Marie Curie Ladies Driving Challenge 2006

This took place as usual at the Kirkistown race track (Lower Ards peninsula, Co. Down) on Saturday 21st October. The event was due to start at 10am and when we were getting the vehicles checked at about 8.15 in the sky got really dark and it started emptying out of the heavens. Fortunately it dried up in time for the competitors arriving and it turned out to be sunny and warm for the rest of the day. Marie Curie is a very worthy cause and on the day the total amount raised was in the region of £35, 000 - the best year so far. More photos from this year are here and last year's are here. As usual the event was marshalled by the Northern Ireland Advanced Motorists

  

Clandeboye Wood

This is a place Martyn and I will probably be in quite a lot over the next while because Autumn and Winter are the best seasons for getting photos there. In addition I want to get up early some morning to capture some pictures of the swans on the misty lake. It must be the weather, but today's walk proved to be something of a shroomfest. My eyes are not old and dim yet...I spied these little guys growing on a tree near the lake. Cranley Photos has pictures of some of the other ones we spotted.


  

60,000 (Follow -up)

I passed 62,000 miles today, 4 weeks after hitting the 60,000 so I guess at around 500 miles a week the car has been round the clock a couple of times. Maybe the boss will get me a new one?

Portmuck

This is the village of Portmuck,Islandmagee,on the Antrim coast near Larne. Martyn and I went for a walk from Brown's Bay along the Skernaghan Point path (National Trust). When we returned we followed the coastal route in the car, arriving at Portmuck. We had another quick walk along the clifftop grabbing some photos as we went, and had just returned to the car when heavy cloud descended and the rain came on putting a stop to any further photography

Portmuck Harbour with the Isle of Muck in the background

 

Cranley Photos

I take a lot of photographs and although I'm not a pro some of them are of good enough quality to sell. I've had enlargments done at Photobox and I'm well pleased with the way they came out. In order to try to offset some of my own printing costs I set up a 'pro' gallery in the hope of maybe selling a few at Cranley Photos. I've put a link here on my blog (opposite) as well. You never know, I might strike lucky

Smallest church in Ireland

This is St Gobban's Church in Port Braddan on Antrim's North coast, reputed to be the smallest church in Ireland. From here you can head towards Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and the village of Ballintoy, in one direction, or towards Whitepark Bay and the Giant's Causeway in the other direction

  

A splash of colour

Today I went for a walk at Whitehead, Co. Antrim. Last time Martyn and I were there we headed towards the lighthouse, so this time I decided to go the other direction towards Carrickfergus. The walk turned out to be a lot shorter because the path sort of comes to a dead end just around the headland. I took a dander up through the old quarry on my way back to the car. This picture was taken just after that as I arrived back at the promenade