Best Laid Plans....

My mother would always say "man proposes and God disposes" meaning, we make the plans but God decides the actions. Never has that been so true when, in June of last year, hubby and I made the life-changing decision to spend a large amount of our retirement years renting in Allihies, West Cork. As I mentioned many times before, we fell head over heels in love with this amazing little village the first time we visited back in 2001. Nothing could have prepared us for the bombshell that was to hit four weeks later - my breast cancer had spread to my rib-cage and spinal vertebrae, from neck to base of spine.

Having moved from our lovely rented bungalow in Skibbereen at the end of May to our gorgeous, proposed rental home in Allihies we decided that we'd like nothing more than rent this house for one whole year. I had so many dreams of having our family, including our first grandchild, and friends come visit us for long weekends, we of course, travelling back to Dublin every so often to visit them. This visit, would also for me, definitely include a spot of retail therapy!

Well, that's how these things go.  We're hoping my treatment will finish at the end of March and who knows, maybe this summer we may well return to Allihies for a couple of weeks, God knows, my hubby is in dire need of a holiday.

Just before I entered hospital at the end of August last year our beautiful grandson was born.  This little boy will never know how much he has contributed to my great improvement as shown by my MRI and CT scan in December. The love of my whole family, especially my beloved hubby and the constant contact and great love shown by our good friends has helped enormously in getting me through some really tough times, I can't begin to thank you all.

I'll be in touch very soon.......

Cheers!!!

Above image of me taken September 2013.

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Return To Allihies - Latest Wanderings!

To continue from where I left off last time, hubby and I have left Skibbereen where we spent a wonderful four months and have now moved into our lovely rented house in Allihies in the Beara Peninsula, West Cork. I've probably declared this many times but since our first visit to Allihies twelve years ago, it's been drawing us back time after time to the point where we now know this is where we want to live out a good deal of our retirement years.

Our plan is to divide our time between West Cork and Dublin, probably spending a fair amount of time over the coming months with the family in Dublin because as I mentioned in the earlier post, we are to become grandparents in August.

Each day here brings its own beauty - early morning thick mists wholly enveloping land and sea, horizontal rain with gale force winds and sunshine that casts a golden glow across the fields, coaxing the foxglove and fuchsia flowers into full bloom - all that sometimes in one day!  Rarely are two hours the same.

Since we arrived here three weeks ago we've been walking the bohreens and back roads to Allihies village almost on a daily basis and when the swirling West Cork winds permit, we cross the rugged Ballydonegan landscape.  For what seems like miles we walk along the cliff edge, where, far below, blue-black waters weave and crash their way between the dark, mountainous rocks.  I find it terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

The first thing I noticed when we arrived back down here after a two year break is that everywhere seems the same, nothing has changed, for that I am so grateful.  Not a property developer in sight!

Over the weeks we have made new friends, these two little guys find shelter from the winds just outside my writing room window, usually early in the morning and on warm sunny days, they relax on the lawn with their mother.  They're so used to us now that if we come out they just glance up then continue chewing the cud!

I plan to write regular updates on life in our little haven in Allihies.




All images taken by me, June 2013.

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Greener Pastures Beckon!

They say time flies when you're enjoying yourself and this has certainly been the case during our two months down here in beautiful Drishanemore, Skibbereen, West Cork.  Daily, I'm drawn in by the breathtaking surroundings which could be mistaken for any one of the many exotic locations around the world.

Rain or shine, the view, from the left side of the house, mesmerises me.  Just looking out over the sloping lawn which merges into the small field below then across the narrow gravel road that leads you straight to the water's edge of the magical cove, takes me into a kind of hypnotic trance.  I know that when we finally leave here I shall miss this place with all my heart.

Nearly three years ago when hubby and I returned to Allihies in the Beara Peninsula (a two hour car journey from Drishanemore) after first visiting with our children back in 2000, I never realised the impact that this small village, with the old mine engine house as its landmark, would have on our lives.  It's to there we returned a couple of times during these last two months and it's where we will eventually spend a considerable amount of time over the coming years.  For the immediate future, however, we have very good reason to be in Dublin as much as possible - in late summer, we are to become grandparents!

To be continued.............


Top image: View from bedroom, Drishanemore, taken by me, March 2013.
Bottom image: "Man Engine House" Mountain Mine, Allihies, taken by me, October 2010.

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Tragumna / Lough Hyne, Skibbereen, West Cork

As it was a lovely evening last Sunday plus after watching Ireland's disastrous defeat to Scotland in the Six Nations Championship at Murrayfield it was time to hit our local, The Skibbereen Eagle, in Tragumna.  Our first time there and only a twenty minute walk, well, for me, anyway.  Nice pub and with its warm, welcoming wood-burning fire I thought it would be packed, but no, just a couple of families with their young children and another older couple at the other end of the bar.

By the time we emerged an hour later the sun was setting over Tragumna, which of course created magnificant lighting.  The views over Drishane Island and the Tragumna pier are particularly beautiful at that time of evening.

Monday afternoon saw us head to Lough Hyne, Ireland's first Nature Reserve with splended woodland walks towering ever so high.  With encouragement from hubby I did manage to climb up onto the first layer, if you like, and was generously rewarded by the breathtaking views down onto the lake and roadside. I loved every minute.

Later that evening we learned that there would be a full moon so at around 10.30pm I got hubby to accompany me to our little cove where we just stood and listened to the waves and watched in awe, the amazing moonshine turn the water to silver.  It's a memory that will remain with me forever.

Top to Bottom Images:-

Drishane Island, Tragumna, Skibbereen, West Cork.
Tragumna Pier.
Scenic walkway along Lough Hyne.
Lough Hyne.
Woodlands around Lough Hyne.


All images taken by me, February 2013.

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Greetings! From Skibbereen, West Cork

I can't believe hubby and I have been three weeks here already!   The house we're staying in is everything I've always wanted - on a hill, overlooking a cove.  The fact that there's a boathouse in the huge garden really conjures up, for me, images of Enid Blyton's "Famous Five" not to mention the cove at the end of the long garden which for some reason constantly reminds me of Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca".  We even have the iron gate leading to the drive. 

The area is Drishanemore, Skibbereen in West Cork and as yet there are many places of great interest we haven't visited but plan to do so in the coming months.  Overall, the weather has been fairly good, through there have been a few days of continuous rain and it definitely has been very cold in recent days but in general, we've managed to get out for our walks almost every day.  As I always say, a grey sky has its own beauty.

With the house being a family home I'd rather not show internal images for privacy reasons, much as I'd love to, but the beautiful external views can certainly be enjoyed.

Top to Bottom Images:-

Boreen not far from house.

Cove 100 yards from house.

View from garden.

View from my writing desk.

All images taken by me, February 2013.

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Never A Dull Moment - Change of Hospital!

Thought I'd start off this post with the beautiful view from our holiday home in Allihies, Beara Peninsula, West Cork (taken last February, look at that sky!) where I hope hubby and I will return in the summer when all my surgery and treatment will be in the past and I will have become a breast cancer survivor!

Well, yesterday it was decided that I would have my surgery in St. James's Hospital (my old haunt), because of my bleeding disorder and because they have treated me on many an occasion for post-op bleeding plus all my previous notes are there.

I now have to meet my new breast surgeon and breast care nurse, possibly this Tuesday, fingers crossed! I will miss my lovely nurse I got to know over the past few weeks and who has been so supportive, I can't thank her enough.

Above image: Allihies, taken by me in February 2011.

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When The Beara Peninsula Calls, I Come Running!

Having spent the best part of a year between 2010/2011 in Allihies, Beara Peninsula, West Cork, travelling back to Dublin for a few weeks here and there I'm now very aware of a strong urge to once again up sticks and return for, well, a few days anyway, to this idyllic place. Her beauty is beyond compare, to quote a much-loved poetic description. I'm yet again under her magic spell that is calling me to once more walk the long winding by-lanes with their vivid decorations on either side of fuchsia and foxglove, while listening to the distant roar of the Atlantic ocean, lowing cows, buzzing busy bees and enchanting bird song. These sounds are indeed very pleasing to the ear.

Well I suppose to experience again the awesomeness of the wild flowers and buzzing bees I'll have to wait until early summer but if I head down around February, which is when I returned this year, I'll be greeted by a very different but nonetheless amazing landscape: the waters down at Ballydonegan Bay will be a little rougher, the evening light over Allihies will have stretched that little bit farther from the long dark nights of November and December but what will delight me most of all will be watching the sheep tending, so lovingly, to their new-born lambs, what a joy to behold! Just remembering all of that makes me now want to head straight to Heuston Station and hop on the first available train!

Just to give you an idea of what my wonderful time in Allihies was like towards the end of last year and early this year these post links will give you a little flavour:- "Journeying Onwards - Beara Holiday" (August 2010), "West Cork Beckons One More Time" (October 2010), "There's A Grand Stretch In The Evenings" (February 2011) and "To The Waters And The Wild" (March 2011).


Top Image: View over Allihies by-lane, February 2011.
Bottom Image: Ballydonegan Bay, June 2011.

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Untold Stories

For the past few weeks I've been browsing through some storylines which I began writing in the early 1990s. Back then my doodling was confined to handwriting in a refill pad!.

The reason I'm mentioning these is because I'm strongly thinking of completing each story with the view to one day seeing them either, in print in Eason's window (Ireland's leading bookstore) or perhaps one or two of them becoming the storyline for a short film.

I plan to post snippets here from each story and hopefully get feedback as to whether it has the potential to evolve into an exciting project. Beginning to feel excited already!

The above photo of me taken last June in Allihies, West Cork reminds me of that beautiful summer of almost constant warm sunshine and the sounds of the birds and bees along the bohreen hedgegrows. Me being ever optimistic of course is living in hope of repeat weather conditions this year!.

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Stepping Out With My Baby!

Yesterday as hubby and I were walking along the lovely country road to Ballydonegan Beach we came across these guys. At first they were quite a distance away but when I called to them they came over, thinking they were going to be fed. I couldn't disappoint them so as the only edibles I had on my person was a package of crisps (they'll be my downfall!) I squashed a handful and threw it into them. Like all chucks when food appears they dived in like hooligans! Had great fun watching them.

Tomorrow we're heading back to Dublin for a few days so probably won't get around to much tweeting or blogging. See you soon, stay safe.

Cheers!

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Words In Progress......

This evening I took my scribbling pad, pen, meditation cushion, bath towel, cosy blanket, cup of herbal tea, mobile phone and a few drops of creative juice outside to see what words might form themselves on the page.

Earlier, despite the constant biting wind, the sun had great warmth in it during the moments when there was stillness. By now the skies had begun to darken somewhat, pale grey clouds slowly inching their way in from the sea, I was not deterred.

I seated myself on my meditation cushion, my back supported by the fence over which I'd draped a bath towel to shelter me from the cold wind, around my legs I wrapped my cosy blanket, drank my herbal (fennel) tea, positioned my scribbling pad on my knee, took my pen in hand (left as it happens!) and let my creative juices flow, later I used my mobile phone to snap the above image.

The resulting words "The Work Room" are still at their embryonic stage, not yet ready to be born.

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To The Waters And The Wild.....

One of my favourite poems, "The Stolen Child" by W.B. Yeats, has provided me with a line that I feel is perfect for this post title.

Incidentally, that poem is very special for me as it was the one I read with huge emotion, at fourteen years of age, to our English class taught by drama teacher, Mr. Rogers. When the bell rang and everyone was rushing to leave, Mr. Rogers called me up and suggested I join his drama school. Alas, owing to my parents not having the necessary spondoolicks, it never came to pass. Of course, many, many years later my dream was realised!

It was on a wet and extremely windy February afternoon that hubby and I set off for Ballydonegan Pier, Allihies, West Cork. On approaching the pier, my nostrils now filled with sea spray and the smell of seaweed, in my head I was once more back on the slipway of a pre-1970s Ringsend, Dublin.

Each footstep on the slippery slipway cobblestones brought back memories of hours spent watching the men hawl up their rowing boats and securing them to the sea wall, running screaming from the crabs still walking around after a catch or just standing on my own, after my friend had gone home, staring out to sea.

I considered myself blessed to have experienced the sea giving one of her finest performances with the mist providing the perfect backdrop. She was at her wildest. I was in Heaven.

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New Season, New Life

On our way to Barness, Allihies yesterday we came across these cute baby lambs who look to be a few weeks old at this stage. No matter how quiet I was on my approach I managed to startle them immediately after I took this photo. Here is one example where a zoom lens would have come in handy!

I'm hoping over the course of the next few weeks to meet a farmer who'll allow me hold a newborn lamb and maybe get a close-up shot of it with its mother, that would be a life long dream come true. So, being ever optimistic, when my wish is granted I'll post the pics immediately!

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When The Boat Comes In....

Every Wednesday hubby and I head into Castletownbere, West Cork to stock up on groceries and order our mid-week take-away dinner of haddock and chips for me and pizza for hubby.

During the time we spend waiting for our dinners to be cooked we usually take a long walk along the quayside where the fishing trawlers are docked. (Even though I grew up in the fishing village of Ringsend, Dublin, my knowledge of sea faring terminology is zilch, so apologies to any fishermen reading this!

Each time I'm close to these great monsters I think of the brave men aboard them who brave the wild seas every day to bring to our tables our favourite sea foods. When I'm not in sight of them I suppose, like a lot of people, I take it for granted that the fish just arrive in the chip shops and on the butchers' and supermarkets' shelves and never give much thought either to the risk to life involved with each catch.

The fishing paraphernalia, on the right, brings back memories of my days on the slip-way in Ringsend. Rowing boats, fishing nets and those cages that I guess shell fish are caught in would all be lined up along the slip wall but it's the combined smells of fish and seaweed that will always hold the greatest memories of my early life by the sea.

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There's A Grand Stretch In The Evenings....

Hotel Isaacs, 48 MacCurtain Street, Cork.

Hubby and I have returned once more to our favourite spot in West Cork, namely Allihies. This time we decided rather than make the five plus hours straight journey we'd stop overnight in Cork City so chose the Hotel Isaacs as our place of rest. An excellent choice as our room was absolutely huge, more like an apartment, separate bedroom, living/kitchen and massive bathroom, and above all for me, it was a Victorian building!

Cork English Market, Cork City. Image via: www.iguide.travel.com

As we didn't have to check out until 12.00pm we headed into Patrick Street to do a bit of window shopping and came upon a food market, the likes I'd never seen before. It's known as Cork English Market and is just off Patrick Street. We must have spent a half an hour walking around it and even at that we didn't see all of it. The mixed aromas of herbs and spices and baked breads were a real feast for the old schnozzle!

Speaking of breads, I was able to buy a lovely brown bread which was yeast-free, dairy-free and sugar-free only unfortunately to discover after three days of eating it that my chest became clogged up after years of being gunge-free! It was the wheat that did it so I'm now back on my boring old rice cakes.

View from our living room, Allihies.

So, at around 4.00pm last Monday we arrived at our holiday home in Allihies. As soon as I walked into the house I felt I had entered our second home, everywhere had a wonderful familiarity about it. The landscape is just as we left it at the end of last year. Back in Dublin pre-recession times another apartment block would have sprouted in that short time space.
 

Twilight over Allihies.

We've arrived at a lovely time of year when you can clearly notice the longer stretch in the evenings, twilight now not decending over the countryside until well after 6.30pm as the image above shows. I'm looking forward to living in this beautiful part of Ireland through all four seasons this time and experiencing their every change of colour, smell and sound. Well, three of my five senses will be in Heaven!

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West Cork Beckons One More Time

At some point during our holiday earlier this year in Allihies in the beautiful Beara Peninsula we decided we'd return for a while towards the end of the year to experience a little of the harsh Atlantic winds that beat the south west coast during the winter months. (See previous two posts for holiday and location link details).

Well, we're back here, perhaps a little too early to experience any great weather change but nevertheless to enjoy once again the beauty and tranquility of the place decribed to us last time by some of its residents as "magic". I'm inclined to believe them.

Hubby has been down here two weeks ahead with me joining him last Wednesday. My immediate feeling was that I never left the place since July, yet at times it feels like it was sometime last year, very strange indeed. Each time I visit I'm beginning to feel more and more that I'm coming home, the only other places having that hold over me is my hometown of Ringsend and London.

We're continuing our usual travels with strolls down the long bohreens, along the Ballydonegan Bay coastline and lots of hill climbing on the Beara Way walks. What is amazing is the weather, there are days when the sun feels as strong as it was during July so along with the clear blue skies it's difficult to realise we're into the first week of October!

The only clue to the season is when walking along the bohreens you notice that the berries have all but died on the bushes and the flowers have begun to wilt, what was once green is now taking on autumnal shades. Beautiful nonetheless. I'll be here until the end of the first week of November so meantime I'm really looking forward to some exciting weather conditions with dark skies and lashings of rain and fierce winds blowing in over the moors. I shall be in my element! Until then....

Top centre image: Autumn foliage, bohreen towards Allihies.
Top left image: Berry bush, bohreen towards Allihies.
Bottom right: Wooden gate, bohreen towards Allihies.
Bottom left: Ballydonegan Bay Coastline, near Allihies village.

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