Barefoot Mullaghclevaun

Setting off...

Cleevaun Lough

It was a bit of a challenge to walk to Cleevan Lough, camp the night, swim in the Lough, scale Mullaghcleevaun itself then back home via Moanbane, all barefoot. I did take trainers with me just in case but did not use them. Such a freedom in crossing the boggy bits not to have to worry about the shoes filling with water!

My friend is back

My friend is back. She grew all by herself, just outside my office door.

Mouse under cover

Yesterday I went to get something from the bedroom and noticed a tiny mouse scurrying under our bed, so I set a trap before retiring. During the night I woke thinking something had tickled me, but assumed it was a dream and went back to sleep. This morning left early to run / walk around the lake barefoot, swimming across King's river (so warm, is the lake). Meanwhile Alison woke feeling something touching her legs, on throwing back the bedclothes, there he was looking very snug. Amazingly she managed to catch its tail and throw it forcefully out of the window. However the mouse (or an associate) lives on - it has been spotted by several people since...

Strawberry

A very late Spring followed by unusually sunny weather must be contributory to our amazing bumper crop of strawberries this year. They have been coming in faster than we can eat them. We have eaten them fresh with icecream, sliced on our breakfast cereals, liquidised in smoothies, in various deserts and cakes, we have made vast amounts of jam, have packed our freezers with them, have even dried some and we have given them away to our neighbours. I'm loving every moment of it! 

Been to the river and

A baptism in the local river, followed by a picnic for all. The chosen spot is idyllic and the river is gentle and warm. The children enjoyed messing about in the water. I thought all but the registered sun haters would make an afternoon of it but, no, directly after lunch there was a general exodus.

As I had come by bike I decided to stay longer. I explored up and down the river trying my skill at rock jumping barefoot - it is much easier to judge landing than when clad. Some way upriver I discovered a lonely pool deep enough to swim in and I took time to enjoy it. There is nothing quite so nice on a hot day as floating, naked, in flowing water that is deliciously cool but not at all cold. Obviously I'm not telling the pool's exact location.

Well over 4 ft deep and enough for a couple of swimming strokes

From a different angle

Intrepid me

Complete with a sandy shore

After thus cooling down I destroyed it all by cycling up to the Wicklow Gap and back just because, well nothing ventured nothing gained.  My last picture is just to demonstrate my presence there (or at least that of my bike).

Facing Turlough Hill, Wicklow Gap

I believe in God...

It is acceptable to be religious in modern society provided you give credence to multi-faith. But to be a radical, believing (or real) Christian is generally considered to be very whacky. Incidentally I deeply respect those with other beliefs but that does not mean I necessarily agree with them.

Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem... All that I have lived for depends on this premise. And yet I find it to be paper thin.

Perhaps the problem is the tendency to interpret the creed as suggesting that I have to work up these "I believes". One meaning of the English word "faith" goes along with this idea: "Strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof."  But the Bible meaning is much more along the lines of being "trustworthy" or "faithful" e.g see here.

So when that "father of us all", that patriarch Abraham heard (or thought he heard) God promise him a son, he tried making it happen in Ishmael, but the true heir Isaac was born a full 25 years after the promise was given with no more effort on Abraham's part than I exerted when I sired my children, and that at 100 years old and his wife barren. And we are told that God reckoned Abraham righteous because he believed. With the benefit of hindsight we know Abraham did not give up on God even when, years later, he was told to offer up Isaac as a living sacrifice. Although at the time perhaps his "faith" was as wobbly as mine is.

This desisting from my own efforts, this "be it unto me according to Thy word" goes against human nature. I want to succeed, I want to be able to do it (whatever it is) "I want to be like Jesus" (a song which sticks in my memory because someone I was fond of at the time sang it, but one of those many songs with rather weak and muddled theology), but in fact I find myself to be a humbug like the Wizard of Oz.

the Wizard of Oz

In Christian circles we are told that it doesn't matter how bad we are provided we come to God for forgiveness - conversely it doesn't matter how good I have been up till now if then I apostatise.  This doesn't make sense in terms of "belief" because it begs the question of degree. But it does make sense if what really matters is - will I remain faithful? - i.e. will I not give up on God never mind what circumstances He throws at me?

I am aware that such a theory might only be a self fulfilling prophecy. One cannot know for sure until the matter is finished and, unfortunately, by then it is generally too late which principle is beautifully if inaccurately portrayed by Flanders and Swann.

Wicklow Daily Photo

Nice photos from Co.Wicklow here

Five mile point

Five Mile Point

This was my first proper ride using the new Trek bike. Statistics: 67.75 miles, max speed 40.9, average speed 11.2 mph, total time including stops about 8 hours. Neck a bit sore, legs a bit jelly like, and ready for bed!

The map shows the route near the destination - over the Wicklow Gap, Laragh, Annamoe then turn right, Sandwich at Tomriland crossroads, left before Tiglin, right onto R764 then follow magenta lines in map.

The sea was very cold - I was in and out in a flash!

Five Mile Point looking south to Wicklow Town

Looking sort of north

Train approaching from Arklow at high speed...

My return followed the green lines on the map through Newtown Mount Kennedy, left onto the Roundwood road with its insane uphill, purchasing some sustenance in Roundwood then back over the Sally Gap and Blessington.  Oh the bliss of reaching the summit!

Five Mile Point sort of marks the beginning of the Murrough, a coastal wetland system which stretches about 15km north of Wicklow Town, and probably deserves exploring.  There are some pretty pictures of it here.

Nick's Engine

Nick's Engine with LEGO attachment

I alluded to this creation in a previous post but could not be specific until I had completed the design and given it to my grandson in AK. I do not know what he will do with it, but it was fun making it.

Long, long ago I made a similar smörgåsbord of electromechanical controls for my nephew though with no electronic control and, apparently, he appreciated it. Whether it had any bearing on the high tech job in electronics he now holds I know not. Thinking of this mixed with my foray into trying to market my LittleDoctor low cost data logger resulted in Nick's Engine.

The idea was to provide a bunch of electrical input and output devices with an inbuilt simple way of associating its inputs to its outputs. These controls can be integrated into something bigger as suggested by the LEGO attachment in the picture. And there is a USB socket for charging the internal battery and also for future control via a computer.

For example, by suitably pressing the button it is possible to associate the knob with the stepper motor. Turning the knob clockwise will then increase the stepper motor speed clockwise, likewise anticlockwise if the knob is turned the other way. Or you can associate the temperature sensor with the stepper motor to create a thermometer. Or make a musical instrument by associating the XY-pad with the loudspeaker. It is also possible to record and replay short audio clips.

The kit is controlled by a PIC18F1320 microcontroller as used in the LittleDoctor. So doing posed an additional challenge because this micro is hardly powerful enough for the job. In retrospect it would have been easier using a more powerful micro but, apparently, I like challenges.

The electronics was assembled on a circuit board I designed for the purpose, except that there had to be rather a lot of "patches" because I did not give as diligent thought to the design as perhaps I should have done. And the board is connected to the electrical controls by one or two wires.

Showing the lithium cell, circuit board and interconnects

Almost assembled

For those readers who still have my attention, here is a list of the controls:

Input devices

• "mouse" pad
• microphone
• temperature sensor (thermistor)
• light sensor (LDR)
• digital encoder knob
• push button *
• two analog (0V to 5V) electrical inputs "A" and "B" *
• USB interface *
• light gate phototransistor *

Output devices

• stepper motor (driving cog wheels)
• d.c. motor (with pulley)
• loudspeaker (with headphone socket)
• RGB colour LED behind a translucent window
• 11 indicator LED's *
• light gate IR emitter *
• single pole changeover relay with volt-free contacts *
• two analog (0V to 5V) electrical outputs "C" and "D", one is balanced *
• USB interface *

The items marked * are available only when the Engine is programmed via its USB interface.  In stand-alone mode (i.e. no USB control) the button is used to pair an input with an output, and which input and output is active is shown by the corresponding indicator LED being alight.  In USB mode the button and indicator LED's are available as separate controls.

I created the Engine because I think a lot of my grandson and, of course, because it is exactly what I would have loved to have had given me when I was that age. I am aware that his inclinations are unlikely to exactly concur with mine so I am now "hands off" - let him do what he wants and I will try not to be offended!

But the job isn't finished yet. Whether or not it is ever used I have started writing PC software that will provide a very simple programming interface to the Engine so that a construct like:

when noise 

 color = red

wend

will change the colour LED to red if the noise level is above a preset level, the construct being event driven by the Engine.

To post or not to post?

I've been hearing comments about the poor frequency and quality of my recent posts. Well, comment actually. But the lack of encouraging comments from the rest of you says much the same thing. If there even is a rest of you.

Thing is, a chap needs time to blog. And a chap needs inspiration, which one either has or does not have at any particular time.

For what it is worth, I am mulling over something at the moment, but it might not turn out all that pretty - so watch this space!