Chillin on a Saturday.

Wild Violets are flowering in the hedgerow…

and Nasturtiums are self seeding like crazy in the polytunnel. I will spread these around here and there as they are great for attracting beneficial insects. Some will also go the school garden. Had a gardening free day today…only went out there for the morning walk around and opening the polytunnel.

After lunch we drove down to Lough Meelagh…about 5 miles away. The dogs came too as it’s a handy way for them to take a wash.

Freddie was’nt too impressed as the water is very cold still. Sorry Freddie!

The water level in the lake is very low right now as we have’nt had much rain for several weeks. The red on the trees shows the Winter level of the lake. The red is from

the iron content in the water of this mountain stream which feeds the lake at this point. The land around here is rich in naturally occuring iron.

Bright yellow Celandine in flower near the shore…soon it will be crowded out by the fast growth on the Reeds and  Horsetail…but not before it has finished flowering.

Most of the trees here are Alder and Willow…neither mind having wet feet when the Lough is higher. Shame to see rubbish here…next time I will bring gloves and a plastic sack to gather this up.

Soon it is time to head back home again…out through the wonderful fairy gates…take a right and on to Arigna.

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend. Happy Easter!

By Lough Meelagh’s shore.

The weather is beautiful here at the moment, 18-20c for the last few days. Sunday saw us once again in woodland. This time it was Knockranny Wood on the shores of  Lough Meelagh.

On this occasion the Poetree Walk was led by John Willmott from Ballinifad, Co. Sligo. John shared many of his poems with us over the course of the afternoon. John is a great character with a head full of stories, folklore and legends. He has a captivating way of telling a story which entrances the listener. John has made a Garden of Labyrinth’s at his home and visitors are welcome there. Check it out on www.celticways.com .

So many beautiful trees in this forest…this Beech infected with bracket fungus has started it’s slow decline.

Eventually we reached the shore line where John regailed us with stories of Orchard Island which can be seen in the distance. It is said to have once been home to St. Lasair and her father Ronan Mc Ninneadha, St. Ronan. It was a place of abundance with an apple orchard, bees and the Rose of Sweetness. Ireland’s Avalon as John called it.

The shoreline here is made up of these unusual rocks…I call them Moon rocks. So many wild plants growing here…Meadowsweet, Wild Mint and Primroses are in abundance.

Leaving the shoreline we walked across fields to St. Lasair’s Holy Well…

it is here that people still come to pray and drink the sweet, cool water that will cure their ailments. 

 

Further still we walked onto the so called Fairy House. This sits in what was once the grounds of Kilronan Castle. If you look closely you can see that the stones are the same as the Moon rocks from the shores of the nearby lough.

As we made our weary way back to the carpark the sun was setting and the evening chill was coming in. A beautiful end to a lovely afternoon.

Fave Pics from Summer 2011.

Took this pic at Serpent’s Rock on the Sligo coast. There are several acres of limestone covered in fossils here, a fascinating spot. I think this one looks like a person wearing a headress.

In May we went to see Freda Kahlo’s paintings at the Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham, Dublin. Nearby is the beautiful walled garden.

Early June saw a rare event this Summer, blue sky and sun. This pic was taken in our back field. There are a hundred young Ash trees planted here.

Ganesh, remover of obstacles, arrived around Summer Solstice time. A present from our friends Debra and Paul who live in Clare.

The end of June saw a new resident, Freddie, the new puppy. He is now happily ensconsed here and fits in well with our other 2 dogs. He will be a year old next month.

Nasturtiums, regardless of weather, they never fail to produce their jewel like flowers which of course are edible and elevate the appearance of a salad.

Driving back from Sligo I always like to stop by Lough Meelagh where this beautiful folly never ceases to fascinate. It was once part of the Kilronan estate.

Historical Sites in our area.

Out walking on Sunday we stopped by Lough Meelagh, a small lake between Keadue and Ballyfarnon. Adjacent to the grounds of Kilronan Castle this little building was a folly for the gentry that once lived in the castle. The roof is long gone but the building has a certain charm about it.

Since I last visited the Ivy that had covered this building has been removed and some minor repairs carried out. The now visible stone is very odd shaped giving the building a gothic appearance.

Next stop was Kilronan graveyard where Edward King Tennyson, who dwelt at Kilronan Castle, now a hotel, is buried beneath this magnificent Celtic Cross.

Beautiful panels of Celtic designs adorn this cross. Whenever I pass this way I stop to look at it.

The designs are still as crisp as when they were first carved in the late 1800s.

Nearby is St. Lasair’s Holy Well where crawling under this slab 3 times and the recitation of prayers is said to be a cure for a bad back.

Drinking water from the spring well is also part of the cure. Many people still come here to pray and to find a cure for their ailments. Mass is celebrated here on the last Sunday in August. All these gems are only a few miles from our smallholding.