The Inklings Books.

 I have just completed reading The Oxford Inklings by Colin Duriez.  I am also over half way through reading another Kindle book about the Oxford Inklings.

They were called The Inklings because the wrote about things with ink.  Probably their two most famous members were J RR Tolkien and CS Lewis.  

Myself and the good wife have a favourite film called Shadowlands that I have mentioned many times on here.  It's about CS Lewis and his wife and dealing with pain and joy.  Debra Winger and Anthony Hopkins are the stars.

We have seen the film at least 23 or is it 24 times? It's incredibly beautiful and cathartic and makes me cough and the tears roll everytime.

Back to the book: The Inklings met in the "Bird and Baby" or Eagle and Child and in college rooms.  They debated and read out loud and gave positive literary criticism and smoked cigarettes and drank beer and went on long hiking jaunts and stayed in village country pubs.  

If like me you are a big CS Lewis  or JRR fan.  I would recommend you read the book.  They both fought in WW1 and yet both believed in God.    I think dwelling on aesthetically interesting and beautiful things they became fulfilled and were incredibly clever and gifted scholars, lecturers and writers.

Next month I am going to Blighty to two Rock festivals and finally getting to see Mr Steve Hackett and also Clannad who I saw recently in Limerick.  Can't wait! In between the festivals it's a bit of a cross country literary itinerary trip and hoping to visit Laurie Lee country, Oxford and the CS Lewis, Tolkein tour and down to Dorset and Hardy countryside which I visited in 2017.

A Connemara Girl Portrait From A Carboot Sale.

 We bought this print from a carboot sale this morning.  We paid three Euros for it.  It's a copy of A Connemara Girl.  A early 1870s painting by Irish artist Augustus Nicholas Burke.  

It depicts a young girl or Colleen in traditional Connemara attire carrying seaweed and heather with her nanny goats.  You can see it in the National Gallery.

I think it's beautiful and a nice find at a carboot sale on a red hot Sunday morning.

Paradise On Our Peninsula.

 I was sweating like I don't know what on the island wearing a boiler suit, safety glasses, gloves, helmetand steel toe capped boots on Friday.  I have been covering for work colleagues who have been on holiday. 

Meanwhile back at the ranch or down at the beach which is ten mins walk from our small holding or 5 mins drive by car.

Wifey and number two son took the dogs for a swim:

Here's  Rosie and Hungry Hill in the background.  We are going to the Algarve in the Autumn again.  This week I think the Algarve visited us.   The Irish Riviera is a nice place to live  when the sun shines.

A Cross stitch With An irish Phrase.

I saw this old looking cross stitch at one of our usual carboot sales haunts  on Sunday and asked the wife to price it for me.  Three Euros was what the lady asked for it.  This was a no brainer and we brought it back to West Cork with us.  

We bought other things like a big crow bar and a curry book but this  was our most interesting find.  

A Walk Along Probably The Most Scenic And Newest Greenways In Ireland.

a walk along tarmac.

Underneath the arches of the bridge. 

An old castle.

We thought why don't they paint a white line lane  for cyclists?

 A little bird ot the old Tinternet and T'web informed me that a new Greenway had partly opened from Fenit to Spa in County Kerry less than a fortnight ago.

Regular readers will remember I have featured Kerry Cricket Club at Spa and Fenit before.  It's on the other side of Tralee Bay across from Camp, Castlegregory and the road to the Conor Pass and on to Dingle.

We found the newly tarmaced Greenway just outside of Spa and wifey dropped me off and carried on to Fenit for nosebag for us both. 

The Greenway is the repurposed railway line from Fenit to Tralee.  It's  tarmaced and already very well used by walkers and cyclists of all ages.  They haven't even got round to putting any signs yet.

For me the best thing I like about Greenways is there are no big hills to climb.  The sea views are spectacular and here are some photos for your perusal:

An old boarded up and abandoned station building,  It would make a great bunk house or cafe or bar?🤔

An old train station converted into a dwelling.

Looming over to Camp and Castlegregory and beyond.

Wonderful scenic views.

A bridge with walkers in the distance. 

A pub and watering hole in Fenit. Below Fenit beach.

It really is worth visiting and eventually people will be able to get off the train or coach at Tralee railway and bus station and walk or cycle all the way to Fenit.  

Two Oriental Stone (ish)Vases From The Charity Shop.

 I found two Oriental vases for sale in a charity shop the other day.  I think they are made of real concrete or reconstituted stone.  A modern term for things made out of cement and stone. Well I hadn't bought anything for two weeks.

Any road or any way.  I like them and they will live with my other Japanese and Chinese charity shop/carboot sales find.  I paid two Euros for them.  

We are on the look out for some artificial flowers to place in the vases.  It would be good if I could find some Chrysanthemums. They are the official flower of Japan.

More carboot treasure in another post.

A Happy To Chat Bench,

 We spotted this sign on a bench in Kenmare in County Kerry and it made us smile.

Apparently a chat is informal conversation.  I am know to like chats myself and I have said on here before that if a scarecrow greeted me I would have a conversation with it or even have a chat.

The sign says: The Happy To Chat Bench.  Sit here if you don't mind someone stopping to say hello.

To me that is what I like about blogging.  You have comments and replays and  replys even and engage with people from everywhere.