Dazed in Donegal, part two Saturday morning began with a trip back to Magheragroarty beach. This time I drove down a track through the dunes (a bit dicier than I had expected) to get closer to the nicer part of the beach. I took this photo on the way back to the house. The four
Dazed in Donegal My friend Dara arrived on Monday 12 May. On Tuesday, I worked then played golf in the weekly competition then had a prize-giving dinner at Shandon. So I invited friends over whom I knew Dara would enjoy meeting. Dara and I went to the Asian supermarket in the afternoon and
Another year 'round the sphere It's been a month since my last post! I left off by noting my aches and pains so we begin with an organ recital. Doc said the 'back pain' is bursitis in my right hip – anti-inflammatories and exercises. The stomach pain is irritable bowel – he gave
Out like a lamb It's nearly a month since I returned from Spain. This photo from Plaza de Espana didn't make it into earlier blogs b/c Eddis sent it to me after the holiday. Where was I? So, cold weather when I returned 19 March followed by an incredibly
Granada tres Another rainy morning. Eddis and I took the hop on hop off train (it's actually a series of bus carriages tied together). We made our way down to the river I visited yesterday, but first we drove through a forest surrounding the Alhambra, where I snapped this gate.
Granada dos We started the day walking in heavy rain with our guide for a 30-minute orientation to the main sites. Once released, Eddis and I went into a shop for tea and pastry. We came out into more rain and spent some time in the lovely Corte d'Ingles department
Granada una Today was Alhambra day. We began in the house and gardens of the architect Generalife (gen-ur-ul-LIFF-AY), which sits above the Alhambra palace. Then a guest house, also outside the palace walls. Although my uptake of info has slowed, I believe Alhambra was built 1000-1300ish? The Catholic monarchs' battles against
Seville Our guide pronounces this sah-VEE-yah. Before we visit Seville, a quick snap of Loja (lo-HA), where we stayed for four nights while exploring the Iberian peninsula. I took this early one cold morning when the fog was trapped. I've done a pretty severe edit of my photos or
Cordoba We began today crossing a Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir river. Which is very swollen because, after three years of drought, Andalucia has had nearly six months of rain. It is a largely agricultural area – we have passed miles and miles of olive groves – so this is good news for
Antequera On 12 March I flew with my friend Eddis to Malaga to begin a week's holiday in Andalucia, a region spanning the south of Spain. I had to use a week's holiday before 31 March and this is the holiday I booked a bit last minute,
3 weeks, 3 topics It has been three weeks since the last entry. I am currently in Spain so I don't have access to my wall calendar to remind me what I've been up to. I can recall, however, three things I've done other than work and walk
Daph in the gaff On 3 Feb. I went to Almost Home animal rescue near Moira, a 45-minute drive, to meet Daphne, a wee springer who had been there since August. I spent the next week fortifying my back garden so it would pass muster as a secure garden. Easier said than done with
A month of Sundays Today is the fourth Sunday since my last post. I am amazed that I wrote a daily post for several years. What on earth did I write about? I guess in the early years here there was so much to get on top of, a learning curve with lots of
At a trot The new year is off at a trot for a variety of reasons. But first, while in the US, my critter sitter sent me the below, just to keep my heart melted when the weather turned frigid: In our final week, mom and I had a second luncheon for more
A Quiet Christmas This post will gloss over four weeks. I'm in West Virginia so I don't have my office wall calendar (old school, I know) to jog my memory as to what I got up to during the first two weeks of December, before I left for the
A dramatic Thanksgiving I returned from Madeira with less than a week to go until Thanksgiving. I had already invited three friends, two of whom I was eager to have meet, given a common interest in working with asylum seekers. Then I invited two neighbours, one of who is new to the street.
Fun in Funchal, 6 Today was a leisure day on the Travel Department itinerary. I had my leisure day yesterday – exploring Funchal. Today I did a second levada hike. Above is the Risco waterfall, which is pronounced Reesh-ko. We hiked into the Rabacal valley. There were I think 19 people on this hike, again
Fun in Funchal, 5 Today was maybe my favourite day. I skipped the half day tour again and explored the city. I wanted to take the cable car up the mountain but every time I went the line was a mile long – once those cruise ships disgorge their thousands of passengers, Funchal is at
Fun in Funchal, 4 Today we toured the most magnificent garden of the week, the Monte Palace Garden. There was a Portugese mining magnate, didn't catch his name, who made his fortune in South Africa and Brazil. This is what he did with a chunk of his money. There is a series
Fun in Funchal, 3 The Travel Deparment offered a half-day tour today of two small gardens, which I decided to skip in favour of a levada walk. We started in Quiemadas park, where this house features. First thing I saw on the 13 kilometre hike was a Brazilian spider flower. The levadas are man-made
Fun in Funchal, 2 Today we drove up to the third highest peak in Madeira, got out of the bus and walked the last 100 metres. The thing was, we were in thick cloud, so we saw nothing. But at least I hadn't spent 4 or 5 hours hiking up to the
Fun in Funchal, 1 I arrived in Funchal, the main city on the island of Madeira, around 1:30 pm on Friday, 15 Nov. After a light lunch, I went for a walk with Iain, our tour guide, and most of the 23 other guests on the trip. We walked along a promenade near
Two weeks Since I last wrote, Americans have elected a new president. I feel like Americans vote more like people in developing countries than citizens of developed countries. If all you care about is getting a better job, food or a roof over your head, you will overlook any number of incriminating
BIAF I have been to five Belfast International Arts Festival events in the past week but want to start with leftover Minor Foursomes party photos. The captain of the team is called Wee Lynn. See if you can figure out which is she. She brought me the loveliest flowers and two
Minor Foursomes Healing is progressing. Not in a straight line, but progress overall. In the weeks since the accident, 30 people have helped or offered to help, half of them golfers. I find that extraordinary. Below is my fourth bouquet, from neighbour Fiona. On 11 Oct. I took the Glider for 30