It has been a dry and interesting summer. By only just now all fields are planted. I’ve already been out for a morning walk and it’s quite blustery but warm and I am still pushing onwards in shorts (probably the only one on the island). We have a storm coming and with it some serious rain and probably some cooler temps.
In Ireland, one really works around the weather. This summer made it easy but with the dry weather I was given access to parts of fields I normally couldn’t get to for as long as I had access this year. So lots got done. Tons of tree work, cutting back, ditch and pipe work, fixing piers, tree watering and planting, and just about anything else I could think of. Also, with the weather, I got the pink cottage painted (pink, ahem) and the roof too earlier in the year. I also worked on tanks in the fields for water and pipes and spickets that had not seen attention in some time.
We had the digger remove lots of humongous stumps and trees and also heavy brush and clearing was done. Stephen oversaw wall building from storm damage. Additionally, Pat helped with ditch digging, pipe and culvert work and overseeing tons of ‘fixing’s.’ So I suppose the place is all nice and ready to get lambasted by the storms of the winter! We even got a load of stone for the entrance to the cattle yard to smarten things up a bit.
It’s not been all work and no play. Have had some great croquet sessions which we do every week rain or shine. Additionally, I think Ireland has had the best weather of anywhere in Europe this summer. So, I’ve gotten out on the bikes a bit as well to Blarney, Killarney, the Ring of Kerry, Tipperary, the Beara Peninsula, Sheep’s Head, Bantry and certainly Glengariff and Kenmare quite a bit.
Fall colors are out and if the winds and the coming storm don’t blow everything out to sea, I hope to get up to Galway and out to the Connemara – it’s only about 2 ½ hours from me so even in a storm it’s not too far away. Stay tuned!
