20161030

Finding Autumn

Over-engrossed in work I so easily miss daffodils and Autumn leaves, two special times of the year. So this year I resolved not to let the latter pass without at least some effort on my part. Besides, I've been feeling under the weather with this antibiotic course I am taking for bursitis and I figured enough is enough - I'm not going to let a swollen elbow stop me enjoying Autumn. Besides, the sun was shining and there was very little wind.

So I cycled to what must surely be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Well, around here anyway. The upper reaches of the Liffey valley towards the Sally Gap.  As always, please click on an image to enlarge, and then you can scroll through the images.

The lake from Boystown bridge outward journey

Opposite the putting green

Blessington Lake - the level is quite low

Blessington bridge

Three Castles

To explain - I think Three Castles is an area. There is no second or third castle. Perhaps the Irish can't count or are being overly hopeful, for there are two small lakes in the Wicklow Mountains unashamedly called Three Lakes.


Gold for the taking

From the Liffey bridge, Manor Kilbride

The avenue at Manor Kilbride

The avenue

The avenue

The most beautiful place

Sally Gap

River Liffey

TMBP again

Spot the CDM !

Sunlight across the Liffey valley, on the way home

Like me, this one doesn't fit

River Liffey framed

The lake, from Blessington

...Zoomed in

Evening lake, Boystown bridge

The colours in the sunset from this point on till I reached home were awesome. Such beauty. Along with the usual gold there were mauves and dim purples that reminded me of Ramandu's Island.

And in case you are interested here is my track and, yes, I did disobey my own principle in that the route there was more or less the same as the route back. Not really much choice. And, no, I don't cycle barefoot. Because my feet do not have cleats.



20161028

Invalid?

Well, not really. A spot of bursitis on my left elbow - badly swollen a few days ago and inflamed so I went to the doc for some antibiotics. Sometimes known as student's elbow or Popeye elbow for obvious reasons.


That's actually not my arm, but one like it.  Like it was a couple of days back. But now the inflammation has spread somewhat.

Secondly, my gum is inflamed at top left, after dentist instructions I am applying more aggressive cleaning and home-brew mouth-wash (Ali having decried the commercial stuff as unsafe) whilst waiting for a hygienist appointment.

And thirdly my ongoing application of Boots' heel balm to combat cracks on my feet and hands.

The bursitis has left me feeling somewhat under the weather but, thankfully and oh bliss, sleeping 9 or 10 hours each night. I think I shall live. At least it's not my right arm! The doc says it came about maybe simply by resting my weight on the left elbow whilst working at my desk - which I do.

20161025

Forty one years ago

Forty one years ago about this time I was wishing the reception would be over and done with (I missed out on the food because of all that talking to people) so that Ali and I could get away and be together. Weddings are more for the relatives and guests than the bride and groom.


The Black Lion Inn

Eventually, oh blessed relief, we were able to drive away replete with tin cans - but only just down the road to an appointed place where we changed car and made it away tout suite for dinner and our first night in Windsor, and then on to the Black Lion Inn in the Peak District. Our funds limited us to one week away, the accommodation was modest but adequate, it rained almost every day, but we had each other and that was all that mattered.

I think we had one good day on which we "did" Dove Dale. I don't remember much else.  Here is the only picture I have - photography was not high on our priority list.



Anniversary #41 does not have much to say for itself unlike its ruby neighbour. The best I could find on the internet was this quote: As you will already know, there are certain symbols, items, gemstones and flowers associated with different wedding anniversary dates, but the 41st year wedding anniversary only has one modern-day equivalent of those, which is land. If you have a house and want somewhere to retire to and want something a little quieter and more peaceful then now is the time to think about investing in land or using land you already have and creating something special from it. You could buy a new home on it or use it to invest some money into it and live off the profits of whatever project you have in mind.

Hmm. An interesting prompt. Often I think about retirement in a suitably small-and-easy-to-maintain cottage ideally situated close to mountains for climbing, a river, lake or the sea for swimming, far enough away from the rest of humanity for quietness, far from cities for lack of light pollution and star gazing, yet close enough for the occasional visit and shopping. A decent internet connection would be nice. That way the shops can come to me. I'm not very demanding. I am not so sure that Ali would like this though.

What are we doing for our 41'th? Actually Ali is in the UK visiting her mother at the moment, and actually we have yet to celebrate our 40th. Maybe we will book a short break in a hotel sometime.

Light pollution


Light pollution around Dublin

At this time of the year I am still holding out on morning runs. The dawn no longer wakes me so I have to rely on my body clock to wake me at around 06:00 on two weekdays. As it is way before dawn so I wear a hi-vis vest and carry a flashlight to ward of marauding vehicles of which there are a surprising number considering the time of day and that these are back roads. Were it not for traffic I would dispense with both the vest and flashlight for, sadly, it is never properly dark here.

We live near the 'd' of "Hollywood" on the map, which suggests we are free from light pollution, but far from it. This morning the sky towards Dublin was bright with street-light wastage, and most houses along the road have outside lamps blaring. Some are on sensors set so sensitive that they fire just from me running past on the road. Crazy! Our own driveway has three lamp-posts between the main house and the chalet and folk apparently cannot make it between the two without the lamps being lit. There was a legendary man who lived here would fell into a patch of blackcurrant bushes because he could not see the driveway in the dark - he lived to tell the tale but I think we installed the lamp-posts because of that sad incident.  But I find they blind me and destroy my night vision thus actually making it harder to see but you try telling that to the die-hard modernists.

As for seeing stars or the Milky Way - sure I can sometimes pick out the Plough or Orion but not much else. Perhaps there are no other stars now?

The same with inside lighting. Sure, if it is dark and I want to read, I turn the light on. But shortly after dawn or before dusk I prefer daylight to harsh man-made lighting. But you try telling that to the die-hard modernists here who, apparently, are blind unless they turn a light on. Even the children here are afflicted by this modern world view, and look on in puzzlement when I tell them that, no, I would prefer if the lights were turned off - it is not dark and I can see perfectly well, thank you.

Besides it is cheaper to turn the lights off. We live, with several other families, in a large manor house: before turning in for the night I can often walk around extinguishing ten or so unnecessary luminaries. Which can add easily up to 500W which, if left on all night, equates to four units  Four units may not sound much but up over time it adds up.  I'm glad I'm not paying for it - but hang on, I am!

But, once again, I am the exception. The vast majority apparently cannot function without constant man-made light and see no problem wasting the money we painstakingly earn in leaving unnecessary lamps burning.

I don't see many others running barefoot in the Autumn at 06:00 in the morning either.

20161023

Juniper tree


Blessington Lake

This morning's sermon was about Elijah, depressed after hearing Jezebel's threat, resorting to the juniper tree, then later hearing the "still small voice". The lesson was that we need to get to the place where we, too, hear that still small voice, which implies first leaving behind the earthquake, storm and fire. The inference I heard was that I am not yet good enough and must try harder, though I doubt if that was the intention of the speaker. But what I saw in the passage was a man at his wit's end (where I so often find myself) who God deigns to lift up and take through amazing experiences in order to use him, weak as he is, for His glory.

Speaking of glory and trees here are some more cool lighting effects from today's 9.22 mile, average 5.5 mph barefoot run.  Click on the photos to enlarge.







What, I wonder, is the purpose of this blog? Obviously about barefoot running but to date I am not aware of there being any barefooted admirers. It has sort of morphed to a means to keeping my friends and relatives up to date with what goes on with and inside me. But it started off as an anonymous expose, a place where I could express myself and let read who may (or not). Back then, since no-one knew the author, I was free to be uninhibited but now I feel somewhat constrained by the expectations of society. 

Wasn't it some musician who remarked that he could express things in his music that would never be socially acceptable in any other medium?  

20161017

This is the house that Jack built

Actually it was my son-in-law Jonathan and not Jack.  It took him untold hours to construct and was made a gift to his three nieces just yesterday. He designed it using SketchUp at one twelfth scale. Each log, each shingle was individually crafted and fixed. Mostly in beech and mahogany. And no, my granddaughters are not really that small!

The pro's took this picture, the rest are mine
















20161016

He departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Mountains feature often in the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus. Like him I go to them to get away from the crowd. To be alone. And a bit of praying too. Yesterday I had the urge to get away again. I didn't think about the destination too much for fear of becoming chicken but, at the various decision points along the route where I might have turned back, I took the long way, and so made it to Church Mountain again.  Barefoot of course. I followed the same route up but this time I took a shorter route down.  One the way back, on the road between Hollywood and home, a driver stopped to ask me the usual "are you OK?". After answering in the usual affirmative he was interested enough to go on to ask me what and why and was duly impressed. "Fair play to you!"


Complete track just shy of 15 miles

Church Mountain detail

As usual you can click on the photos to enlarge them.

The farm track to the gap

Along the way, our lake in the distance

Church Mt on the left, Scalp straight ahead

The church ruins on the top, looking North

Looking North-West

Sunset in the making

Starting the descent

Steep descent to Drunreagh, rather overgrown

Here I joined the Drumreagh forest track

St Kevin (is it?) on the skyline dead centre

St Kevin's way, towards Hollywood