Is it three weeks already?

We finally managed our first joint cycle ride – about 6 miles around the local roads – sure we will manage longer trips over the next few weeks. Have just learned about to the Tour de Burren in June (10k, 60k and 160k routes) - not sure which one to try yet but a definite incentive to start some serious training.

I will need to keep up the cycling and walking to counteract the Guinness and soda bread and Linda’s enthusiasm for baking scones which are hard to resist.

Think I am getting the hang of the peat stove – have managed substantially more heat than smoke over the last week!

Stopped at the supermarket on the way home today and amused by the sight of a neighbour parking his tractor in the car park while he nipped in for his groceries. Like the sign above a local shopfront which says “Nagles – Bar – Undertakers” there are constant reminders that life here is very different from EC2.

We have four 5ft 6in doorways in the cottage which are proving a bit of a challenge – remember to duck most of the time but not always. Made me wonder if they made the doorways small because the people were shorter or was it a design/materials issue and the people grew smaller over generations of bumping their heads?

The grass in the paddock is disappearing at a surprising rate – and generating plenty of fertilizer for the vegetable patch as well. Clearly will have to make it bigger to utilise the available material!