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We attended a beautiful christening in Fermoy today and afterwards it was off to Mitchelstown where we joined the other guests in a light lunch of finger food and sandwiches. Loved that apple tart afterwards. Yum!

This is our shih tzu, Oscar, who we took along for the drive. After the main course was over half the crowd piled out onto the adjoining terrace and so I got Oscar from the car. He had a great time, and was a big hit with all the kids but we did warn them he was a little odd and liable to snap so they were careful. Later I checked the temperature in the car dashboard and it said 25C which I hope is as hot as it’s going to get in Ireland this year. I had to seek the shade, it was so hot!

Two seagulls wander into the water on the slip that serves the Bere Ferry in Schull Harbour.

Jacinta was the first to notice that actually, the Bere Ferry does not go from Schull. It lands at Castletownbere! Oops!

I look outside now and see the hazy cloud and rain that has descended on Cork and wonder if I was really at Allihies beach and saw the fluffy cumulus cloud stretching off into the distance. It seems like a another lifetime.

Today my wife, Jacinta, and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. It’s a joyful day because we are a happy family with our mad little son but it’s also the first anniversary of Jacinta’s sister’s untimely passing from this world. We went for dinner this afternoon with her family and it was a cheerful gathering, but of course in quiet moments, one’s thoughts stray to Gerry who wasn’t there.

This is really looking back into the archives. I shot this in 2004, probably with the Sony 717 and at a guess probably in the park near the Gun Powder Mills in Ballincollig. Long time ago. Lovely day!

This is a picturesque stream that runs through Glengarriff Nature Reserve in Co. Cork. We went for a short walk close by but by the time we got here it was getting late in the afternoon and Adam was getting hungry!

A hungry, scrawny cat came up to us while walking around Schull in Co. Cork last weekend. The poor thing was crying for food and affection. This was the first time Adam saw a real cat and he was delighted but we had to leave the poor thing to fend for itself.

I discovered that the Irish name of the town called Schull is “Scoil Mhuire”, a much nicer name IMO. In English that would be “Mary’s School”, or more likely, “St. Mary’s School”. West Cork is so beautiful but the basterdisation of Irish names is shocking. I even saw a sign for a town called “Snámh” which had been translated as “Snave”. “Snámh” is the verb, “to swim” in English. Perhaps the town was created by an English landlord and named “Snave” first and then named “Snámh” by the Irish?

PS. Congrats to fellow Mallow Camera Club member, David Lavery, who left his comfortable 9-5 day job to become a wedding photographer in Mallow, Co. Cork a year ago today! Not many would take the jump, so I hope he’ll get that blog rolling and write about his experiences. I know I’d like to hear about them!

Cows gather in the shed against the howling wind and cold at Allihies. No room for any more though!

I noticed this small hut while out walking one afternoon on the ranch in Arizon last January. Bit of a squeeze I bet!

I’m not sure what this metal object used to be, but it was sitting in the desert on the ranch in Arizona. I loved the contrasting textures and light and shadows so I had to shoot it!

An Fear Marbh, or “The Dead Man” in English lies off the coast of Co. Kerry. I posted another photo of the island taken on the same night as this one here, but it was such a beautiful evening I took quite a few shots!