LISMORE THE BEST KEPT SMALL TOWN IN IRELAND.

This morning I was still wondering what to write about,but I took John out to lunch in Lismore and found out that Lismore had won the coveted award of best kept small town in Ireland.This award has been won before,so the whole town is celebrating.The towns people have worked so hard to keep it litter free and planted the flower beds and decorated their houses with hanging baskets,it has been a community project that has worked well.
I had my camera with me and took some photo's,not the best day for photography as it was overcast and the flowers have all but gone now,but you might like to see our little town.

 This is the award,placed in the window of the credit union building.

This is the plaque on the Lismore Hotel wall, even I did not know this information.!!!

Side view of hotel entrance,the view going out of town.

The road entering Lismore,Council office at the top,local car park behind the flower festooned wall.

One of the many planters placed on every single lamp post throughout the town.

Lismore Heritage Center and museum,also doubles as the local court and theater.

View going out of town.Lismore Castle in the distance owned by the Duke of Devonshire, who also owns the town.

Looking up town,Castle Lodge hotel,the yellow building,unfortunately there are a lot of empty shops for sale,the economic down turn is the cause.

Greehy's pub,or it used to be.One of the oldest original taverns in the town.It is still owned by a Greehy family member,but is now a private residence and a wonderful old antique shop.I have bought several really nice things from here.

The top end of town,the shop in the foreground is the florist,stationary,toy and bric-a-brac store.The yellow bay window is the Chinese take-away with supermarket below.

One of the many flower beds.

The Red House,also a tavern and the Estate agent.!! Also a very old building.

St Carthage,Lismore's Saint,carved from a tree trunk in the Millenium  Park.The church and  the Nursing Home are named after him.Side view of the recently restored Lismore Hotel behind.

Water feature in the Park.

The water wall in the park,with a bridge crossing the stream.

The children's play ground,next to the car park.

We also have two banks,a post office,a chemist shop and a health center,so what more can one ask for.!!
I hope you enjoyed the tour,from not having anything to blog about to this marathon, it is ,as the Irish say,A feast or a famine.!!  Photo's will enlarge if you click on them.

NOT A LOT HAPPENING.

Not a lot has been happening lately and I have been struggling  to find something to write about,hence my lack of  posting of late.
 To help me get some inspiration,I made a list of things I might write about,it went something like this--
1, My artist son started college as a mature student . Not a lot to say,except that I wish him well.
2, My daughter is looking for homes for 5 puppies.No one in blog world will want one.
3, The pope is in England but not coming to Ireland.My views on the pope, best kept to my self.
4, Cricket and the betting scandal.Only interesting to people who understand cricket.
5,Decorating the cottage. White washed with emulsion,very boring,but much needed.
6,I need a holiday. No hope of that yet.
7, John needs a holiday. Ditto.
8, Pam has just returned from holiday.
9, My cousin in Australia is coming to stay with me,but not till October.A future post.
10,Post my latest photographs.Good idea,but nothing new and exciting to offer.

So as no 10 is the obvious choice,here are some recent photographs for your perusal.

Unusual ? not really when you see the next one.

This is the real photo,a reflection in the lake.The one above is reversed.!!!

The naked Lady that I nick- named Jezebel.

Jezebel in her moss cloak.I have not shown the full frontal,as the moss has grown over her in such a way as to make her very rude on parts of her anatomy.!!!

The only squirrel picture I have managed to get this year.I am confused by its black tail,they are usually red.

A lovely golden hare,picture does not do him justice.

Well that is the sum total of my post today,hope I have something more interesting next time.
I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend.xxx

A PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND

Saturday I went blackberry picking again,due to popular demand for blackberry crumble etc.The briers were so laden with fruit that I ended up with  more than I needed for a pie,so I used them up making more jam.

The result of my labour

Blackberries freeze very well,to have a supply  for a winter treat,chose ripe but firm berries,bigger the better,wash and dry them,then roll them in fine sugar,spread them in a single layer on a tray and freeze,they can then be bagged in usable quantities and returned to the freezer,this way they do not go mushy.
I also had some over ripe fruit that needed to be used up,I made a mixed  spiced fruit preserve  from red plums,pears and necterines,as I hate throwing things away.

My next batch of jam will be rose hip,I wanted to make this last week but the hips were not ripe enough,this week they look almost ready.
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While on my fruit picking ramble,I took these next photo's ( I ALWAYS TAKE THE CAMERA WITH ME  ) we had a light shower of rain,then the sun came out and it made the grasses glisten and sparkle like little diamonds,these pictures do do not do justice to to the real thing but it is the best I could capture.

If you have made jam tell us about it as I love trying new things and would like to do something different,no matter how unusual.
Enjoy the rest of the week,everyone.xx

TALLOW HORSE FAIR

To day was the annual Tallow horse fair,this event is always held in the first week of September and is a traditional occasion that has gone on for hundreds of years.This year the horses were corralled at the top of town,but usually they roam around the streets and are galloped up the high street,to the peril of pedestrians.!!
This year the town was closed to traffic and parking,a field was used for public parking and another field was designated for the hundreds of horse boxes.There was also a  mounted Garda presence this year,to control the hundreds of horses and their owners,as last year there were several incidents.!!and accidents.!!
The main streets were lined with colourful  market stalls,though every thing was tat,they looked pretty.
The only things we bought were some live chickens for my daughter,to replace the ones taken by the fox.
Any way here are a few photographs to give you an idea of the day. Photo's will enlarge if you click on them.

 Wishing you all a happy weekend.