Seven and a half miles

I'm trying to get some weight off to help the diabetes so I've started doing longer walks again. Average distance is 4 or 5 miles but I pushed the boat out today with a 7 1/2 mile walk to Groomsport and back. Here's the photos

Dead cats

Here are a couple of photos of our new cats, They're not really dead, they just look that way

Smudge

Brogan

Garden 2017

Things are going well again this year. Here's the raised bed, with the Belfast sink mini-pond at the front

The new garden feature

A mini pond and fountain made out of two old Belfast sinks

Is this summer?

Nearly two weeks of dry days and sunshine, looks like it might be summer.

Mussenden Temple, near Castlerock

Curry in a hurry

The chilli/garlic/ginger paste, onions and spices ready for tonight's Rogan Josh

Bagpuss

Bagpuss looks at me

Spring

A nice Spring morning at Groomsport

Retired

I have now taken early retirement after 37 years at work, one day I was at there, the next I'd left the rat race. No more 3am phone calls. Maybe I'll work part-time but I don't think I'll need to. Stress level is currently at Defcon 0.

 

This year's Peas and Broad Beans are already sprouting

Behold the Lights of Cranley

It's that time of year again

Supermoon

Got a couple of shots with the camera on my phone of tonight's supermoon. 37 years before it occurs again, I'll be old and grey or pushing up daisies by then

Nice taste, odd name

Carlow here I come

Just a week to go until my annual birthday trip to Borris in Carlow. Elaine and David of The Forge run the best B&B ever. A few pints of O'Hara's Pale Ale will be downed no doubt

The Gathering

Harvest time

We have been getting a few eatable odds and ends out of the garden for the last couple of weeks but today, before the rain came on, I got out into the garden and got quite a harvest - peas, runner beans, spuds and tomatoes. We even got a handful of blueberries.

A bumper harvest

New toy

Now I can have real coffee at home

Ancient times

For Lynn's birthday we took a trip down to the Lecale area near Downpatrick, staying at Ballymote House on the Killough Road. We did a little walking and driving, taking the ferry and heading up the Ards Peninsula. As we were on holiday we ate out with a couple of nice meals in Curran's (Ardglass) and Still Waters Cove (Donaghadee). There is some good scenery and plenty of history to explore.

 Ballynoe Stone Circles

Slieve Patrick near Rahholp

Super Seafood

The old Governer Rocks restaurant in Donaghadee has been taken over by new owners and renamed Still Waters Cove. We went there last night for Lynn's birthday. They do good grub, I had a mean seafood platter. Watch out Pier36!

Full time

I'm now back to work full time after my operation and chemotherapy. It's hard due to ongoing fatigue, not to mention having to get into the 'work' mindset again. I think I need a holiday

Sailing boat heading out of Strangford Lough

Very punny

I was in Killough, near Ardglass, today. They have a pub there that goes by the name of The Ann Boal Inn. I thought the name was quite amusing

Growing up

The stuff in my raised bed is taking over