ENGLAND WON THE ASHES AND ITS SILL RAINING

Thank God the ashes cricket has finished!!!! I can watch my programs on the box now and i will get my own back by watching
as many slushy,weepy,non male oriented programs as possible before the next round of test cricket starts.
The Irish summer continues with its never ending rain and it is getting chilly in the evenings now,i have had to light the wood burner lately,its been so cold,the climate has gone mad.
Regardless of the rain,i continue with my walking and i am now feeling the benefit of keeping fit,i still look forward to my walks
and have discovered many new places i never knew existed ,Though i still have not lost any weight,but i suppose it is early days yet.

GETTING FIT

Recently i had occasion to visit my doctor,who after doing all the usual tests told me my blood pressure was up and i was not getting enough exercise. So my daughter ordered me to go walking every day with her.
It was with a heavy heart and unwillingness that i turned up for our first jaunt but it was a fine day,so i gritted my teeth and vowed to get it over with as soon as possible.We went along a forestry path which ran along the side of the mountain,nothing
to steep for my first outing.I have to say i actually enjoyed it very much,i was tired at the end and my legs felt like lead after walking for an hour but it was worth it. The abundance of butterflies and the variety of wild flowers i saw was amazing,far more than we get in the garden. We came across lovely waterfalls ,damp fern lined grotto's that any fairy would be sure to inhabit
(so my granddaughter,who also came,told me) we also saw birds that we do not have in the garden,so i am glad i made the effort to go.
Yesterday we did the ring,a lane from the house,that circles the local area,also an hours walk,not so interesting,but we got to
wave at local people we do not see very often.
To day we did a different local ring ,not as far but then it is Sunday,a day of rest!

At least walking is preferable to the video,looking forward to tomorrows jaunt.

GOLD SARI'S AND GREY RAIN

Yesterday we had so much heavy rain that we had to set up the pump to take away flood water that was about to enter the house.
We are having a cloud burst at the moment and i think we are going to have to use the pump again.
On a brighter note,we have visitors at the castle from Pakistan,two lovely ladies who are annual visitors.At dinner the other evening they wore the most beautiful sari's,they really cheered up the place with colour and conversation.
There are more visitors arriving in the week,i only wish the weather would improve so that they can get out to see the sights
and views that we have here.
On a cullinary note,one of our visitors is cooking a lamb curry for this evenings diner.It is thanks to her that i can cook authentic Pakistan and Indian curries.Iwas taught by her and her sister over the years how to use the real spices and herbs,and to make my own masalas.Anyone who says they do not like curry should try a real curry,not all curries are hot.there are sweet aromatic,mild curries and spices can be adapted to individual tastes.I urge you to try an authentic curry,not out of a tin or a jar,or even the local curry house,even they are not always authentic.
Good cooking,let me know how you get on.

MORE CRICKET AND FOG

As the watercats reported yesterday,it is still raining and foggy today.My other half has gone off to Cork to umpire three ,twenty twenty cricket matches,besides leaving his glasses behind ,how he will manage with the fog as well i realy can't imagine.
Today i am housebound because my daughter has taken my car to deliver daddy to his cricket match.So,it will be Wimbledon and endless cups of coffe for me today.

THE MOUNTAIN MIST

The mist descends all around,but stops a few feet from the ground
I can see the roses as clear as day
but the rest of the view is murky grey.
The rain is like a gentle spray,it falls without a sound
still,the rabbits play
and i glimpse the Jay.
So the greyness in't all doom and gloom,the animals are still around.



Just a silly ,not very good rambling of something i just witnessed from the window while writing this post.