Scream at Sneem

Found a beautiful spot to camp.... right next to the river.  Good idea ... not ...  river rising fast...packed and headed West to Mannix Point Camping.  One of the highlights of our trip!

Unfortunately we passed some of the most beautiful scenery in Ireland without seeing a thing!

What a drive!  Mannix Point was just fab.  We parked right next to the ocean ... which we didn't see until the next year.... and then...A lovely walk along the beach...

In the evening what a joy... the whole campsite gathered together ... to sing.  French, Swiss, German, English, Irish, Australian.  Great fun.   So glad we are still in touch with some of them.

Go Glengarriff

And so to Glengarriff.. a campsite which advertised an Irish band... oh my goodness what a serious bunch they were... not a smile between them!

This was the liveliest tune of the night the rest were all about the sad times Ireland!

The storm clouds gathered but we were snug in our camper that is until the next day...

Over the hills and...

Came across Molly Gallivan's place by chance.  She was a widow with seven children and had to find a way to survive.  She was ingenious, determined and a hard worker... Ran the farm, raised her children, wove and knitted clothes and had the first tea shop for tourists. She opened a “Sibheen” (illegal pub), where she sold her own home made “Poitín”  locally known as “Molly’s Mountain Dew”.

 Let's hear it for Molly!

Now surely these fine gentlemen weren't here for an illegal tipple were they?Molly's is still a tourist spot.  We picked up the wooden key and let ourselves through the gate and up the hill.  We were greeted enthusiastically by sheep who have obviously got used to being fed by well meaning tourists.  Great little video in the cottage that made the whole place come to life.

In the carpark is the Druid who looks across the valley to the highest peak “Barra-Bui”, where a Cairn on the summit marks the resting- place of an ancient Chieftain.

The druid represents the first settlers in the Sheen Valley more than 6000 years ago. These people had a great devotion to their Gods and their dead. They had an advanced knowledge of astronomy which is evident from the vast legacy of burial and ritual sites that they have left us. At Molly's there is a Neolithic Stone Row (3-2000 BC) - we were to discover lots of stone circles and monuments on our travels in Ireland.

A final pat of the sheep and we were on our way!

Wild camping

Joined about twenty other campers at a free camping spot at Kinsale fab.  Sat by the river for lunch and watched the tide come in before exploring the town... it was just full of fun cafes. bakeries, pubs and of course music.

Now that's what I call a yummy meal!

Famine - Skibereen

Oh my goodness ... the famine such a sad story...I can't believe that the current Conservative government is threatening to starve out the Irish people unless they back down on the border issue...incredible ignorance

Oh this is so Ireland.  Colourful houses, bookshops. poets corner, bakeries, water views, bakeries and silly hats!

Timoleague

One of the most wonderful things of travelling in a campervan is those stolen moments.  We stopped to find the way  - should we go to Courtmacsherry or... so we stopped and found this delightful walk along the river with gorgeous tiles showing the birds ... loved it

Stories of Freedom fighters, cows and sisters

Roger went off on a three hour tour of Irish freedom fighter Michael Collins - complete with renactment of his final ambush while I sat watching cows and writing a Sisters story.   Trying to get an anthology together of twenty stories with a theme of Sisters.... getting there!

And so we are off in the camper... it may be raining.. but hey the grass is green ... the doors my height and hey adventure awaits.

First day exploring with Nick

The first of many visits to Abbeys and gardens on this trip.   This time Nick took us to Jerpoint Abbey.  12 Century but impressive windows added in 15th Century... Loved the many carvings of individuals.   Great to see Nick.

 

Saw Nick's tattoo for the first time... felt so sad that he had lost his boys Charlie and Nathan.

And so to Woodstock Gardens.. gloriously restored.  Incredible to see derelict buildings lett by the Black and Tans.  Terrific to see the restoration work.  Loved the fiesty robins that came to steal our crumbs.

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And so to dinner at McLeary's restaurant where Roger got to taste his first Irish Guiness!

A walk around Waterford and then we watched the eclipse of the moon before going gratefully to our beds.

EIRE.. Ireland ... The land of the leprachaun and much more

We arrive at 3.00 ready to pick up our 2 person camper... At 7.00pm we left with a humungous camper... sleeps four and is 3.5 metres high.  Something that was going to cause us headaches later in the evening!

We cruise down the motorway - no problems.  Nicky my nephew sending messages the whole way.  Finally reached junction 11...phew!  Felt bad that we were so late and Nicky and Lynda had cooked dinner for us, but thankfully the sat nav told us we would be there in 10 minutes.

Then for some reason the sat nav started to go crazy...navigating from Oz... from 10 Birkley Rd Manly. in fact   It was having all sorts of problems finding an unnamed road in Ireland.  Tired after singing at the RAH the night before and then flying to Dublin we tried to navigate our way!  Finally when we reached a low bridge we gave up....We could not fit through.  10 minutes to destination said the sat nav cheerfully.

We gave up and called Nick.  Where are you he asked?   MMM I think we are at Milinavat.  We sent him a photo.  Can you drop a pin he said.... well actually our sat nav thinks we are in manly and is having difficulties!

Finally he worked out where we were and said.  "Hang on there we will come and bring you"  While we were waiting 2 cars pulled up.  "Are ye all right in there?"  they asked.  When we explained they said. "Well don't you be stuck now" and gave us directions to where they lived in case we needed to stay.

Nick and Lynda arrived and soon we were sitting in their gorgeous house eating a beautiful meal... Thanks Nick and Lynda!

Carmina Burana, Brian Kay & The Royal Albert Hall

It is always so exciting to arrive at the Albert Hall and to see the Memorial once more.  We are hot to rehearse.  Really happy this year as Brian Kay is a fabulous conductor and Carmina Burana is a fabulous piece of music.  The percussionists were fantastic even if during rehearsals they had their iPhone on  to watch the cricket...You know the match - the one the English sort of won but celebrated anyway.. (oooh!)

We quickly get back into our stride... rehearsing, dinner at the Spanish Tapas Bar and then into the performance finishing with drinks at Beit Hall!   Good stuff.

Great to have Vicky with us.. a tenor in our midst.  Also we got star billing as the "Noteworthies" 

from NSW!

Roger took himself off down the Thames while we slaved away perfecting our art!





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Pele Mele and Lehman Trilogy

Back in London, met with Jane and Vicky - dinner at Pele & Mele before going to see the best thing I've seen in theatre for years.

Sheer Brilliance in writing, directing and acting!

Signs of the times

Time to pack up and to... Royal Albert Hall and Carmina Burana call...

Just a few of the signs I loved!

PUGIN

It's a Deal

We loved Deal with its beautiful pier, colourful houses, great cafes and restaurants.

Spent the day ambling around town... until travel weariness caught up with us and we decided to head back home..... to...

Flooding lounge room... the people in the apartment above had let the bath overflow.   Our hosts were fantastic and got onto the problem straight away.  

Found out that Warwick was a music producer and Antonio a conductor... Oh that reminded me - time to practice for Royal Albert Hall!!!

Maarrvelllous Margate

And so to Margate... Sandy beaches and "sunbathers" 

Saw the Turner Art Gallery that didn't have a Turner.  The building so awful I couldn't take  picture.  Best part was these Year 10 deckchairs... photo exhibition inside
just SO ordinary... ah well!

I did like this sculpture though... a man in post Brexit times looking enviously at France!  Sadly he could no longer afford clothes.

Also a beautiful 15th Century building crumbling through lack of funds.... sad.  

Luckily the street art was great.

From Smack Boys to Vikings

 Decided to walk along the cliff tops from Ramsgate to Pegwell Bay on the outskirts of Sandwich... We set off past grand buildings now transformed into apartments or small hotels.  Some immaculate and some well - rather the worst for wear!  We came across this beautiful building which housed the young sailors from the fishing boats.

The church was so simple and had great feel.  I loved the names and histories on the plaques.  The smack boys were apprenticed from a very young age.  They formed the crew of the small ships with the skipper often being the only adult aboad.

Eventually the home was used to house sailors that had been rescued, mostly from wrecks on the Goodwin Sands. Later some 3,300 survivors of the First World War were fed, clothed, sheltered and medically treated there. 

We left the harbour and the blue plaques behind and set off across the headland... spectacular views. 

At the end of the walk we came upon a replica of a Viking ship which sailed from Denmark to Thanet in 1949, to celebrate the 1500th anniversary of the invasion of Britain, the traditional landing of Hengist and Horsa and the betrothal of Hengist's daughter, Rowena, to King Vortigen of Kent.

Viking conditions were faithfully observed and the only instrument carried was a sextant. 

The mad Morris Dancers of Sandwich

Sandwich was such a hoot! We were off to hear Opera - the Magic Flute BUT when we arrived we found it was the Ale and Folk festival... fantastic.  So many interpretations of what it is to be a Morris dancer ha! ha!  I'm having a few problems uploading videos but I will.   Here are a few stills to be getting on with!

Now if Roger went out looking like that...

Oh Ladies you really should be wearing bells!

I knew nothing about Sandwich apart from the fact that the Earl of Sandwich invented the sandwich.  Why?   He loved Bridge and couldn't be bothered to pause to eat SO he asked his cook to come up with a dish that players could eat while they played.. hence the sandwich!

But Sandwich has amazing wooden houses... more than York or anywhere else.We even found the Thrum house  and I sent a photo to Carolyn Thrum in one of my writing groups.  Lots of Viking history here.

I loved the street names and their history.  Travelling with Roger is fab because he can always tell me the facts... So Hog's Corner.  A bell rang at 8.00 pm each night and all animals were shooed out into the streets so they could eat up all the food scraps and rubbish but they had to be back in their pens by 6.00am - if not they were impounded at ... you got it... Hog's Corner.

Pillory Gate was where thieves were nailed by the ear  and never released.  The only way (EEEEK!)  was to tear their ear from the nail to escape.  Marking them for life as a thief!

Great food everywhere and surprisingly a Punch and Judy Show... really?  Let's punch the baby, punch Judy, punch them again and feed them to the crocodile...MMM... not a fan!

Nothing for it but to head to the pub for a few sea shanties... again should be a video here.

Just loved it.. two women sang the most haunting song.. have to go to Deal folk club one day!

Finished the day with pub rock group... hey! Go the Stones.. Bopped and sang until we hopped back on the train to... Ramsgate!

Beautiful Broadstairs

We had the cliff walk to ourselves.  The path curved along the white sandstone cliffs while the sea churned against the rocks ..Magnificent.

Often we don’t have a clue where we are going or what we will see… I kind of like it that we never know what is around the next corner.  This was the case when we came to the end of our walk to Broadstairs.  Before us was the Italianate Greenhouse.   It was originally located in Bretton Hall in Yorkshire (Ey up!)  It was one of the first curved greenhouses designed to capture maximum light.  So let’s hear it for Yorkshire!

We walked into Broadstairs, past the beach huts and the ice cream sellers and into the quirky town.  

Charles Dickens House was of course first on the list.

An old thin, bent guy who looks like a Dickensian character himself,  took our money .  Ebenezer Fumbler maybe.  He checks our 5 pound note, drops it, tries to tear off a ticket,  botches it, and it flutters to the floor. Luckily a cool and collected Guide steers us into the exhibition.  She is so good.  We get a picture of Dickens, his father in the workhouse, Dickens himself a child living on the street. 

I loved seeing how he worked...  the original copies of the books in their serial form  were on display-, as well as copies of the illustrations by  Phiz.  Oh so well worth a visit ... or even two!

We tear ourselves away and head off for the bus... total confusion as to where the bus stop is.  I ask a guy wearing, what we come to think of,  as "Ramsgate Gear" - bright yellow and purple streaked top with orange shorts.  He can't show us the bus stop but he says "come on hop in" and takes us back to Ramsgate.  Yay!  We would have invited him back in for a drink but then we think he might not be so keen on the "neighbourhood"