Minime

This is the latest addition to our family. We call him Minime because he is a mini version of our other cat Mars. Minime is a hyperactive nut case as you can see by this photo. All my other photos are blurry because he will not sit still long enough for me to take his picture

  

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

  

Picture Postcard

This is a one of the fishermen's cottages in the village of Kearney, right down at the bottom of the Ards Peninsula. The National Trust owns the village and there are coastal walks that can be taken from the car park in either direction

 

Safe Haven

As today was the last Wednesday Martyn and I would get to go walking before he goes back to university next week, we decided to head out past Bryansford and take the Trassey Track to the top of Slieve Bearnagh. Unfortunately the weather was not good enough with ground level cloud and visibility down to no more than a few feet with lashing rain and gale force winds. Instead we headed for Donard Park and took the long trail through the woods which crosses the Granite Trail and finishes on the main Newcastle/Kilkeel road out near Bloody Bridge. The trees sheltered us from the worst of the wind and rain. You can see how windy it was by looking at the waves outside the harbour

  

60,000

Not a lot to say. Today I hit the 60,000 mile mark in my car, I'm just not sure if it is first second or third time around


  

Glenoe

Today Martyn and I went to Glenoe near Larne for walk up to the waterfall. As this was not an overly long walk we then took a drive around Islandmagee before heading home

  

Should I take up painting?

My two hobbies, walking and photography, just go so well together. Walking allows me to get pictures in some locations that just aren't available by car, but on a horrible wet grey day like today I think it might be better if like my namesake Paul Henry I was to take up painting. At least then I could have blue skies (or any other colour for that matter)

 

Murlough Bay, North Antrim, looking towards Fair Head

 

The Two Towers

Last week Martyn and I went to Scrabo Tower in Newtownards. This week I visited Helen's Tower. It was one of those very rare days when the tower is open to the public and unfortunately Martyn had to work. We have done this walk many times and it was nice to actually go there when the tower was open and get the tour. The picture is taken from the top looking across Craigantlet towards the Belfast Hills

Helen's Tower, Clandeboye Estate, near Bangor

 

Top of the World

Not much to say really - this is a picture of me taken by Martyn at the top of Scrabo Tower in Newtownards. Looking over that railing it is a very long way down

 

It was a grey day

Martyn and I decided we would have a go at The Granite Trail in Newcastle, Co. Down, a walk which starts off from the town harbour. The first part is fairly hard going, a 1 in 3 climb. I took a photo of it, which I was going to post here, but it didn't do justice to the steepness of the path. The view I have posted is what you see when you finally make it to the top where the path continues along to a viewpoint overlooking Newcastle. Here you can choose whether to continue on via the Glen river path into Newcastle or to go back down the way you came. Since the rain was getting heavier and the skies darker we decided just to return as we had came, stopping off at a sheltered spot in the woods for a picnic on the way

the top of The Granite Trail, Newcastle, Co. Down

 

I don't like heights !

I think I might have said that before in one of my previous posts. I'm getting over it a bit though. Martyn and I managed to climb Slemish and here is a rather windswept me at the top of Cave Hill


  

Slemish

I was off work today, washed the car, cut the grass then I made a few sandwiches and a flask of French coffee and Martyn and I headed off to Slemish for a picnic. This is the view from the very top

 

View from Slemish looking toward Broughshane

 

Depressed and fed up

I wish I was back in Paris. I'm fed up with leaving home on a Monday at 2am and not getting back till 6pm, but that's the way it's been in work for the last 2 months with staff on holidays or taking sickies. There is light at the end of the tunnel though. Come September the holidays start to tail off and there are possibilities for sorting out a run or two to make things a bit easier. I miss the French food and the people and, contrary to rumour, I found the Parisians very friendly. To anyone who thinks they're not what I would say is have a go at speaking French...it makes all the difference to how you are treated. Another thing too...a smile goes a long way

La Tour Eiffel á la nuit

 

Just Visiting

These pigeons were visiting The Louvre the same day we did

  

Taking it easy in Paris

We're just back from Paris and this is us relaxing just after lunch at a small cafe in the park near the Louvre. I'll probably post the obligatory Eiffel Tower photos later

  

PS

Must remember to drop the ISO back to 200 again. The trouble with these digital cameras is that when you fiddle about with your ISO and White Balance settings you have to remember to reset everything again next time you use them!

Bugsy

Dean wanted a picture of Bugsy his pet hamster posted, so I took this for him. It was too dark to get a decent handheld shutter speed (even close to the window) so I bumped up the ISO to the camera's highest setting (ISO 1600) rather than use the flash, just to see what the result was like. It's a bit noisy, but acceptable, and would be of use in a situation where I otherwise wouldn't have got the photo

  

On a clear day you can see Scotland

It wasn't overly clear today when Dean and I took a picnic and headed off up the Antrim coast for a run in the car. We were going to visit my sister Michele who has my mum with her for a couple of weeks hols. I took this picture of a misty looking Scotland from up near Torr Head

  

End of the line

This is Union Locks near Lisburn. It is at the far end of the Lagan towpath from Stranmillis. Dean and I took a walk there today. I have now walked the entire towpath except for one small section near Belvoir Forest. On each walk I have only covered part of the towpath though I think the whole thing can be walked in one go. (I believe takes a whole day to do)

  

Tall Ships

This was Dean standing by one of the Tall Ships, 'Matthew', which are in Bangor this weekend for the maritime festival. The other, 'Jeanie Johnston' has still to arrive

  

Oxford Island

I was travelling from Lurgan back to Belfast but the motorway was crammed with early morning rush-hour traffic so I decided to take 5mins out of it and stopped off at Oxford Island where I took this photo

  

Clear Skies

I went for a drive/walk and brought a picnic with me for lunch. There was still some coffee left in my flask so I stopped to finish it off at this little bay near Portavogie on the way back home