This week Dad wanted to return to Ireland to spend time with family & friends in familiar surroundings. So on Monday we caught the ferry over to Dublin from Holyhead leaving Ann Marie to do all the hard work of loading Alton & doing lots of road deliveries & other jobs, THANKS AM I owe you!
We stayed with Auntie Patsy in Killevy near Newry at the foot of Slieve Gullion. This is a wonderful part of the world with great memories for our family & we were made very welcome by the McCarthy Clan who really helped lift our Spirits. We had some good chats & some quiet time to reflect. We visited Mums friends & family and we were made so welcome. We also had a day in Belfast visiting the Harland & Woolf Shipyard (they were amazed when I said. I owned a H&W vessel!) and also had a lunch & a pint in the wonderful Crown Bar.
Today I climbed Slieve Gullion 1880ft in the mist with Dermutt & his dog Buddy unfortunately we didn't get to see much of the amazing view of "Forty Shaded of Green" that I remember from my childhood days. After saying our farewells we managed to get a bite of lunch & a pint of porter in Temple Bar before heading to the docks.
We're now on the ferry back home & hopefully Dad will cope over the next few months getting back into some routine.
We're out delivering with Alton this weekend (Ann Marie has everything loaded & ship shape in my absence), so tomorrow were setting off from Oakgrove (Br49 on the Macc) heading north through Macclesfield, Bollington, Poynton & Marple. Then on Sunday onto the Upper Peak Forest Canal (now that the Strines Aqueduct Stoppage is complete) to Bugsworth & Whaley Bridge.
