Like a cracking shot is a beautiful shot on the golf course. So we'll start with golf. I had a cracking round on 20 July, gross 93, my best ever. I've had a run of good rounds so my handicap, 28.7 in March, was 23.1 by early August. That low score on 20 July translated to 43 Stableford points and won me the Marina Salver – donated by my golf coach's mother, so I was delighted to win it.

I've had eight gym sessions so far with Michael, my personal trainer. This is all about strength training. Mostly my arms and back. But the glutes and core are certainly in on the act. I don't know that the weightlifting has helped the golf, but it certainly hasn't hurt. I've also gotten a new bed after 25 years. It is heavenly. Here's me with some of my golf buddies playing in a charity golf event.

In late July I went hiking in the Wicklow mountains with my neighbour Sarah and a group of 16 hikers. In the photos below, the really good ones were taken by the trip leader, Cathy. The less spectacular ones are by me. Day one was the beautiful Lugnaquilla hike, up one valley and down another.

Below are Sarah and I on the way up. I have three baseball caps at home (golf caps actually) but did I remember any of them?

Below is Sarah on the left after we reached the peak of Lugnaquilla, just over 3,000 feet. Maybe not a big mountain by US standards but it was a good leg stretcher.

From Wiki: "Lugnaquilla overlooks the Glen of Imaal to the west and Glenmalure to the east." That sentence reminds me of being a teenager in Ireland in the 70s in absolute thrall to the beauty of the language and the lilt of the music and power of the myths. There was a lovely highland lake on the hike – the photo below taken by the trip leader, Cathy.

Each day we hiked about 15 kilometres so we were well tired by the end.

Cathy took above and below photos near the end of day one.

Here is Sarah dipping her feet in the heavenly cool water at the trail's end.

Also at the end of the trail there was a memorial to those who died in a nearby battle during the 1798 rebellion – a William Casey among them.

We spent Friday and Saturday nights in a youth hostel near the Glendalough medieval monastic settlement. Day two was the Spinc trail, which goes up a ridge and down a valley, ending at one of the lakes of Glendalough. The first photo below taken by me, the second by Cathy, who is a much better photographer (and has a better phone/software).

There's a herd of deer in this valley.

The view from near the top of the valley, looking down to Glendalough lake at the bottom.

Sarah drove so the long drive home after Sunday's hike was on her. We stopped at a wonderful veggie restaurant on the way home. What a brilliant weekend!

Late July