Bargains and Bartering

Cold dull days, long nights,
The foment of ideas
that spring will see bloom.


We are up to plan D.

The fourth major structural change to our upcoming journey. The umpteenth minor change.

Long dark nights revising plans, researching, refining and adjusting. It doesn't matter what form our journey takes - as long as it takes place. Notice given at work, minds constantly ticking over. What to take, what to send, what to sell, catching up with everyone before we leave.

Priorities have changed. Snowboard and skis became a new soft shell jacket for Neil. Mandolin and guitar transmogrified into our new tent (a Vango Spirit 200+ which is a couple of kilo lighter than our old faithful Mountain Hardware Trango 2 that we are sending back to Australia). Pot plants and picture frames swapped for an Ipod (thanks Vicki).

So much stuff - and it's only just the beginning...

All we need now is for someone to give us a new netbook and a wide angle lens in exchange for the car...

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Cold on the Cloghoge

Grey skies and grey rocks,
brown bracken - a bleak landscape.
Hibernate for warmth.


As we left the highway and headed into the hills the temperature gauge in the car dropped from 4 to 3 and finally down to 2 before we pulled over to get out into the fresh air. And fresh it was, an icy breeze that did not let up as we walked down into the Cloghoge River valley between Lough Tay and Lough Dan.

Instead of shedding layers as we walked and warmed up, we were putting on more layers as the day grew progressively colder. Leaden skies threatened sleet or snow and the occasional single frozen spit of precipitation lit the greyness.

An animal preserve, normally there are Sika Deer aplenty ranging over the hillsides and the river flats but today they were huddled in the warmest part of the valley or sheltered near the few buildings. No rabbits to be seen frollicking among grassy ruins and no Peregrine Falcons crying from the rocky crags.

Just one solitary Grey Heron on the riverbank amongst browned fronds of bracken.

And dozens of noisy walkers in their colourful plumage.

Frothy swirls on the Cloghoge River

Sika Deer in the lowest, warmest part of the valley floor

Neil wearing a pack on two shoulders for the first time since his operation

Deer amongst the buildings

Lichen covered trees hanging over the Cloghoge Brook, Knocknacloghoge behind

It is so quiet and peaceful in this part of the valley.

Walking here last autumn a gust shook loose leaves that fell with an astonishing clatter.

Always a smile, outdoors

By the time we returned to the car a couple of hours later, the temperature was showing 1 degree celcius and we were glad to be out of the breeze.

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