Have been doodling a bit with acrylic paint recently as an antidote to the stress of commuting and the sundry vicissitudes of life. This image of the Celtic eagle intrigued me and I had a go at reproducing it.

Apparently, in Celtic stories the Eagle (Iolair, Fireun) is a bird noted for wisdom and long life. The eagle represents swiftness, strength, keen sight, and the knowledge of magic. It helps you to see hidden spiritual truths. The bird is considered a bridge between the worlds- this world, earth and water. Birds are also viewed as symbols of bearer of messages.

Buttons Barrels and Bows.

This trio of accomplished musicians gave a wonderful concert of traditional and contemporary folk music in Ballymoney Town Hall on Wednesday the 24th March. Consisting of Caoimhín Ó’Raghallaigh on fiddle/hardanger fiddle,Catherine McEvoy (flute & whistle) & Micheál Ó’Raghallaigh (concertina) the trio kept the full house entertained with two hours worth of music of a very high standard. The hardanger fiddle in particular produced a lovely sound.

To get some more info about Caoimhín Ó’Raghallaigh and his fiddle music have a look here: http://www.stateofchassis.com/

To check what is on in Ballymoney:
http://www.visitballymoney.com/

Email:  townhall@ballymoney.gov.uk

Good citizen vs 'Disaffected yoof'

A couple of Sundays ago whilst walking the dog in glorious sunshine we were greeted by the smell of burning grass as we entered the park. It transpired that a small group of youths were trying to set light to a large patch of undergrowth next to the river. By the time we had arrived at the scene the little twerps were legging it across the level crossing and heading up the town. A public spirited jogger had chased them off and was in the process of extinguishing the fire; cleverly using a large sheet of plywood as a means of smothering the fire. He flipped the sheet of wood over and over and quickly had the fire under control. Mortimer's contribution was limited to tramping on a couple of small flames which were trying to reignite at the edge of the fence. The public spirited runner then jogged off along the fitness towards the forested end of the park next to Trolans.

Didn't have the camera on me at the time so couldn't record the actions or our good citizen but took a snap later to record the small amount of damage done by our 'disaffected yoofs'...

Even the sun is cold....

At least the days are starting to get longer and soon the snow will melt and the warmth return..... please.

Icicles on the coast

It is rare to see water remaining frozen so close the the north channel. It is especially rare to have icicles remaining in situ on the chalk face for such a considerable time.

Might have to change to bright yellow balls!

Our little bit of heaven on the north coast (RPGC) is out of action due to the snow. It is rare for a links course so close to the sea to be out of action or suffering from perma-frozen turf for so long.
The third hole has been using a temporary green for some time as the green staff refurbish the surface. Recently it has been looking lush green and coming along nicely for the new season. At the moment it is like all the rest... frozen.

Sport abandonded because of snow...

The pitches at the Joey Dunlop Centre - Riada Stadium are looking very deserted with the perma-frozen subsoil and a blanket of snow preventing the games going ahead.

The Big Freeze

Old Year - New Year

Another year draws to a close and as always it seems to have been much shorter and passed much more quickly than the preceding ones. My intention to make more of a blogging effort and show the world the delights of Ballymoney and its environs failed miserably this year! The luxury of having time to do all those things I would really like to do will have to wait a while longer as the daily working grind to pay the bills continues. Of course, if I had spent less time ‘on course’ playing golf I might have got a lot more done!

After a very enjoyable Christmas it has been a shock to return to work and do my stint at providing cover; in a very quiet office. It has been necessary to do a bit of ‘surfing’ to alleviate the tedium! As always there is some discovery to be made and at this time of year when we consider our achievements of the past and ambitions for the future it is nice to find words of comfort and inspiration.

The blessing shown below was written by John O’Donohue ( http://www.johnodonohue.com/ ) a poet and philosopher, who lived in Co Clare and sadly passed away in January 2008. His words and deeds live on however and as they seem to have spoken strongly to me, I have taken the liberty of reproducing some of them below.

Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2010…

Beannacht

("Blessing")

On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

And when your eyes
freeze behind
the grey window
and the ghost of loss
gets in to you,
may a flock of colours,
indigo, red, green,
and azure blue
come to awaken in you
a meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
in the currach of thought
and a stain of ocean
blackens beneath you,
may there come across the waters
a path of yellow moonlight
to bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
may the clarity of light be yours,
may the fluency of the ocean be yours,
may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow
wind work these words
of love around you,
an invisible cloak
to mind your life.

~ John O'Donohue ~

(Echoes of Memory)

Snowbound.

Ballymoney is covered in lovely powdery snow at the moment. Not the horrible slushy stuff we normally get!