Have I died in my sleep and gone to Heaven?

Left home at 6.30am and drove down to Connemara. Absolutely scorching day driving down through Sligo and through Cong and Maam where they filmed "The Quiet Man". Eventually arrived on Omey Island near Clifden. You can drive across when the tide is out. Friends have loaned us their cottage on the island for a week, and it is fabulous! Omey is about a mile by a mile and a half and is covered in wild flowers. We have to bring our own drinking water but the cottage is well supplied with turf for the fire.

Obviously no Internet access which is why this is a week late. I will update this and the Sabbatical blog over the next couple of days.

For all you Canadians out there! Tim Horton's has arrived in Ireland. Stopped in a Tim Horton's in Blacklion just over the border from Bellcoo and had a Boston Cream donut and a coffee! Also saw a Tim's in Clifden. Apparently they are operating through Cuisine de France which is a bread and pastry company.

England appears to be having terrible weather with floods and rivers bursting their banks, but it's not too bad here in Ireland. This is Lilian and her mum having lunch outside and Winnie taking Reuben for a stroll.






Mark, Claire and Josh visited Dave, Stacey and Caleb in Medicine Hat and brought me back a tin of Tim Horton's coffee.

Thought I would have it in my "Corner Gas" mug wearing my "Corner Gas" sweatshirt. How sad am I?

Married Stato and Rachael yesterday. Nice wedding and the church was full. Lilian and I left the reception, which was still in full swing, sometime after 10.00pm and came home and put our feet up for an hour. Tracy took this photo of them leaving church, as I hadn't brought a camera.

Had dinner al fresco in the back garden yesterday. This is Reuben able to sit up and enjoy the picnic!

After the steady soft rain over the last few days (weeks!) the Australian Bottle Bush plant (or as we gardners say, "Callistemon Citrinus Splendens") in the garden, is looking particularly striking!

11th July, Bonfire night in Carrickfergus!

Who knows how much CO2 these are generating!

And to quote Delia Smith, "Here's one I prepared earlier." Sorry about the spelling on this one. They were obviously out collecting pallets for the bonfire when they ought to have been in school!

Holiday Bible Club running all this week. Good week so far, everything running very smoothly in both sections. Many thanks to everyone who has turned up to help.

Last Saturday morning was church cleanup day. Thanks to everyone who turned up on such a wet morning. We got quite a lot done both inside and out.

Caleb and dad after a hard day's work!

Took Thursday as my day off last week in place of my usual Friday. Thursday rained all day, Friday was beautiful! Typical! Went with Rick, Katie and Reuben to the swimming pool, (his first trip). He loved the water. This is us coming back to the car.