Up all night at the Martello Tower : 20.8.15

“The sea, the snotgreen sea, the scrotumtightening sea.”
― James Joyce, Ulysses

We spent one night only, camping near the Martello Tower in Sandycove, Dublin. It features in the opening chapter of James Joyce's Ulysses, so they say.

 
All night long they came and went, up and down the walkway from Sandycove to the 40 Foot (famous Dublin swimming spot) and back. Swimmers, revellers, beer drinking young ones. As the sun sank behind Dun Laoghaire Town Hall it was all go and there wasn't too much sleep to be had.

At 11.30 PM a woman walking her dog, sat on a nearby wall and sang all of The Parting Glass and the Auld Triangle into the night air. We sat and listened in awe. A wise cracking Dub shouted across to her that she had a fine voice and would she sing some more. Why don't you sing yourself, says the Siren and exits stage left.  

"Trilling, trilling: I dolores.Peep! Who's in the... peepofgold?Tink cried to bronze in pity.And a call, pure, long and throbbing. Longindying call.Decoy. Soft word. But look! The bright stars fade. O rose! Notes chirruping answer. Castille. The morn is breaking.Jingle jingle jaunted jingling."

Episode 11 of Ulysses : Sirens 

Bleary eyed by 5.30 AM, then the early daily swimmers began to arrive. A short dip in the "scrotumtightening sea" lots of chat, the Irish Times under one arm and and a carton a milk under the other. 

It was here 50 years ago that the pink sparkly ball was swept out to sea and rescued by a heroic local. Here, where we learned to swim and perfected the art of putting warm clothes onto damp limbs while gyrating under a towel. "Hmmph that fella!!" was all that was ever said about James Joyce. 

"...she saunters away, plump as a pampered pouter pigeon, humming the duet from Don Giovanni... 

Episode 15 of Ulysses : Circe


More from that jaunted jingling evening in the Night falls in Sandycove Gallery here 

The tangy orange of the Blog Awards 2013

The cafe near Coumenoule

The lush Montbretia hedgerows of the Dingle Penninsula

The Surf School in Inch

Mr Orange Shorts in Coumenoule

Does all this orange clash horribly with the foxglovish purples on this page? Yes...... but it goes nicely with the new Blog Awards badge which you will find there on the sidebar! Thanks for the nominations in the Best Photography Blog and Best Great Outdoors categories. Here's to night out on the town if the whole shebang shakes down in my favour. Congratulations to all the other wonderful Irish Bloggers who were also long listed, I nominated a few myself.

Once you keep an eye out for orange it is uncanny how often you will then see it. Last week on the annual jaunt to Kerry it was there in the quirky cafe on the a cliff above Coumenoule on the Dingle Penninsula.  We had breakfast of Rhubarb Tart and Cream like your Granny used to make, at the table of your dreams, with a view to die for. In case you are wondering what it is called, there is a sign which simply says CAFE.......

You could also easily die in the crashing waves on the beach there! The call of the wild Atlantic seems to outweigh any fear and the water's edge is dotted with risk takers of all ages. I stopped swimming enthusiastically in Coumenoule a number of years ago when I took a thrashing in a washing machine like three waves in a row. Be sure to keep a close eye and a tight grip on your offspring, or cut a dash in orange shorts......

Those orange flags are of the Surf School in Inch where we usually manage to get a swim on the way home from the west. But most of all the endless bulging hedgerows of Kerry, a blaze of orange in the late summer with the beautiful wild flower Montbretia absolutely everywhere.....magic......

Best of luck to all my blogging friends and take a peek at my new blog one half shut eye which is nominated in the Best Newcomer Blog Category......

A change is as good as a rest

It's still raining in Ireland and so my mind has wandered back to May and the heart of an olive grove in the mountains of Mallorca.

Arriving during the night through a perilous cliff side track. Smelling before seeing. Ground cover of thyme, rosemary and lavender filling the still air as we walked our final few steps down to the small gate of the house where we would stay for two whole weeks!

The twisted olive trees and the rocky mediterranean coastline were revealed at dawn. The heat of the rising sun soon seeped into our bones and the freckles appeared on our noses. Every evening on the terrace over looking the sea, I took photos of the fading light.  Every day we climbed down the stony path to the rocks and swam out through deep warm water, dreaming.

The sun burning on skin, the dry raked earth and fallen lemons on the streets of the village, five swims and a fish supper to follow. A change is as good as a rest, no wonder we crave it, here in the land of 40 shades of green, and endless days of rain.

For once the little lake gets a starring role

This little lake is the first and last thing I see every day from my window. Mist rising, rain disturbing the surface, ice forming or sun gleaming and sparkling on it's surface making it a swimmable day, the lake tells the story. The light catches it from every angle and although people who drive past it are aware of it, I live with it all year around and it changes by the minute.

Herons fly over and back all summer long and on stormy days seagulls wash in it and hang out until the winds drop and they can go back to the coast. Wild birds live around it and others dip in when they are passing. Swans mate there and if you are swimming swallows swoop down and sip water around you barely noticing your prescence.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, left and right from my view. It is a back up reservoir and when I swim in it I remember that people will be drinking that water a little later! As far as I know there isn't a monster in it although it is 90 feet deep in the middle and was formed from an ancient volcanic crater. Last winter it froze over for the first time since 1962. An old man on a stick walked out on it saying he would probably never see the likes again.

In summer it is alive with insects, in winter it is shelter for birds and small animals. Surrounded by a forest on one it is also a picnic spot for the many day trippers and the fishermen who frequent it. It is easy to take for granted what is right under your nose and although I photograph it all the time today I decided to give it a starring role. What is on your street or out your window? What do you see when you look out to check on the new day?

Wild swimming at Brandon Creek, County Kerry

It is said that Brandon Creek in County Kerry was the point of departure for St. Brendan who set out from here in the 6th century (long before Columbus) and after seven years discovered America. In 1976 Tim Severin again set out from here in a replica boat and the following year landed in Newfoundland, thus proving the old tale very probable. 

It is a place that has all the drama and beauty of a great cathedral, sheer rocky cliffs and very deep water. Four of us swam here in the cool briny water during August. It actually rained while we tried to get dressed afterwards and as the clothes got stuck a comical performance ensued with bits of damp stuff just clinging on to other wetter bits!

Later we made dinner and included the sea spagetti that we foraged in the creek. (It is delicious and easy to prepare, in this case into a tangy salad) A special evening with a lot of laughs, wonderful old friends, and an amazing view of the beautiful Atlantic coast of Ireland. 

I can feel the summer slipping away...........

Things change but Garrarus thankfully remains the same

I swam here yesterday in Garrarus on the Copper Coast in Waterford. In under an hour the day went from blue sky, to a large front approaching from the south west, to grey and overcast. As you can see the ocean was flat calm and ideal for lolling about in. I am essentially a lazy bather rather than a big swimmer. I consider that a dip in the sea is better than the best spa in the world!

There is a plaque on this beach to the memory of a man who used to come down from his cottage on the lane, usually in his wellies and overcoat no matter what the weather was doing. He would sit and enjoy the view and always had a chat to anyone who engaged with him. He was certainly loved, and it's nice to see his memory commemorated, by his friends.

My children, their friends and cousins have all spent so many happy sunny days here. There have been lovely picnics, snorkelling adventures and all weather outings here and at the other local beaches. Generations of my family have done the same.

We change as the years pass, and the weather changes every few minutes, but thankfully the views in Garrarus are always the same.





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It's Midsummer!

In Sweden they really like to celebrate the summer solstice.  Families and friends gather for special crayfish parties which go on well into the bright night. Swedes are also fond of summer swimming in the inland lakes and at the archipeligo in Stockholm as well as the Baltic Sea. In Ireland we are are very cautious about lake swimming and it was only when my Swedish nephews came to visit me here that I followed their lead and jumped into the lake for the first time.

What amused me most was that we had no running water at the time, (another story) and so they naturally assumed we would bathe and wash in the lake. Without batting an eyelid, they walked off through the meadow, towels draped over their arms and wash bags at the ready! Ten years later I am now a confident lake swimmer. I have even had the pleasure of meeting a large trout eye ball to eye ball when he popped his head out of the water and looked at me for a moment......

Lake swimming is like the best outdoor spa in the world (although to be fair sea-swimming is the very creme de la creme). The water is soft and surprisingly warm and the scent of wild mint trodden underfoot adds to the spa vibe! The sounds are wonderful too, the breeze whistling through the reeds, the lapping of the water on the shore, and the birds and bees joining in. My favourite part is watching the swallows ducking and diving to sip water from the lake while always avoiding your head, or the heron flying across and calling like some prehistoric creature.

This summer solstice I will have a late lake swim to celebrate. I send best wishes to all the inspiring and supportive bloggers, tweeters, facebookers, friends and family who have been supporting my work since I started to blog in February. But a special wave to all my lovely (gorgeous looking) Swedish family and friends, have a wonderful Midsummer Solstice. What will you do to celebrate?