Snowy Tree

Isn't it majestic?

Back Again!

Yes, we thought the snow was gone too, but on Friday back it came...

Its Melted Away!

I love the amazing range of muted greens and browns on the hills in the Winter months. No such thing as just 'green'! And the way the clouds and light play across they sky and mountains...

The Road to Heaven?

If one was aiming to get to Heaven through attendance at Church the last two Sundays, one would have been foiled! The drive was lethal!

...and so it goes...

Ten days of this...I wonder if the road is still under there, or whether its sneaked off to the Bahamas for a bit of sunshine...?

The Holly and the...Snooow...

The way snow sticks to things fascinates me, or hangs off, or doesn't melt...Well the holly is decorated for Christmas already!

Snowy Seed Head

Isn't this amazing? Little cups of snow!

Sunrise

The same sunrise as previously, but a few minutes earlier!

Gates

Walking Home

Sometimes the feet just have better traction than the car tyres! I took this Friday lunchtime, walking home along our lane.

Snowy Sunset

Winter Sunrise

This was such a beautiful sunrise that I was out in the frost, in pyjamas and slippers to capture it!
Eccentric? Moi?

First Dusting of Snow...

...not much, but it was pretty!

Winter Trees

Sometimes I think that the bare outline of trees in Winter is just as beautiful, in its own way, as the leafy aspect of trees the rest of the year.

Rainbow!

I glanced out the window whilst working this afternoon, and then grabbed my camera when I saw the rainbow- it was just lovely!

Shell

Shells are such a miracle of engineering, don't you think?

Just Seaweed!

Streedagh

These are the Donegal Mountains as seen across the bay, Streedagh being in north Sligo. As you can tell, its a wonderful view on a clear day!

Silly Rose!

A rose with any sense (scents?!) would not be flowering at the very end of October, you'd have thought? But my one precious rosebush is busy flowering away to its heart's content!
I'm grateful, its very pretty.

Frosty the Thistle!

The frosty weather has arrived and I was lucky enough to find this frosty thistle before the sun reached it. There were crystals of ice on each tiny thorn, my camera just doesn't do it justic as it was an incredible sight!

Seed head

The sun through this Marsh Orchid seed head was really pretty- the cobwebs added a certain touch too!

Fuchsia

The wild fuchsia have been wonderful this Autumn, laden with flowers. All the more surprising since back in the Spring, after the hard Winter that was in it, we wondered whether the hedgerows had all been killed by the long freeze.

Lovely Morning!

The sunshine through the montbretia leaves at the end of our drive this morning was just beautiful. A really sparkly autumn morning- one of my favourites!

Cows!

I'm sure the cows stand up on this rock so they can see in our upstairs windows and laugh at the humans' antics!!

Yeats Country Hotel, Sligo

This is the old part of the Yeats Hotel in Rosses Point, Co. Sligo. It was begun as a Guest House sometime round the 1890s, I think, and has continued to grow and be added to ever since. Apart from being a landmark in the Village, it is the sort of place you stagger into after a freezing swim on the beach or when the rain overtakes you out walking! A real country hotel!

Where's Alice?

Sorry this is out of focus; its just that the toadstool was so startling I had to show you! I don't know where the Caterpillar went, but Alice has definately been past, judging by the missing bite...

Seed Head!!

Cow Parsley seed head- it was very striking, and rattled in the breeze!

Sweet Cecily...maybe?

I think this is Sweet Cecily, but am not sure. It is very similar to Cow Parsley, but the individual flowers are smaller. It grows wild and seems to prefer damp shady places, so is very much at home here!

Glens of Leitrim

The western end of the Glens of Leitrim, facing east!

Ripples

Lough Gill

Lough Gill, also known as The Lake of Shining Waters.

Montbretia

This photo is a bit blurry I'm afraid, but the bright yellow of these Montbretia were just so lovely that I thought you might like it anyhow. I don't know the exact name for these as they were on the side of the road!...and I resisted the temptation to pull any up to plant at home!!

Contemplation

Isn't it good to have time to sit and watch the water flow over the stones and dream?

Kings' Mountain

Glencar Waterfall, again!

The rainfall has been so high recently that numerous seepages have created small waterfalls along the rocks to the side of the main waterfall. With the moss and greenery, I thought this was really pretty!

Glencar Waterfall

The poet, W. B. Yeats, mentioned this waterfall in one of his poems:

Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glencar,
In pools among the rushes
That scarce could bathe a star...

...and ever since then it has become increasingly famous. When we were there last week there must have been at least thirty visitors visiting.

The waterfall is hidden from the road, but in the past you could see it from the hill across the valley. Now the trees have grown up and you may only hear the roar of it. It isn't very tall, but the volume of water is strong, and when the wind comes from the south it creates an optical illusion so that the water appears to be flowing straight upwards!

Narnia

Have you been to Narnia? And seen the Lampost with your very own eyes?

Rowan Berries

Down the country they do say you should always have a Rowan tree growing to the North of your front door, otherwise you'll likely have a problem with the Witches.
When we moved to this house a friend gave me this Rowan for that very purpose, and so I planted it, nearly five years ago.
So far we've had no problem at all with them pesky Witches, so I suppose the Rowan is doing his job!

Montbretia 'Lucifer'

Does it look diabolical to you? Its such a striking red and so vibrant I feel they could have come up with a more pleasant name!

Daylily

Ragwort- Pretty but Lethal

Ragwort is known to be lethal to livestock when ingested with hay, so it surprises me that there isn't more effort taken to uproot it.
This specimin is in our garden and will be pulled up before it seeds; at present the Hairy Mollie caterpillars are finishing up their feasting on it before turning into cocoons.

Sunset, Co Leitrim

Cross Section of Logs

Cross at Drumcliffe

This isn't very old- the old High Cross was removed a few years ago to preserve it from vandalism.
In the background you can see the remains of the 6th Century Round Tower.

Bee and Burdock

Not the best photo, but the burdock only flowers for about five minutes a year before the flowers turn to teazel-like seed heads. They are huge, unsightly weeds which spread like wildfire, but the bees and small brids just love them. Which goes to show there's good in everything- lesson there!!

Poseur!

Foaly thinks he's a war horse, or a sculpture- not sure which!

Talk about delusions of grandeur!!

Rainbow!

St. John's Cathedral, Sligo Town

How Green is My Valley!

I was leaning on the garden fence taking this- you can see the wire in the RH corner! The land falls away very steeply, glaciation, apparantly, but I wasn't around back then so I couldn't tell you for certain. Because it is so steep it is hardly grazed and the wildflowers and plants on the slope are quite diverse and very interesting.

Footing Turf

Here's something you don't see every day- except in the rural West!

Something of a dying art, I fear, but plenty of folk round here still keep their Bog Leases going for the winter fuel.

Finisklin, Sligo Town