Marty

Happy Sunday, everyone! Today is the shortest day of the year here in Ireland. That's because at 2:00am this morning the clocks were moved forward an hour for the start of Summer Time. So today is only 23 hours long. It's often called British Summer Time, but here in Ireland we usually drop the "British" part for some reason and just call it Summer Time. In fact a good number of Irish people refer to it as New Time - a hang over from when it was first introduced back in 1916. I've not changed my wall clock yet, or the clock in my car, but of course my electronic equipment (smartphone, laptop, and desktop) did it for me behind my back. I'm just happy that the change means I'll be getting an extra hour of light in the evenings. Whereas it was 7:01pm that the sun set yesterday, it will be 8:03pm that it sets this evening (the extra two minutes are the natural increase this time of the year).

1:00am. Off to bed. Good night all! I'll leave you with another song about Derry/Londonderry, sung by Dublin man Luke Kelly (with The Dubliners), but written by Phil Coulter from Derry. [...] Now the army's installed By the old gas yard wall And the damned barbed wire Gets higher and higher. With their tanks and their guns Oh my God what have they done To the town I loved so well? Now the music's gone but they carry on For their spirit's been bruised, never broken They will not forget but their hearts are set On tomorrow and peace once again. [...]

Written in memory of the events of Sunday, January 30th, 1972, when members of the British Army opened fire on a group of unarmed civil rights protesters in the Northern Irish town of Derry/Londonderry, killing 14 civilians. Apparently Bono started writing this with political lyrics condemning the Irish Republican Army (the IRA), a militant group dedicated to getting British troops out of Northern Ireland, but changed them to point out the atrocities of war without taking sides.

Thanks for the memory, Albert! I first saw those when trekking in the Simien Mountains in the Ethiopian Highlands, back in 2012. My guide at the time told me that they are only found at altitudes of over 4,000 metres (about 13,000 feet). They can grow as high as 10 metres (33 feet), and my guide also told me that, before the introduction of eucalyptus to Ethiopia, the stems were often used in the construction of the traditional dwelling houses. I saw them again the following year, when I summited Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. And they are apparently also found on Mount Kenya, in neighbouring Kenya. Although the Tanzanian and Kenyan giant lobelia belong to the same species (Lobelia deckenii), the Ethiopian one is a different species (Lobelia rhyncopetalum). I certainly have photographs of the Ethiopian variety, and think I also have some from Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately, my main photo archive is on a hard drive that I am unable to access just at the moment.

Thanks for the comment, and the like, Geron! Philosophically speaking, though, would it not be true to say that ugliness only really exists inside our minds? And, as for nature doing it better, could it be argued that all things, including both mankind and the dreaded coronavirus, are part of nature? Sorry, just idle musings on my part. Although they make me think of this piece I wrote a number of years ago...

Thanks for the comment, Geron. I'm just hoping the year will end better than it began.

A tough lesson, though... But it's true that often we don't appreciate what we have, until it is taken away from us. But I remain hopeful that we'll get them back eventually.

Hopefully you will, Gary. ❤️ Things will improve. It can't go on like this forever.

And you, Gary.

Agus tú féin, a chara. (And you, my friend.)

Greetings, young Albert!

The latest offering from the Marsh Family is this crazy 18 minute video showing the many times things went wrong during the last year as they attempted to keep the world amused with their various home made videos. But what I really love about it is that, even when one or other of the family members throws a tantrum, never once do they seem to really fall out with each other. ❤️

... and declawed, would make it easier on her herd. Remember the poor lad from the other day with the scars on his bicep.

There are a couple of countries looking at the vet option it seemed like a joke at first but they know how to use a needle I'm reminded of something that one of my teachers at grammar school back in the 1960's once told us about his squadron being vaccinated before being deployed abroad during WWII. When he expressed surprise that he felt no pain whatsoever from the needle when his turn came, the person administering the vaccine replied "Well, I'm a veterinary surgeon. My usual patients have a tendency to kick or bite me if I hurt them with the needle."

And Cod loves a trier!

It's not showing up on my screen, Albert... I just get the following: DSCN2870.JPG?psid=1&width=624&height=831 Kauai

Well, it's after 1:00am here, so I reckon I should head to bed. Good night, all. The following song was played a while back on one of the Irish radio stations I like to listen to late at night, and some of the lyrics made me think of what we have all had to put up with for the past twelve months. So I thought I'd share it with you. We're sailing on a strange boat Heading for a strange shore We're sailing on a strange boat Heading for a strange shore Carrying the strangest cargo That was ever hauled aboard

And I humbly thank you for those kind words, Gary.

He has that. I've know him since before he could even talk. It's been a privilege to have been part of his life and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he has become.

Well all good things must come to an end, and here's my final offering in my challenge to take and upload a new black-and-white/monochrome photograph every week for 52 weeks. It shows the damage done by years of unchecked growth of ivy and Russian vine to one of the two stone sheds in my lower garden. The next challenge is unlikely to start until the camera club is able to hold its meetings in person again, which won't happen until later in the summer/autumn at the earliest. However, I do have an inkling of an idea that may enable me to continue delighting (annoying?) you all with a new photograph every Friday until the new 52/52 challenge starts...

Hi there, Page. He's no longer a little fellow. Although he has grown up to be a very handsome man, I suspect he would be mortified to be called cute these days...

I have a home made beef stew slowly simmering on the stove. It's filling the kitchen with a heavenly aroma, and I'm looking forward to when it's ready.

Here's a photo I took thirteen years ago today of a friend's son on a visit to an eagle sanctuary not too far from where we live. That young lad, who is the older brother of one of my two "male strippers", is now 22 years old. The family is part of my social bubble under the current Covid-19 restrictions here in Ireland. Webpage of the eagle sanctuary: http://eaglesflying.com/

Indeed.... And the likes of Zoom and WhatsApp, whilst possibly helping, are not really a substitute for the real thing.

Great news!