Shelagh loves the quad - Minty not keen but doesn't like to be left out so runs along side.
D and his sister Fiona - aint they sweet??
Me being summoned back from the top field for lunch - I was tired so accepted the lift!!
The dogs have taken to playing footie - like proper English girls! They bark and bark until someone kicks the ball for them.
A posed photoshoot - it looks as though we're in Romania or somewhere!! We just need a donkey and a headscarf.....
I seem to have clicked into "Irish time" now after a few days here. The cough and sore throat is not as bad and I'm happier to laze around. But then again, who wouldn't be with weather like this? I hope it's as good back in the UK.
D's sister and her husband came over from Cork last night so we went to the pub with them and had a good chinwag, hence a bit of a hangover this morning. But did I let it deter me from exercise?? Well, yes, it definitely did deter me but I managed to get through the barrier by 11am! The rest of them were shaping up for one of those frustrating mornings of hanging around doing not very much so I just headed out with no clear idea of where I was going.
I dimly remembered a walk on Bree Hill being nice a few years ago and had spotted a sign for Bree yesterday so that became the plan. It's a bit of a nightmare cycling round here - only 1 in 10 road junctions have any signage at all and even those signs are not what you'd call reliable! So, I tend to navigate by "feel" and by occasional sightings of Vinegar Hill in the distance! It's a method that's not let me down yet....
Bree Hill is a big forestry covered hilltop behind a village about 8km from D's parents place. The roads were terrible, really potholey and windy so tricky traffic at times but that's what bright colours and mountain bike tyres are for. The road wound gradually uphill til I reached the village then plunged dramatically vertically upwards once in the Forestry. It was tough man, tough I tells ya! So much so that when I got to the middle of the forest and the peak (no view - huh!) I literally dropped the bike and collapsed onto the mossy dry leaves, chest heaving and panted for about 10 minutes!!
But once on top things improved. there were loads of unofficial mountain bike trails and jumps so I had a great time hooning around for 30 minutes or so and then an even better time whizzing down the other side of the hill. What a great downhill!! Then I meandered my way back via another couple of local villages, taking in the sights and sounds and taking a few pics on my phone. (I can't upload them here though as I didn't bring my phone lead!!)
The downside to adjusting to "Irish time" is that I've also adjusted my food intake! The portions have crept up in size and pudding is being had! I've tried to curb it to today but still feel like I've eaten too much. So, that's is tomorrow's target - re-adjust to "normal" portions!
Apart from that, it's been mucking around on the quad bike - honestly I think we look like we're auditioning for an Irish version of the Beverley Hillbillies! - lazing on the lawn, reading, snoozing and playing football with the dogs. What a great Saturday.
There is also lowlevel but constant anxiety about tomorrow's Steel City Derby between Sheffield Wednesday (my team) and Sheffield United. I'm gutted to be missing it as it'll be the biggest game of our season with a gate of over 35,000. It's also crucial that Wednesday wins as we're in the relegation zone with only 3 games left. Prayers and finegrs crossed for us please!!
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