Autumn is here

We walked in the Cairn Wood this afternoon. A centuries old broadleaf and pine forest not far from where we live. The ground was carpeted with the rich reds and browns of autumn. The kids ran wild, free of everything except their imaginations as sticks became bows, guns and magic wands and every bush and tree was a fort, a ship or a shelter.

Don, Eva and I in the picture



This morning I killed a polar bear in the bathroom. It's so cold you could freeze fish in the shower! The neatly tiled floor looks great but adds nothing to the temperature. The locals are still wandering about like it was summer and just laugh when I'm bundled up trying to keep warm.

Winter will be hell!

We watched the world cup final between England and South Africa at Ben's house on Saturday night. It was really fun to shout and cheer and sing the national anthem and feel all patriotic as we won.

Don and I traveled south of the border this week looking for new business. The Republic of Ireland seems newer and more prosperous with better highways and more energetic people.

The church put on a fantastic fun day for the kids. The abundance of everything is still surprising - food, drink, sweets, icecream etc. They had a great time for two hours while Gill and I went shopping for plates (it wasn't as boring as it sounds).

Black Berries on the beach

Yesterday we went for a walk along the coast line. We started at Ballyhome beach and walked to the next little town. Just over a 5km walk. As we crested one of the rises, we met a man who said we just missed the seals, wish we had seen them. There is a secret beach (so called by the kids) along the way, and we went there and watched them play for a while.

On the way back we stopped at almost every black berry bush and ate and ate. Rachel and Corbin had stains all down their hands and cheeks. I prefer the ones that are not totally ripe yet, but the kids say that they are too sour. It was a gorgeous day under the stark blue sky, feeling the sun on our faces and just being together as a family.

Gillian.