Sorry I have been neglecting this blog recently, life has been pretty hectic and I haven't had a day off for three weeks so there was nothing to write about!

However I got a lovely surprise the other day when a package arrived from Amazon.

When I opened it, I discovered that some very kind and extremely generous person had sent me an anonymous gift of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere! (Premier is the video editing software!)

I have no idea who you are, but if you are reading this blog, thank you so much for your generosity.

I have installed them both but haven't had time yet to look at them. I'm trying to get a day off this week coming or even a clear couple of hours where I get a chance to play with it!

Saturday 28th October
The day started a bit dull and overcast. Went into Rostrevor for a newspaper and some shopping!
Undecided whether to go for a walk in the hills or not but decided to risk it.
A couple of days earlier, from the top of Slieve Muck (The Hill of the Pig) we had spotted what appeared to be a track leading to Lough Shannagh (The Lake of the Foxes) from a car park on the main road, which promised to be a fairly easy walk into the montains, so we decided to go for it. Found the car park just below Crocknafeola Wood and parked the car. After walking for about 10 minutes the rain came on and drizzled on and off but the track did lead us straight to the lough.
Had our lunch there on the beach at the lough, (in better weather might have contemplated a swim!) But it was getting late and so we made our way back home again as the light was fading. Looking forward to my Saturday afternoon routine of reading the paper and attempting the crossword when I get back. (Sign of advancing years is getting set in your ways like this!)
Interesting day out and a new walk in the Mournes for me.

Friday 27th October
Pretty wet until fairly late on so we lay about and read and ate. When the sun came out I went for a leisurely walk along the beach towards Greencastle and took some pictures. Came back and had dinner, and read some more. Really lazy day today, great to be able to slunge about like this and do nothing without feeling guilty. That's what holidays are about I suppose!

Thursday 26th October.
The day started off a little grey but we decided to climb Slieve Muck, (The Hill of the Pig) which turned out to be quite a slog. However the sun came out and it started blowing a gale which was a real help as it blew us up the hill!
When we reached the top there were superb views over Doan, Lough Shannagh, the Silent Valley and Slieve Binnian, making it well worth the climb.
Had our lunch sheltering behind the Mourne Wall out of the wind which was still going strong. Took some pictures of the view which I stitched together into a panorama.
Eventually made our way back down to the car again by late afternoon and drove back down the road to Kilkeel and on to Cranfield as the sun was going down.
Super day out!

Wednesday 25th October
Dull and overcast but we headed off to the Mournes. Rain had started when we parked the car and after a short respite came on again and got progressively heavier all the way to Lough Shannagh, a couple of miles over the mountains.
Was really teeming down all the way back. Arrived home soaked to the skin after a couple of hours in the driving rain.
Lit huge fire in the front room and dried out! Watched, “The Remains of the Day” with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson” on DVD.

Tuesday 24th October.
Lilian and I headed off to Rostrevor today to do some geocaching. We did one called “Narnia”.
Interesting note on this cache.
'When Disney scoured the world looking for a location to play Narnia's mythical landscape, they chose New Zealand's fantastical soaring mountains and sun-scorched grassy plains. It would have pleased CS Lewis, Narnia's creator, but it wouldn't have resonated with his love of 'Northernness'. For Lewis the portal into Narnia was far closer to home - Ulster.'

'I have seen landscapes, notably in the Mourne Mountains and southwards which under a particular light made me feel that at any moment a giant might raise his head over the next ridge,' he wrote in his essay On Stories. While living in England he spoke of the magic of Northern Ireland: 'I yearn to see County Down in the snow, one almost expects to see a march of dwarfs dashing past. How I long to break into a world where such things were true. That part of Rostrevor which overlooks Carlingford Lough is my idea of Narnia.'
Turned out a beautiful late afternoon and evening.

Monday 23rd October, the start of our Winter Week.
Glorious day down here at Cranfield. A friend has loaned us his house for the week.
Great location with the sea at our front door and the Mournes at out back.
Doing lots of reading and sleeping and really feeling the benefit. Started a book, “Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places” by Eugene Peterson, which describes itself as “A Conversation in Spiritual Theology”. The title is taken from a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of my favourite poets. In his introduction he describes “Spiritual Theology” as “… a protest against theology depersonalised into information about God; it is a protest against theology functionalized into a programme of strategic planning for God.” Finding it quite stimulating and provocative.

Speaking to a school SU on Friday which knocked the day off on the head a bit as the SU was at lunchtime. So spent the morning and afternoon tidying the study and moving it to another room in the house. The idea is that Lilian and I will have a desk each and be able to work together in the same room. Pearl had come on Thursday and she and Lilian had painted the room in prep for the Friday move.
it's a fairly big job and is going to take another day to finish.
On Saturday morning we met Lois at 7.00am and headed up to a car boot sale at Dunsilly.
The field was pretty busy, maybe over 100 cars there flogging stuff, so we set out our stall and started to flog some of the junk out of the garage. Plenty of people about
Stayed until about 11.00am and came home again and stuck into the study. I must have about a million books! It's going to be a major job sorting them out.

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells. "

John Keats

Saturday lunchtime, picked Lilian up from her "Precept" class in Belfast and headed down to Greyabbey to collect Katie and go to a Food Fair in Mountstewart. Rick was at work. Lilian dropped me off at Mountstewart while she went on to pick up Katie so I lay down by the shore and read my paper in the sun, (which was very pleasant) until they came back.
The Food Fair was OK, some nice local produce but actually not that big a fair so we had a walk around Mountstewart Gardens on what turned out to be a very pleasant Autumn afternoon.
Mountstewart is sitting on about 100 acres and contains some interesting trees and shrubs from around the world and some fascinating topiary in the formal gardens. The National Trust do a good job of mantaining these old places.
Mount Stewart was the home of Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry during the famine. Lord Londonderry, one of the ten richest men in the United Kingdom, was criticised for his meanness during the famine: he and his wife Frances gave £30 to the local famine relief committee, but spent £150,000 renovating their house!

Tied up this weekend with an event at church so couldn't get a full day of. Took two half days instead, but it meant we couldn't go very far. Went up to Junction One on Friday morning and did some shopping. Met Campbell there and had a coffee.

Rick's birthday on Tuesday 3rd so we had a meal together in his gran's house. How old am I to have a 28 year old son!!

Weather has been wet and cold and we've both been very busy so we haven't got out much over the last couple of weeks. Here are some up to date pics of Caleb.
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Brilliant weather again today. Met Archie for coffee at Papa Browns and then headed off up the Antrim Coast. Somewhere outside Ballygally we came across this flock of yellow sheep grazing in a field!

Went for a walk along part of the the Ulster Way that runs up behind Ballgally Castle and over Scawt Hill towards Glenarm. Beautiful open heathland stretching away to Slemish in the distance and with glorious views out over the Irish Sea.
Found a geocache while on the walk and had our lunch and a doze in the sun. Lovely day out again in a beautiful area.

Beautiful weekend but the house needed painted, so we spent my day off doing that and tidying the garage!
Absolutely amazing moon over the past couple of nights. It was so bright you could read a newspaper outside at midnight by moonlight!
Lilian and I went up to Knockagh Monument on Saturday night and photographed Carrickfergus by moonlight.

Went up to Cushendall on Friday. Picked up three hitchikers from the Czech Republic outside Larne and brought them up with us.
Nice day out again. We were looking for a geocache just outside Cushendall at Layd Church.
It's a really beautiful spot and well worth a visit.
This old church was valued at 20 shillings for tax purposes in 1306 but was finally abandoned in 1790.
A large decorative Celtic cross near the ruin is dedicated to Dr. James McDonnell who founded the Belfast School of Medicine which later became Queens University.

Having looked around the church Lilian and I made our way down to the shore where we had a picnic and picked blackberries. We'll make blackberry muffins for Sunday.
Stopped on the way home and did a bit of housekeeping on one of our own geocaches hidden outside Glenarm. Lovely day out.

Had two days off this week to make up for none last week. So we went up the North coast to Ballycastle and took the boat to Rathlin for the day. Trip takes 45 minutes. Usual story here you meet people on the boat who know people you know and so we had a good chat on the way over.
Turned out to be a fine warm day on Rathlin which was absolutely beautiful at this time of year with the heather in bloom.
Did two of the four geocaches on the island. One of them was near Robert the Bruce's fort in which he took refuge after his deafeat by the English in 1306. His famous cave where story of Robert the Bruce and the spider originates is nearby. Sir Francis Drake, (who had based himself at Carrickfergus Castle!) demolished the fort when he arrived in 1575 . A few low walls are all that's left.
Had a picnic and a doze in the sun. Rathlin is so empty and quiet that it does your heart and soul good.
Made our way back to the boat and arrived early so had a cup of coffee bside the harbour. Met lots of visitiors from Wicklow and Germany. Ferry arrived and it rained on the way back.

Busy week with the Holiday Bible Club running so that meant I didn't get a day off and consequently couldn't get away for a walk this week.
The Holiday Bible Club worked well with the kids, with the juniors and tinies in the morning, and the older ones in the afternoon and evening.
Finished the week off with a church barbecue on Saturday night in Carnfunnock Country Park outside Larne.
Band parade in Larne meant we were redirected all over the place and the weather then turned showery after being good all afternoon, (typical!) However a good turn out of folks and a night's craic.

Saturday night was Mavis Martin's birthday and we held a surprise party for her in Gilnahirk Golf Club, (or Castlereagh Hills Golf Club as it now is!)
Nice meal and good craic and then we all went back to the Martin's house in Donaghadee.
I was speaking in "Thriving Life" church in Newtownards on the Sunday morning so we stayed overnight and left from there after breakfast.
After church went to see Elia's new apartment in Bangor and went for a walk along the front to Pickie before traveling back to Carrickfergus to preach in my own church that night.

Thursday night we went for a walk round Brown's Bay down by Islandmagee not far from where we live. Nice bright evening. Took the GPS and found a geocache down near the shore.
Friday morning we set off to climb Slemish, the mountain on which St. Patrick herded sheep. Turned out a much better day than forecast by the weather man.
Nice little visitor's centre at Slemish now though the mountain itself is still as steep a climb as ever! Found a well hidden geocache just over the top on the far side. Had a picnic and picked blaeberries (bilberries I think they are called in England). Going to make blaeberry muffins tomorrow.
Nice walk back down the hill. A few people about. (I think about 5% of visitor's actually climb the hill!)