Off to the sun (I hope)

We're off for a weekend on Knocknagow, hoping to meet up with other Heritage Boat Association folks and visit a castle we haven't yet reached on Lough Derg, near to Mountshannon. I also hope to get a second layer of paint onto the areas I painted last week.

Yesterday was an emotional day at Newtown. It is the end of an era with Henry Collins leaving, and for me it is the end of my major involvement with the school. Here are a few pictures of the day. The picture was commissioned from a past pupil, Sarah Richards, whose brief was to depict Newtown and Henry's influence. She wrote a description with it and I'll publish that when I receive it.

Sun and gardening

I really did allow myself to get badly burnt on my face yesterday. It's uncomfortable, and my eyes are watery and sore. I went to the University of Limerick sports arena at 8am yesterday, bringing with me extra clothes and lots of layers to wear as it was both wet and cold. By 9am the rain had stopped, and the day gradually got better, though there was a cold wind all day. As I was wrapped up in a coat and lots of layers I didn't really realise the implications of the sun that appeared from about 11am onwards. Silly me!

Anyway, the day was fun. It was the Munster Special Olympics soccer tournament that Vistakon hosts each year. The Special Olympians are great fun - their joy is unlimited, and the occasional tears or tantrums don't last long. I think we volunteers get more out of the event than they do as the cares of the world just don't surface while they are around.

Today was "catch-up-on-gardening-and-ironing" day. I went to Meeting this morning and didn't get home until about 2pm (too much chatting!), but then set to planting out seedlings that are ready for the outdoors and generally organising bits and pieces. The forecast tells me it's going to be cold tonight, though, which could kill everything. However, there's nothing I can do so I'll hope for the best.

This week is Newtown week - committees to attend for the final time as Chair.

All this exploring....

Now that I'm getting to grips with Facebook I can see that sometimes I'll have to return here if I'm to give my views to the world in more than a sentence or two.

Explorations of a different kind, though, this weekend. We went out on Knocknagow and had a good weekend of really fresh air. My cheeks are burning from the wind. Unfortunately sun was in short supply, and cold wind was in great supply, but we enjoyed it all the same.

The boat is now as tidy as it has ever been, with a good clear-out done of both the main room and the forecastle. Large books and folders have found a new shelf underneath the seat in the living room. There are lots of hooks to hang large kitchen utensils from and a plentiful hanging supply of red plastic tray thingies to put away small bits. I moved the mattress of the double bed near the forecastle to the other end of the bed, with pillows up against the radiator, and I think that will make it easier to store luggage at the front end. I'm going to look for plastic boxes that will fit into the small area between the mattress and the wall.

B sorted the junk out of the engine room, which now has enough space to have a party in it. At one stage about 5 men were down there, and it wouldn't surprise me if there were empty bottles left behind! There are spotlights illuminating the room. These make the foam insulation look like Ailwee Cave, with rough surfaces that look as if they could have stalactites and stalacmites.

We went to Rossmore and stayed there on Saturday night. The wind was strong, and getting stronger, yesterday, and was extremely cold. As a result we headed back to Dromineer in the evening "calm", having decided not to join Gerry Burke and gang mooring along the bank of the river nearby. Our berth in Dromineer was very calm and peaceful. I lay in bed this morning trying to count the number of different kinds of bird-song I could hear. The birds were very busy, and I reckon I could distinguish at least 10 different songs. I'm going to have to learn how to identify birds from their song as it was fascinating to listen to them.

We had a very peaceful morning sorting out things on the boat and headed home at about lunch-time. It has been drizzling rain, very lightly, most of the afternoon, but I decided to take the opporunity to plant out broad beans, runner beans and cabbages, as well as replanting some tomatoes in the greenhouse. I now have 46 tomato plants in pots, and could plant out more if I had more pots. Floor space is at a premium and I'm going to have fun sorting them all out as they get larger.

It was sad about Munster's loss!