Mora na maidine dhuit (top o' the morning to you)

Sunrise on Sheep's head peninsula...

Oh, the treasures I found!

Driving here is an adventure!

Suddenly we were not alone

Seemed friendly enough...

but frisky!

Irish eyes are smiling

We flew into Cork, Ireland today. We enjoyed our first beautiful sunny day in almost a month.

after a lunch of the freshest crab-off the boat only a few hours earlier-we headed to the beach.

A bit chilly but GORGEOUS!

 

Sun glorious sun!

finally, we too reluctantly left the beach (see the crazy guys in swimsuits?)

We found a lovely B&B with a great view

and here is where we sit smiling and sipping tea. Life is so good.

Oh, the hills(and dales) we've seen...

Our fearless leader...

This is what we call a tarn (a wee lake up on a hill).

To remind me later, this was me- I was actually here!

This rainbow lighting up this patchwork hillside was even more gorgeous in real life- really dark and wide.

I'd follow these two anywhere...

The bracken turns the water the color of strong tea.

Here's where we took shelter for our lunch

Check out the earrings!

If you don't keep these penned in they wander all over the place.

Gee, I wish better records were kept, cause I sure would like to know who the vicar was before Adam in 1160...

Church by the valley of the Lune

 i.e. Kirkby Lonsdale -kirk is Scottish for church, by as in near ,Lon is a variation of name Lune (river) and dale is valley. So its named for the church near the Lune's valley. Get it?

Steps leading from church to the river Lune, just a few feet have tread on these...

 My excellent videographer skills in action on Christmas morning.

St Marys

Main st at night

nobody home

there are tunnels and alleyways everywhere in this old village.

I just love all the different paving everywhere

This is the alley that one uses get from Main st. to the north side of Kirkby, it is part of our house and also goes right underneath our bedroom!

and I had to include the most decadent soup ever had- celery, leek, stilton. I'm telling you, you don't even notice it's raining with soup like this.

Me and the Harley brothers

Christmas day stroll

Kirkby Lonsdale developed at a crossing point on the river Lune ages before receiving its market charter in  1227. So the beautiful church that we've sat in twice now, for the local choir and for the carol sing with brass band is positively ancient. "Rebuilt by Normans" says enough. I just love starting my walks there at the steps that lead down from Ruskins view to the river below