No place like home

Good afternoon to you. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you've had a good week. Mr JK and I returned yesterday from a really wonderful week in Ireland. We were staying in Kenmare, a vibrant little town in Kerry. Just two minutes from our door were the most wonderful walks. Have you got your boots on? Come on then, off we go!

Turning right lead down to Kenmare pier, where you could take a boat trip out to see the local wildlife.

We wandered down there on our first morning, and the views across the bay were stunning.

It was so peaceful there, the perfect place to chill out!

Turning left lead to Reenagross Woodland Park. We followed various paths, enjoying a real taste of autumn. Imagine waking up to this view each morning. Bliss!

The air here is so clean - just look at all the lichen growing on this tree!

Looking at all the orangey leaves, it was easy to see that summertime was over.

We drove down to Glengarriff and took the boat over to Ilnacullin. It's a beautiful little island, full of little gems. Here are a selection for you to ooh and aah over!

We drove round the Beara Peninsula one day. My Great Grandfather was born here, and both his parents are buried in Castletownbere. Stunning scenery met us around almost every bend in the road.

I especially love the village of Eyeries, with its brightly coloured houses.

The little church there has the most amazing stained glass windows. You can see more of them in my Flickr photos.

The village of Allihies once had a thriving copper-mining industry. My family lived here at one time.

There were plenty of opportunities for some liquid refreshment!

The Guinness signs are a real work of art!

We saw Dan Foley's Pub in Annascaul, on the Dingle Peninsula. It often appears on postcards from Ireland.

We saw plenty of sheep, both real .......

...... and knitted!!

All the towns and villages were selling beautiful knitwear, so it was somewhat surprising to me that yarn shops seemed to be in such short supply. Luckily, I found Spin a Yarn in Killarney and bought a couple of balls of Noro Silk Garden for my Ten Stitch Blankie.

Mr JK was happy too because we stumbled across a German butcher, so he was able to buy a selection of German sausages and salamis for supper!

The Dingle Peninsula was really beautiful. There were some glorious beaches. Luckily for us, the mist cleared as we were driving round.

The movie, Ryan's Daughter, was filmed on the beach at Inch. It was really windy while we were there, but there were a few hardy souls braving the elements and having a quick dip!

I preferred the view from inside the beach cafe, with a cup of tea and a slice of carrot cake!! Yum yum!!

Another windswept beach was Barley Cove, on the Mizen Head Peninsula. It's been designated as a special area of conservation.

We had the whole beach to ourselves!

Despite the sign, we didn't see any of the little people!

And this rainbow didn't quite lead to the pot of gold we'd been hoping for! Just a 10 Euro win on the lottery!!

I hope you've enjoyed yourself in Ireland! We had a great time. I'll be back very soon to share with you all the knitting I got done. Bye for now. xxx