Thursday 1 November 2012

The Rainbow That Got Away And 'Whiskey In The Jar'.

We all went to Killarney today Thursday for shopping and a ride over the Cork and Kerry mountains.  That's a picture of  one of the stone tunnels on the N71 between Glengarriff and Kenmare.  Many is the time we have all sang 'Whiskey in the Jar' travelling along that road.

"As I was going over the Cork and Kerry mountains.  I saw Captain Farrell and his money he was countin..."

There was snow on the distant mountains and it looks like we are in for a tough winter.  We got to Killarney and bought clothes and other shopping (Elvis Costello CD in Tesco for a fiver) and drove back to Glengariff.    On arrival in Glengarriff, we noticed an incredible rainbow in the harbour.  So We quickly pulled into a petrol station and I pulled out my trusty camera and...  The rainbow had disappeared.  I was like a child when its balloon had burst.

A few miles further at Ballylickey, we saw another rainbow and luckily this time, we managed to capture it.












24 comments:

  1. Couple of nice shots, reminds me a bit of the Lake District, except we've got no snow on the tops yet, but I don't think it will be long. Yes I think it's going to be a long winter, no snow here but that raw damp cold that seems to get into your bones.

    ...."I first produced my pistol and I then produced my rapier. I said stand or deliver or the devil he may take ya"


    Sounds like you had a busy and enjoyable but expensive day, I took Mrs for her hair done, then a pint of Guinness (me) and half of lager (her) at a club in Maryport with no step, wide doors and welcoming attitude. Very rare we get out, I think that's only the second time this year.

    Dry this morning, but windy and overcast, feels for rain.
    Raggy cat in and asleep on the armchair again, hasn't brought me any mice for a while, maybe they're getting scarce.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Cumbrian,

    Yes I often think of the Lake District when we journey to the Kingdom - Kerry. Lots of sheep browze grazing and look like they are thinking:

    "Who are ye?"

    The roads are so quiet at this time of year. The only place that I have been with such few people is the Scottish Highlands. Most of the traffic during the Summer must be tourists and people who own holiday homes. If you go out at night you realize how many empty holiday homes there are in the countryside. There's only 3 and a half million in Ireland and one and half million live in Dublin.

    Yes that's the song. Like most ballads it's based on a true story about a famous highway man.

    It was a very busy, enjoyable and expensive day. However we are like you Cumbrian and know where to find bargains. Yesterday it was Penney's which is like Matalan or Primemark or 'What everyone Wants'. Got some good cheap clothes and early Christmas presents. Suppose everything is made in sweatshops in Asia? Unfortunately we always go for the price don't we? This is probably why there is so little manufacturing in Europe?

    The Maryport club sounds brilliant. We don't get out very much either, so I know what you mean.

    Gale last night. Stove blew back and filled room with smoke, because wind was coming from the West. Add to open window and freeze for ten minutes or so. Still waiting for somebody to raise the flue above the gable. The joys of living next to the sea.

    Cattle left me 6 barrows of cow curry this morning. Wish I could teach them to keep their rooms clean? Terrier came in last night looking like she had been down the pit. Must of been ratting? This mornings she's immaculate after night sleeping in straw in the barn.

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice shot of the rainbow(s), Dave. Once got a shot of a rainbow at sundown/in eatly darkness in Saltzburg, Austria. Everyone raves about Vienna, but Saltzburg is equally impressive.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Pat, I have heard that Austria is incredibly beautiful and one of the most sustainable countries in the world. Austria is another country on my list I want to visit some time.

    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. There were a lot of berries on the Rowan this year, which apparently is a sure sign of a hard winter to come. Our yard tap has frozen 3 times already this autumn, and I can see snow on the top of Slieve Donard. Whenever I tell people which bit of the country we live in, they always say "You'll know when it's winter".
    Don't know what it's like down there but all the local cattle men are despairing, the cows are in already, silage was hard got this year, and now the dreaded Schmallenberg disease has arrived here this week. A huge amount of cattle being sold as people thin their herds out before winter sets in properly.
    I took your advice and rounded up all the old fence posts, which burn really well, and should keep the weekend visitors warm over in the truck-house.
    Got the first of our volunteers coming this weekend, then a couple from Canada for a week, and a girl from Austria for a fortnight, so am looking forward to having some help again (Mrs GB has to feed the nipper what seems like every five minutes at the moment).

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Steve. I have heard the same thing said about Holly berries. We had tap trouble in 2010. Now I always leave the kitchen sink dripping at night, seems to do the trick.

    Locked cattle in last night because of the heavy rain showers. They seem to love the Barley straw in the mangers and some which I scatter on the ground for bedding.

    We light the range every morning now. Solid fuel is very expensive. We are using 3 bags a week plus logs and what ever we can find like old posts and broken pallets. I heard about the Schmallenberg disease today - worrying times!

    Please keep us informed of any stories about Canada or Austria. Two places I really would like to visit. Think they get snow in October in Canada and have about 8 months winter? Believe there are great opportunities there for people who want to buy relatively cheap farm land.

    Missus says she fed our two, baby rice from the age of 8 weeks. It fills them up and mother and baby get a good nights sleep. She also never bought baby food. She just mashed up anything we ate, but not too much cabbage or spicy stuff. Cabbage leaves are also brilliant for Mastitis.

    Dave the Agony Aunt. Not quite!!

    Thanks Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Schmallenberg disease ?? Never heard of this one.
    Hope none of you comes into contact with it.

    Noticed there seems to have been a lot of berries just about everywhere. A hard winter and a long one to come?

    Overcast and raining, no wind, and cold.
    Raggy cat a bit worried by all the fireworks last night, they've started already. No doubt they will continue for a few days, such powerful things they are now, so very loud. It still went out as usual and waiting to come in this morning.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Cumbrian,

    Apparently it's a tick that spreads Schmallenberg disease. It gives mild diaorrhea like symptoms in sheep an cattle, but it causes pregnant ewes and cows to abort. There are cases in Ireland and the UK.

    Very cold here today. I can see a talcum powder sprinkling of snow on the Caha mountain range.

    They don't celebrate bonfire night here in Ireland. Think there should only be proper organized firework displays on the fifth of November, don't you?

    Animals must be terrified from the fireworks? Poor Raggy Cat.

    ReplyDelete
  9. First time I knew they didn't have a bonfire night in Ireland, but when I think it was the English parliament he tried to blow up, so maybe not surprising.
    Poor Guy, he was only 25, tortured to reveal the names of his co-cospirators, then sent to the scaffold 31 january 1606 to a grisly end. He cheated them of their fun at the end though, jumped from the scaffold and broke his neck before they could hang him.

    The fireworks culture has got bigger and bigger like the actual fireworks, they're huge, very bright and colourful and very very loud. It also seems to be expanding from just 5 November to about a weeks worth of displays, private and public. I'd like 10% of the cost of it all.

    All the animals hate it, they're terrified, it was like WW3 had broken out last night, even we were jumping when some of the bangs exploded very close, the house opposite has a small child and they were having a firework party. At least it was all finished by about 10:00pm.

    Be a good idea to have a few big public displays somewhere there's no pets or livestock instead of all the small displays going on for days.

    Stopped raining but damp and overcast.

    ReplyDelete
  10. They seem to celebrate Halloween more, here in Ireland. Believe they don't have bonfires in York, where Guy Fawkes was born? It's a strange celebration when you think it's commemorating the death of somebody who wanted to blow up the houses of Parliament? Suppose it's the Chinese who we should blame for inventing fireworks in the first place?

    I like to watch fireworks displays myself around New Year, but I hate those enormous Mortar explosions. It feels like the ground shakes or you're at the battle of the Somme.

    I wonder how many animals get hurt or killed because the fireworks have frightened them to run and get knocked over?

    Agree with you about there just being public firework displays.

    We have had a few showers but it's brightened up now.

    Thanks Cumbrian.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think it would've been great if Guy Fawkes had succeeded. Do you agree, Dave?

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think there's a lot of people would agree with you Pat.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I don't think there is any political party that is worthy of getting our vote. We all seem to have become disenfranchised don't we? But no Pat, I prefer the multi-headed monster: Democracy, to violence.

    ReplyDelete
  14. You're right Cumbrian. There are a lot of people who would agree with Pat, that it would have been great if Guy Fawkes had succeeded.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Violence in the name of deomocracy (e.g. the bombing of Serbia not that many years ago) seems to be a massive (often conveniently ignored) problem, Dave.

    ReplyDelete
  16. True. Don't think Hiroshima was very democratic either, Pat. Do you think Obama will return for a second term? I don't.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I don't think politicians have done themselves any favours.
    Once it was a privelige to serve their constituents who elected them.

    Now the impression they give is that they're just there to grab as much money as they can.

    The parties once had clearly defined manifestoes, now they just appear to be all the same, talk as much gobbledegook as possible in answer to any meaningful question, and take as much expenses as possible; they all seem tarred with the same brush.

    I agree entirely Dave, there's none of them worth voting for, that's why I haven't voted for decades.

    Democracy? Whose quote was it? "You can't have political corretness AND democracy"

    Mixed day, dark now 5 o'clock, been heavy showers, sunny spells, overcast, windy and cold.
    Raggy cat just woke up, piece of chicken from Mrs dinner, then off out. Hope there's not too many fireworks tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Cumbrian and Dave, is political 'correctness', which I view as a totalitarian ideology, where the game of language tightly conditions and restricts people's ability to think freely, perhaps the extreme extension of the vague abstractions of democracy and liberal ideology?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for livening up the blog Cumbrian and Pat. I still believe in old Labour with nationalism, a free welfare state and a NHS that every country in the world envies. Don't think many politicians do though. They all seem to represent the middle class.

    You make a very good point Pat about PC being a totalitarian ideology. We need never seem to hear John Wesley's well coined phrase:

    "Agree to disagree"

    Do we?

    Think you once said Community is also an illusion?

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  20. A few people have said that the death of John Smith and the later onset of the Tony Blair era represent a real turning point in political-'correctness' taking control of Britain. I think this is accurate, as Blair seemed to institutionalise PC, whereas before this, PC was only really the domain of some leftist cranks in universities.

    However, PC is now much more than some fashionable leftist (cultural marxist) way of thinking, it's now a norm of thinking or form of socio-political/socio-cultural orthodoxy for young people throughout the English-speaking world. To go against this norm of thinking, you can be accused of the dreaded "hate crime" and its labels of detection ('racism'; 'sexism'; 'homophobia' etc.).

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am carla houston from usa. I was in trouble when doctor told me that I have been diagnosed with herpes I though about my children and my husband, I know my children will face a serious problem when I'm gone, I lost hope and I wept all day, but one day I was surfing the internet I found Dr. Alika   contact number. I called him and he guided me. I asked him for solutions and he started the remedies for my health. Thank God, now everything is fine, I'm cured by Dr. Alika   herbal medicine, I'm very thankful to Dr. Alika and very happy with my hubby and children.if you have any diseases contact dr alika via email on dralikaherbalhome@gmail.com or add him up on  whatsapp +2348116570358.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am carla houston from usa. I was in trouble when doctor told me that I have been diagnosed with herpes I though about my children and my husband, I know my children will face a serious problem when I'm gone, I lost hope and I wept all day, but one day I was surfing the internet I found Dr. Alika   contact number. I called him and he guided me. I asked him for solutions and he started the remedies for my health. Thank God, now everything is fine, I'm cured by Dr. Alika   herbal medicine, I'm very thankful to Dr. Alika and very happy with my hubby and children.if you have any diseases contact dr alika via email on dralikaherbalhome@gmail.com or add him up on  whatsapp +2348116570358.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hello to everyone....Am here to appreciate Dr alika for using his herbal medicine to cure my Herpes virus. since 3 years now I have been living with this virus and it has been giving me challenges, I was so perplexed cause i have been taking several drugs to be cured but all of my effort was in vain,one morning i was browsing through the internet then i saw several testimonies about Dr.alika curing people from Herpes virus and immediately i contacted Dr.alika  on his email: draliakherbalhome@gmail.com, i told him about my problems and he told me that i must be cured, He gave me some instructions and which i rightly followed. so he prepared a herbal medicine for me and sent it to me which i used for a 14days and everything was like a dream to me and my Herpes virus was totally gone, why don't you contact him today and be free from your diseases because he is very good and honest Doctor. He also cure all kinds of diseases.contact him via email;dralikaherbalhome@gmail.com or whatsapp him on 2348116570358

    ReplyDelete

Onion Set Planting.

I still managed to plant up two of the new planters/raised beds with onion sets in the rain yesterday. Notice the white root sock in the com...