Dublin to Avignon Hard to believe we started in Dublin this morning and were in the South of France for lunch. It just emphasises to us poor antipodeans how isolated we are. We arrived to a lovely little room with an enclosed balcony in the old walled part of city and went down into the square for lunch. I was very excited about my salad with goat’s cheese. The traditional food of Scotland and Ireland was very nice but it occurred to me I hadn’t seen much green in two weeks. Gobbled down a whole palate of lettuce. My escort (with driving duties now over) was not that impressed. Then it hit us… OMG, have spent the first two weeks worrying about having enough cool and wet weather gear. Now! Just hit 34oC! Attempted to do ... read more

Carlow, Kilkenny, Dublin Exploring the little town of Carlow this morning we had a walk along the Barrow track which is beside the rive Barrow to an old graveyard dating from 1607. While we were looking around there the dragon boat team came rowing by. The stroke was sitting up the end with a very large drum for the time keeping. (note Yvonne Robinson). Next we visited the Sensory Delta Garden. This turned out to be amazing and well worth the visit. It is a series of small garden rooms maybe 18, all different themes with water features, sculpture and plants promoting sensory connection. It has been built by the Delta centre, a centre for training residential and respite for adults with intellectual abilities. (With government and private funding). It was fantastic. Onto Kilkenny, a medieval ... read more

Ring of Kerry Well I sacked my driver today. Had to reemploy him as map reader. What a day to drive the Ring of Kerry. It looks like the Coromandel or Banks Peninsular on a bad day. “ah notin ye can do about it, to be sure, to be sure.” The first half wasn’t too bad drizzle and overcast. We followed the prescribed route anticlockwise and stopped in a couple of lovely little villages. Then at the very bottom we came to the ring of Skellig. The most westerly part of Ireland. We caught the ferry from Reenard to Knightstown on the island of Velentia (the best mushrooms soup ever). Very historical for many things... In 1857 it is where they started to lay the first cable to the USA although it was week and didn’t ... read more

Road to Glasgow Woke up at the crack of dawn and took of tea across the road to soak up the early morning stillness of the harbour. A fishing boat was unloading and on further inpection and chat to the fisherman found two trays of lobsters heading into the back of a truck destined to arrive in Hong Kong the next day. Come to think about it I think I saw their cousin in a fish tank over there last week. Tarbert is a lovely sleepy little fishing village off the tourist track and we are thankful that Kirsten led us here. This morning we went on a short boat trip our onto the Loch Fyne. We saw seals, mussel farms and salmon farm and off course castles. We sped past a very large modern building ... read more

Arran Well after the late night, up early. Decided to have breakfast in the local café this morning. Some resistance by Himself at first regarding a breakfast with the “Organic” label and a promise he wouldn’t need to eat lentils in we went. It was lovely and the setting in the original basement kitchen with the original huge coal stove and concrete water tub tap still in place. Next Grant went to get the Avis car and we packed up to leave our “The club”. Back he came with the little Peugot. After a bit of trouble with the reverse we were off with a hiss and a roar. Even with the car GPS, the phone GPS and a paper map I fancy we took the long way out of Edinburgh. Managed to fine our way ... read more