hills of clare

Some hill views near Caher, East Clare.

november bonsai meeting

Another meeting of the Bonsai Ireland Munster Club. (http://www.bimc.ie).  Mostly chat and talk this time, with only Piotr actually doing some work. As usual I was green with envy at the trees the other lads had brought especially Mark's Larch.

my Carpinus, Picea and Cryptomeria. Peter's Pine

Marks Larch and Maple (maple from seed!)

Peter's Pine

wet november

We are only ten days into November and the weather has been truly terrible all through. It has also felt cold although we have only had a light frost once or twice so far. The garden is very wet everywhere but I can't really complain. It's back to some garage jobs that have been on the long finger all summer. It's also been a chance to get a few bonsai sessions done and catch up on some overdue work on them.

Met Eireann rainfall radar, 5pm, 10 Nov, 2013.

kinnitty mountains

A few weeks ago myself and five other ne'er-do-wells went for a stroll among the gentle hills of Kinnitty Forest in County Offaly. The incline was a tad more steep than expected and after several consultations with Google Maps, Apple Maps and Paper Maps, we finally made it to Kinnitty Castle, where six glasses of refreshment were consumed in a most satisfactory manner. Later that evening several more were imbibed in a local tavern. The following day we were all struck with a curious ailment, which we concluded was a version of altitude sickness, most probably brought on by a overly rushed descent from the peaks of the hilltop....

kinnitty mountains, county offaly