Summer in Ireland

12 June 09
Friday

Good day to all family and friends,
I really do not know where to start, every day jam packed with trips and visits. Easiest to start with today./yesterday!
After being on the road for 2 full days it was time to get all muscles straightened out and all joints back into function.
Keeping in mind that it has been a special week with our 32nd wedding anniversary yesterday and Father’s Day on Sunday.
We will be honoured with Finbarr & Amanda’s presence which in itself is a special event as we see him only a few times a year. His special request were to have a Milk Tart for tea and because it is also a special day for the Father of this house his request for trifle had to be adhered to as well. Hoping that the weather will be complying we plan to have a little braai as plan A but with a horrible weather fore cast of heavy showers and even some thunder we also have to have plan B in place. In order to provide in every-ones request Isabel came equipped with milk tart recipe and not realizing that I do not bake most ingredients had to be bought. She was somewhat worried about my method of measuring and to use my primitive method of spoons and the eye. With the filling in the tennis biscuit(from SA) lined dish, Isabel asked me to hand her the Cinnamon??? Well I had to get into the car and go and buy it as it has to be sprinkled on top while the filling is still hot! It looks good and I believe it will taste even better. The trifle is also setting on the top shelf of the fridge made ala Christina.
Now the main dish of the day, if it does not rain will be the protein on the coals and the butcher made a new batch of ‘boere wors’ last night and tasted themselves a piece and were quite impressed as we advised them to mince the meat only once and to add a bit more salt and to use thicker/wider rather, sausage skin, as they call it ’ for Jumbo sausages’ It looks more like ‘boere wors’ this time I have to admit.
Maybe we will not find out what it tastes like if it rains!
There-for it is not necessary to say that we will feast tomorrow whatever way the weather turns!
Sunday
The week started off with somewhat poor weather and we dodged
Its dark ominous clouds by going back to Bellvedere Home and Garden festival as Barry wanted to look at the gates again. The cottages with front wall painted needs a new gate –presently fitted with an old farm gate rusted and not looking the best. There we realized that some of the exhibitors were new and some were gone , many of the flowers were now nearly half price and we had hoped that the gate people will also reduced their prices but alas , it was still the same.
Monday we stayed at home recovering from the long walk of the previous day, attending to house wife duties and just to take some time off. Tuesday, we went for a drive 1st north and then we turned west along some wonderful vegetation up some hills with wonderful views just to stop next to Lough Gowna , in fact we travelled all round the lake at and were absolutely bewildered by the beauty ,sereneness and tranquillity of the surroundings. On the way back Barry made me stop at an ‘antique’ uncared-for cemetery from yester year. The ruins of the once ’place of worship ‘ surrounded with graves from many centuries ago. Sad histories of families who were buried together in one grave stretching over a long period of time. Children’s graves and lonely single graves.
Only one grave received attention lately the rest were long forgotten. The cemetery did not even had a name just 2 crosses on the pillars holding a very old gate.
With the weather promising to improve we left Wednesday morning for Northern Ireland. 90 Min after we left we entered the outskirts of Enniskillen just to stand still in a queue of cars held up for kilometres by a ‘stop and go’ in progress. Eventually we were parked just to leave again looking for amenities. Where we then stopped was in reality only 200 meters away from where we stopped first but did not realize it. The tourist information centre was also there and conveniently we could get all the information we were looking for.
Time management on such a trip is essential and we planned to venture into the Castle first. Just outside the gate stands the monument in honour of the soldiers who fell during the Boer War and other wars known as The Enniskillen Dragoons and Fusiliers The museum was a history filled experience, fascinated by the dwellings first used by the Irish for- fathers 1000’s of years ago resembling the African hut nearly 100%. The stone used for grinding the wheat could be from Zulu land. Next we valiantly conquered the main street of Enniskillen. During such trips we always have our main meal of the day at a place where a full plate of home cooked food was available. True to this habit we enjoyed a wonderful cooked meal with apple tart as desert. After many a mile and taking photos of ‘pink’ churches we took the road to Brook Park , known as ‘Round “o” ‘ where we had to wait for the Devenish ferry. Numbers permitting the trip would start at 16h30. We counted 24 and off we went sitting on the outer deck so that we can experience the best views we travelled 1 ½ hr on the Lower Lough Erne. We turned at Devenish Island where a Monastery was founded in the 6th century. Well I can only say that it did not matter that it was cold and windy with some sun shining on us when you experiences history of such format.
We travelled home safely and clocked in just after 20h00. With the sun still high in the sky. We were tired but enriched by the experiences of the day. Next morning up again and on the road just after 9am, making hay while the sun shines! We headed northwest to Sligo.
We stopped right next to the beach, a coldish wind blowing and amazed at the beauty of the mass of water in front of us, the Atlantic Ocean we walked up and down the path provided. As the kilometres to cover that day were still ahead of us we left ,travelling along the coast and at the foot of the ‘Slieve of ...Ox mountains onto Ballina where we had lunch and took a photo of the plate of food Isabel had to devour! Back via another lough road inland heading home. Many hundreds of kilometres eastwards took us home.
It was a wonderful day, so much beauty and wild rhododendrons flowering along the road was truly magnificent.
It is raining at present and I think you have a good idea of what I have been doing the last week. And with that in mind I leave you all in good spirits.
Another day and all is prepared for this feast! Awaiting our son in anticipation, he also has the brain of the old computer with him for installation and we hope it works!
Tomorrow is the best day of the week and all Hymns ,well known and practised!
The black bird babies will surely fledge today and the swallows are busy feeding like good parents, the garden is a joy for the eye, Many roses in bloom and the woodbine in the hedge behind the house , in full bloom!
My thoughts are always with you,
Be careful and alert
Watch you step,
Keep warm when it is cold.

Take care
Christina & kie