Hope you enjoyed the images! I was using the blogging app again, loading up images goes much faster than uploading via my pc !
Dear Readers,
Last weekend has been a very eventful weekend as it was the first holy Communion of our youngest son Alex. This also meant we had a few extra people in the house, as both my parents and one of my brothers came over from Belgium and David’s parents came over from Northern Ireland. The weather had been absolutely awful on Friday, and I was dreading Saturday afternoon, as we were doing a BBQ at the back of our house. When we were last at Dromore Woods, I spotted a picnic bench with a view and wanted to share this experience with the grandparents.
Somehow the weather turned sunny and warm, and we had a great time sitting outside, kids playing in the garden, enjoying the sun, food and each other company. We could not have been more lucky! Around 6 it started to rain, but at that stage we were inside.
The next day we ventured to Galway to do some shopping, and got absolutely drenched in a downpour.
I had taken the day off on Monday and wanted to take both sets of parents to a nature reserve in Co, Clare that I love called Dromore Woods. I previously wrote about it before in this entry. I started to prepare a large picnic in the morning as there was 7 of us! It was very windy and wintry showers, and I was starting to think we’d end up eating the sandwiches in the car if the weather did not improve!
Seemingly the weather gods were on our side, as once I pulled up at the reserve it was very sunny!!
We went for the Castle Trail. It ‘s just under 3 kms and a good part of the walk is beside the water. I still think it’s one of the most beautiful walks I have done, surrounded by nature, Ok, I admit, the beautiful weather most definately boosted the experience, as everything just looks in technicolour. Below are some pictures I took.
The park ranger is very helpful, and I think he must have one of the better views out of his window when he starts work!
A well set up display of wildlife and information about fauna and Flora in the area.
It’s not quite the bridge over the River Kwai, but to me it’s very special bridge, and the view over the water and the ruins of the castle is breathtaking.
The Castle Trail walk has a few picnic benches, but there is one particular bench (after reference point 7) that is worth waiting for, as it is a bit sheltered and gives you a wonderful view over the water.
Below is an image of both sets of grandparents and the kids!
Picture of my parents.
Picture of David’s parents.
Picture of us all, Alex took the picture.
We then packed up, and walked the rest of the walk, back to the car park..
Guess what, by the time we left, it started to rain…
So glad I was able to share this wonderful place with my parents and David’s parents!
Cheers,
Katleen
Dear Readers
Coole Park is park very closely located to where we live, and we love going there for a walk or a picnic in the walled garden. I had noticed a while ago that there was some signage up that they were going to do some tree felling, but didn’t take too much notice.
I did take notice when the beautiful avenue of trees was taken down, however I understand this was done for safety reasons, as some of the trees were rotten/diseased and from time to time some branches would have broken off, which would have been very dangerous if you were walking under it.
This is the way the trees used to look:
Once that the avenue trees were felled, there were bigger plans to fell a large amount of Norwegian Spruce trees. The result if a significantly brighter park with ….fewer trees.
Below are a few images. The largest transformation(first image) is across from the toilets in the park. This area would have been the back of Lady Gregory’s house. Someone told me that when they lived in the house, they could see the lake from the back of the house. The area that is now tree less, used to be their vegetable garden.
Exiting the walled garden, I took following images.
The play tree – the kids love it!
Sown off tree trunk – Counting circles, I think the trees was about 80 years old.
It’s of course a pity to see all the trees felt, but I think there good things happening too!!
The kids spotted this fresh growth of Cowslip, which is a protected Irish wildflower: I took following info from the Irish Wildflower website :
This pictures was taken on the avenue , walking back from the lake into the direction of the car park.
I took this last picture as it reminded me a bit of the once avenue we had. It’s not quite the same yet, but over time the trees will grow,so hopefully when our kids are adults, their kids can enjoy this wonderful place.
Have a great week ahead!
Katleen
Hi all,
We then drove passed Fanore, which has a fabulous beach! Next are some breathtaking views over the ocean, taking in the limescale scenery, on they to the Cliffs of Moher.
The best known tourist attraction in Co. Clare are the Cliffs of Moher, As we have been there soo many times, we gave it a a miss this time. It was a perfect day though for visiting the Cliffs, and the place was teeming with people, as it was sunny and blue, clear skies! The roads were packed with day trippers and tourists visiting the Cliffs!
It’s an oasis of all kinds of stones/gemstones, both local and imported, a museum dedicated to the excavation of Lime Stone in the area and the history around this, and they have great selection of jewellery. The kids love going there too, as the shop has all kinds of gadgets for kids( dinosaurs in eggs, insect related gadgets) and much more.
Another reason I love going there is the yummy cakes/muffins you can get there:) If you are lucky and the weather is nice, you can sit outside on one of the stone tables, Fred Flintstone would be proud to see the stone table I was sitting at!
And then onwards to Lahinch! Lahinch was badly hit by storms in 2014 and many of roads in and around the promenade were damaged.
I think a lot of work has been done since, as all looked in order when we were there. Truthfully, we couldn’t really see too much of the promenade as it was packed with people!
I had some difficulty even finding a parking spot, it was just so busy!
Hi all,
We are just back from a long drive to Kylemore Abbey, which is located in the middle of Connemara in Co. Galway.
It took us 2 hours to do 140 Kilometres and we were still in the same County! (I was in Dublin last week, and that trip is 200 milometers, and it took me the same time!) It’s a great drive, but as you get further and further away from Galway city, the roads gets windier, more bumpy, and the odd loose running sheep might reduce your speed. As you drive out of Oughterard, you enter Connemara, with its rugged mountains, beautiful colours, a real treat to the eye!
We have been to Kylemore Abbey before, and as the weather was looking promising, I thought we’d go again. I am so glad we did, as the last time we went to the Easter Egg Hunt, we got rained out! This time the weather was on our side, and we had a fabulous time!
Just a tip – the grounds are extensive, so make sure you are wearing good footwear and why not book your tickets online, it will save you 10 %, so you can have that extra cake/bun/drink:)
If you have never been to Connemara, I thought I’d share this video again, as it combines the song from a French singer called Michel Sardou, with beautiful images of Connemara.
Hello all,
Hi all,
We had been to the W5 museum before, and thought we’d go again, as you never have enough time to see all the floors. The great thing about going there is that the kids can try and explore, so no need to run after them to tell them they can’t touch. It starts as you enter, where you can simulate how to make steam.
There was a light show, which explained about light, the power of light, the rainbow and much more.
There were a number of new displays or activities. Suffice it to say I did NOT climb to the top of this climbing structure called Climbit. The kids did and they loved it!
Hello all,
Sunshine after rain, green shoots, improvement in the economy, all the terms I have been hearing lately, and I think there seems to be movement in the jobs market.
Find more statistics at Statista
Fast forward to 2015, and since the beginning of 215, there have been a number of exciting new job announcements, most of them by large (American) multinationals who are setting up in Ireland or expanding. Check out the below link with all the announcements.
I would highly recommend you download the app to find out where the jobs are being announced, and where you can apply for the jobs. Click on the below to download the app.
or click here : https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/jobseeker/id466241179?mt=8
Good luck job hunting!
Katleen
Hi all,
