Nice Weather Again!

Oh what a trial! We nearly don't know what to do with ourselves, here in Ireland, when weather is favourable 2 days in a row... I eventually decided with the help of herself and discover ireland's walking website - quite a good resource for inspiration which enables you to pick walks in your area, or wherever you're willing to drive to anyway.

I chose the Paul's Lane loop - on the basis that a) it wasn't too far away, being within about an hour's drive and b) wasn't too long, given my recent inactivity. So, I downloaded the map, made a salami sandwich, put some coffee, milk and boiling water into a flask and assorted other contents into the bag, and set off.

On arrival, I found some parking in Cadamstown - there's a small carpark there, just by the junction and the bridge - with a little difficulty, as it is (as I said) a small carpark and it was a glorious day.

Sunblock - is this a first? - and off we went. The lane itself, though marked on the map, is a right turn off the "main road" served by a signpost with the traditional walking man instructing the walker to go straight on...I duly ignored him and turned right. Anyone else following the route should do the same thing - the lane is just beyond a house, high on a hill, with big railings on the road frontage.

Beware, the lane is a little boggy in many patches, granted it is only April, but that said, it's not been very rainy of late. Be prepared! It's a little bit of a featureless trek up the lane, though the lane itself is of interest with retaining walls both sides - you wonder how anyone would use it on a regular basis to come up and down from the (you can understand why) deserted village at the top of the lane.

There are about 5 or 6 tumbled down houses up there (indicated on the map as 3), though to be honest, this is where I found the map to be next to useless. After reviewing the notes when I came home, I reckon that the hillside has just changed so much since it was written. There was no "right turn" to be seen just after the village, and if there were, it was overgrown with gorse and new-growth forestry. So I continued along the track, shortly came to a t-junction (not really indicated map-wise) and turned right down a track through the gorse. At the end of that track, I was nearly stumped....

Knowing that I was still needing a right turn to make it down to a tributary of the silver river, I decided to do so, and with a little bushwacking and some slightly scraped arms, I made it down to that tributary. I since reckon that this is in fact the right turn noted as there is a gate off it roughly where the mass path is shown.

I had taken that gate, and followed the hedge in a field down the same direction and scrambled back out of the field once I got to the tributary. From here it was a simple matter of following the water to where it meets the silver river and on back to the carpark.

After that navigational unrest, the rest of the walk was quite pleasant. I stopped for a sandwich about halfway along (as ever, there is somewhere better a little further on, but I had to stop somewhere!), and admired the bluebells, yellow-flowered things and fancy butterflies that are doing the rounds about now. I took some pictures too, if I can be bothered later on I may well post them up if any of them are anyway decent!

Navigational caveat aside - and common sense (and scratched arms) will get you over that hurdle - this was a nice enough meander. Not too challenging up-and-down wise, but a little boggy underfoot along Paul's Lane, with little alternative. No breathtaking views or vistas (vistae?) but the walk back along the river glen makes up for that. The 2 hours or so mentioned in the guidance will be taken up if you stop for a bit of lunch and a wee read with your coffee.

I have to say that website is good for motivating yourself, pointing out the easy-to-reach walks that remove the "it's too far" excuse! So now I'm starting to think about the slieve bloom walking festival in a couple of weeks.....

Transformers - Robots in the Skies

Well, when you're young, and mishear everything, that's what I thought the theme tune to one of my favourite cartoons said. Like many children of the eighties, Transformers was an important part of growing up. There were sentient robots on Earth that could change into cars, trucks, aeroplanes, you name it, these Transformers well, transformed into it. And there were goodies and baddies. And there were toys, that you could transform yourself.

And now they've made a film. It's fantastic. I went to see it during the week, and (naturally, it's a Switch Brain Off type) thoroughly enjoyed it. Simple plot, fantastic, beautiful CGI (computer generated imagery, or something like that) - it's a great film for not-quite-grown-up boys, like myself. Although it takes some getting used to as the Characters have been modernised, and the mechanism of transformation is much more complicated (well, they're allowed to show off I suppose) than in the cartoon, but that doesn't take from it at all - I thoroughly recommend it.

Went hillwalking (cloud-dodging!)again today, only got rained on once, and that was beautiful. I must get some more photos uploaded soon.

Wrigleys havent responded to my curiosity yet, I'll try to find an address for wrigleys in the UK and maybe try them.

And, last but not least, don't forget to celebrate Pi day. Today's 22/7 - which is the first approximation of Pi that school chisselers are introduced to, hence the informal celebration. In the US it's 3/14 (14 March)- which is more like the 3.14 approximation. We're having Pi-pie. That's an important day.

Some more books and walks and stuff.

Some more recent conquests in the book world have been "Amo, amas amat... and all that" - How to become a latin lover, by Harry Mount, and A Book Addict's Treasury (yes, very fitting, I know).

The Latin one was very interesting, it's like a basic introductory course to Latin. The good thing about it is that even if you don't learn any of the verbs or declensions or nasty grammar stuff, it's full of amusing and interesting anecdotes about where some of our English words came from, and Roman emperors and contributions to society. I recommend it as a nice light read, and if you want to take it seriously you can refresh your Latin as well! Good stuff. 3 thumbs up.

The Book Addicts treasury is a collection of quotes and writings and tips on how to keep your books, catalogue them, lend them, find them, buy them and borrow them. Great to dip in and out of in between other books, and fantastic for finding arguments for keeping books! (Though you have to keep it under lock and key, as there are arguments against keeping books too....sssh don't let the Book Police find it)


Speaking of finding books, I found my first book from www.bookcrossing.com (tell them I sent you - prenderb there too). For those of you that haven't heard of book crossing, the principle is that you register the book on the website, and it's given a unique identifier. You make a journal entry, maybe review the book, then flag it on the website when you leave it somewhere public for someone to find (called releasing). People who look in that location (say it's Naas, or Newbridge) will then get an email notifying them, and the hunt is on! When it's found, in theory the finder should log it on the site as found, so you can follow the book on it's journey.

I got the email on a Sunday evening, saying that a book had been left in a large DIY/Interior shop in Newbridge-with quite specific instructions that it was in a drawer on a furniture display. So Monday morning (gotta love flexitime...) I was opening drawers in the furniture display at 9 am. I opened about 15 different drawers and presses before I found it - excellent! So it's being read at the moment, and I'll naturally tell you about it in due course. I plan to release it, and hopefully follow it onto the next reader. (I released a book before, but nobody logged it on the website awh....)

And I've been walking again in the Slieve Blooms. Another fairly serious 10-miler, at Hundredacre and along the Crumlin river. Great scenery and the weather was very kind to us - it didn't rain till I'd started the engine when we were finished! More details on www.slievebloom.ie/walking

Photos will be uploaded soon

Those of you who wrote to ask for Rome photos hopefully won't have too much longer to wait. I'll try and get some uploaded this evening.

Some Hiking has been happening, courtesy of the Slieve Bloom walking festival. How I never walked in the Slieve Blooms before I don't know, but there's some nice walking for doing. I met up with a large group of about 60 walkers today for a nice hike at Glenfelly, near Kinnity. We split up into two groups but unfortunately amalgamated again - unfortunate as the reason was someone sprained their ankle. Luckily it was only a minor injury, but it brings home the importance of good quality walking boots for the hills - this woman wore only runners, and there was a lot of muck and stream crossings...Pics later, as I hope to go again tomorrow.

So, M's away in London, gallivanting no doubt. Little does she know she's been enrolled for the year's walking programme in the Slieve Blooms! That'll teach her.

Cross your fingers the rain stays off tomorrow afternoon. Books to be reviewed shortly and pictures to be loaded - watch this space!