Saturday, January 9, 2010

We have had a very busy few days here in County Cork.  We were staying at the home of our new best friend, Sheila, in Ahakista, on Sheep's Head Peninsula, until today.  **Keep this house in mind for future house swaps or guest cottage vacations.**  For the next two weeks, for sure, Kevin and I will be resting and relaxing not far from here, on Sheep's Head Peninsula, at Carbery Guest Cottage (photos of Carbery to follow, much farther down the page).

This is a one hundred year old stone house Sheila has remodeled and is enlarging by adding on an extension.

The view from the front of the house out to Dunmanus Bay.

Kevin blackened the stove wearing two pairs of socks - lot of good they were.

The cold froze the water pipes again.  Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Kevin and I successfully recreated the recipe and made our own loaf of rye bread.

A quick, scenic, twenty minute drive takes us to Bantry.

Kevin and I had shepherd's pie at Cotter's Floury Hands.  We were the only Cotters in the place.  Turns out, Dr. Cotter owns the building and leases to Floury Hands. 

The weather is still very cold, but the sunshine is very warming.  This is the town square, with view of Bantry Bay.

Found this in the supermarket:

We didn't buy it though, we bought the tea cake (below), baked in West Cork, took it home and heated it in the oven for our brunch.  I moved the icing from the top of the loaf and spread it on the slices, along with butter.  Did not need the orange marmalade (coarse cut).

Five minutes from Bantry, off the main road, more icy roads . . . .   

Kevin and I headed towards Sheep's Head Peninsula, deciding to make the drive out to the lighthouse.  It was spectacular, as you can see . . . . . . .

"Fastnet Mussels" farming the bay, below:

Back from lighthouse on point, through Ahakista and towards Durrus, up to Carbery Cottage . . . .

The guest house is to the right of the main house.  Brilliant!

The view out our front room.  Those are two shaggy ponies with their long winter coats.

We can see the bay from our bedroom on the back of the cottage.  Lovely!

Kevin and I will be here for awhile, until the roads heading north are more passable and Dublin airport is less treacherous from which to travel.

I cannot stress enough the severity of the cold weather for the past three weeks (with another week of the same predicted).  The evening and morning news reports are dire.  Sheep are buried under snow (up to 20') on the mountains, grit for the roads is being rationed, water pipes are freezing, the military is busy helping as much as can with people in rural areas who have run out of food and medicine and cannot travel, etc.  It's been 47 years since the cold has been this bad, for so long.

Thankfully, Kevin and I are warm and toasty where we are, and the road to town is clear.  Aloha hui hou.

****Just looked out the window and saw flurries of snow falling from the sky, oh my!****

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Freezing cold, howling winds, another day in paradise.  What a magnificent view out the front of this house  -  Dunmanus Bay on Sheep's Head Peninsula, County Cork.

 

Yesterday, after a five hour car ride, we arrived in Bantry.  We instantly fell in love with the look of the town and after hours of exploring, we were not disappointed with the content.

 

We parked in the square and wandered into De Barra's for much needed coffee and tea and ended up having a most delicious lunch.

While waiting for our Sheep's Head Peninsula (Ahakista) "host" to come meet us, we explored the town and were tickled with the many things we discovered.  Bantry reminded us of a ski village as much as it was a fishing village.

Kevin is anxious to speak with his possible cousins . . . .

The alley ways connecting street to street were quite quaint.  And the library, with water wheel, was beautiful.

Our new "hostess" met us in town and we followed her home.  What a beautiful scenic drive.

 

Today we were spoiled with a feast of homemade chicken and vegetable soups and home-baked rye bread - our reward for chopping wood all afternoon. We will be warm for days, for sure.

Monday, January 4, 2010

**Happy New Year All**

Kevin and I hope everyone had a safe celebration and we wish you all the very best in the new year.

Congratulations to Kevin's niece and her husband, the new parents of a healthy baby boy, William.  

Kev and I are on the move.  We left the farm on Sunday, planning to "go as we please" towards horses and mountain country.  We were hardly out the front gate when we realized that the roads and cold weather were the worst in that direction - so we turned right instead of left and headed south.  Luckily, it was the best day for driving in weeks, clear and dry and sunny.  All the ice on the roads melted.

Before dark we stopped for the day in Roscrea, and booked a room in a lovely B&B to plan our next step.  We enjoyed some very special Chinese food for dinner in the town center, returned to the B&B and soaked in a long, hot tub before retiring for the night.  It is still very cold.  Note the frozen fountain below:

Woke to thick, cold fog.  Spent the entire day, today, relaxing, making plans and warming up.  Braved the cold and snow for a trip to town center.  Roscrea is an historic town with wonderful old, stone buildings.  We enjoyed a recuperation day of shopping at Dunnes, and  pizza for dinner.

We were expecting Lisa and Mr. Douglas (from Green Acres) to walk out of this store:

We will be off again early morning tomorrow, headed further southwest towards Sheepshead Peninsula in County Cork.  Don't know how far we'll get as it is snowing and colder outside now, but we're going as far as can.  The horses will have to wait until spring.