2013 and sunshine

The New Year.

Full of hope and expectation for us, with plenty to look forward to, 

• the growth and development of the plantings, 
• new friends and relationships, 
• continued renovation, hopefully with the 'big stuff' in the summer 
• the Gallery, 
• knitting and felt craft
• growing our own

We are lucky people

Here are some pictures taken this afternoon as the sun went down - one of the first times we've seen the sun this year!

a flock of starlings startles into the sunlight

Slieve Bernagh

the long view

starlings

Charlie gazes on

arty shadows

our rescued hens - all feathered now!

Mr Cockerel

hens on the picnic lawn - and Charlie keeping an eye

Charlie, Donard, Commedagh

Glorious Decay

Like everywhere round here, the weather conditions have made for a most colourful Autumn. 

Even our new trees, put in as bare root 'whips' 9 months ago, are giving a display.

Here's some images from a walk yesterday round our soon-to-be-woodland.

Rowan, planted in January 0.5m tall; now 1.5!

Hawthorn berries

willows, aglow

Rowan

birch

almost 2m high looking toward the Mournes

our willow walk begins to appear

Vincent's Oak is thriving

dots of glorious colour - there are 40 native trees in this space

across to Slivenaboley

Charlie in the 'woods'

a rose in the green lane

silver birch

the silver birch grove by the car park - lovely

Looking forward so much to what the coming years will bring!

We Are Here

Took a visit today to the new Banbridge Tourist Information Office which is in the newly restored market hall.

It's a lovely space.

Down the whole of one side is a magnificent photograph taken from the Windy gap, up above us. Not quite actual size - but feels like it!

You can see our place - and the magnificent context in which we sit, quite clearly:

this picture taken in May 2011 - summer!

the restored market house Banbridge

Turnip House Clonachullion

Our old house on the Trassey Road has featured in the BBC TV series Nick Nickleby, aired this week. The house, now in the loving care of another family, looks great, and it is good to see it fulfilling it's role as family home and National Monument.

25 years ago, in 1987, this house was for sale, advertised as a building site, due for demolition. We saw it for what it was - a treasure!

It's really good to look back and see what we've done, and we're really enthusiastic about the next one!

the front of the house

the back; the Turnip house is to the left

just a tin roofed barn when we found it, now it's incorporated into the house - wonderful!

Listed Building status granted in 1990

starring on the BBC

 Our new love! 

Lecale - Part 2

One one shore of the narrows, the strip of water at the mouth of Strangford Lough, where each tide 350 million cubic metres of sea water rushes in or out, lies the village of Strangford.

This is the starting point of a beautiful circular walk through farmland, woodland and lough shore.

at the end of Castle street is this lane way : magnificently called the squeeze gut

it follows a sunken hollow into the woods

a glimpse of Castle Ward House 

autumnal trees

across the lough to Audley's Castle

Charlie inspects a a romantic ruin on the shore 

looking across 'The Narrows' to Portaferry

delicate shore flowers

Castle Ward

rocks seaweed lichens

Castle Ward Bay and Audley's Castle

symmetry

October sunshine through a stand of Scots pine

golden flowers

back through the woods

to Strangford Castle