Joined a Heritage tour of Headfort School, on the grounds of Headfort Desmane, an grand estate built in 1760 with 1000 acre of land by British landowner, in Georgian style of that era. It stays in the same family until now, but has been selling off land to maintain upkeep of the building.
Eventually in 1950 they rented out the main building to form a boarding school, the only boarding school in Ireland for primary students. Many students are children or grand children of previous students, en exceptional experience of living in such an environment that they would like the younger generation to have lived too.
Weather at the coast is not good, heavy rain, inland is drier, decided to go cycling in County Westmeath area, along the Royal Canal Greenway.
This canal was finished in 1826, joining Dublin to the midland, for transporting wood and peat out. A narrow canal of that era, cost a million Pounds to built with many beautiful stone bridges along. Soon under competition with railroads that were built just 20 plus years later. Now not in use for commercial canal boat holiday as modern boats are wider.
The canal is still maintained in good condition with around 40 locks, all use original thick wood beams to open and shut the lock doors, fantastic design and workmanship.
朋友相約去看 Galway Hooker festival 傳統帆船日，有戶外市集、音樂和賽帆。是項籌款活動，用以維修木帆船，和鼓勵學習駕駛帆船。
這些貨運小帆船，當年在西岸航行，把日用物品運送到各沿岸和島上小村鎮。帆船比賽只佔半個小時不到，老遠到來，朋友只是找個不同的地方見面而已。
這對澳洲、英國朋友，先生隨家人來到歐洲生活，他在荷蘭工作一段長時間，然後來到愛爾蘭，工作至退休。女伴隨父母來到愛爾蘭，兩段婚姻後，兒女們在英國居住，她再次找到伴侶，有伴同行。
當年在法國數對常見面的朋友中，亦有一對澳、英夫妻，奇妙地兩位女的都高瘦輪廓精緻，而男方同樣地友善，眼中永遠帶笑意，又有好奇心。
另一個巧合，在法國時常有往來的近鄰，先生奀瘦，喜歡踩單車和DIY，太太㘣碌碌的，縫紉編織高手，看她為孫兒女做的衣服玩偶，很有水準。
在愛爾蘭，常接觸的近鄰，竟然有一模一樣的身形，男的亦愛踩單車和DIY，女的精於縫紉，難以置信的近似。
和伴侶提到這兩個案，竟然有第三個同樣情況，在法國開始鈎魚活動，認識了位釣友，一開始就願意分享釣魚心得，什麼時候在什麼河道用什麼餌。多年來只交了這樣的一位友好法藉釣友，他在飛機工場做要輪更的技師，到現在亦時有聯絡。
而在愛爾蘭，幸運地到埗不久，就在河畔認識了唯一友好的當地釣友，亦和法國那位一樣，一開始就樂於分享所知，亦是到現在唯一有深交的釣友，是位在船場工作要輪更的技師。
三個奇異的巧合，三個緣份，都難得。
Join one of the Heritage week event at Ennystymon, a guided tour of the river where the upper inlet was polluted by a unregulated discharges 4 years ago. With a Consultant and local residents’ joined effort, via cutting down invasive and light covering Portuguese laurels and laid them down along the bank for wildlife use, the water quality and biodiversity have improved.
A total of 3 young trees and they produce mature sweet juicy fruits progressively, too much to eat them all and have to preserve and put away.
I tried to infuse some in vinegar and honey to make shrub, in a week’s time I have a nice cordial. The remaining plums are still nice to eat and I add freshly grinned cardamon on top before baking, 200˚C for 20 minutes then rest until cold in the oven to dry up a bit more. Delicious flavor and fragrance, goes well with cake and yogurt.
2026
A strange growing season, bean plants finally able to develop well after series of heat waves to bear fruits, first decent harvest of runner and climbing beans, nearly a month later then normal.
