A Resting Day and a Walking Day

Finished up the blog from last night (Thursday), loaded the pictures and sent it on its way. Then off to Doctor’s Surgery, the name for a doctor’s office here. I had about a 40 minute wait and was seen by the doctor. I explained my need for omeprazole and she wrote the scrip. Since I am a foreigner, I did have to fill out some paperwork which was simply my name, Northern Ireland address, U.S. address and my age. I was charged 10£ for the appointment. I drove down the hill to the chemist (pharmacy) and filled the prescription with no charge.  No complaints about that!! Socialized medicine at its best…an appointment the day after the call, a 40 minutes wait in the office and no charge for meds!

One thing that is very aggravating to me is that people park on both sides of the street….in both directions. It’s very difficult to know if it’s a one way street when all the cars are parked in the same direction. Today I became Irish…I parked southbound on the northbound side. It is easier to find a spot that way! : )
Back at Murlough House, Bebe had tried to contact Cynthia about our plans for today. Getting a late start would not be good for the scenic route she proposed. While chatting with Bebe and Deirdre, John and Jo Moxen came in. We had a nice visit and they invited Bebe and me for lunch on Sunday complete with Irish directions…”you’ll see a bridge and a pub; don’t go that way.”  He’ll be preaching in Downpatrick so we’ll go at 1:30 or so.
Deirdre had a message for me from Keiron about the template for the next prayer calendar. I need to give him the information for his publications team. I still have a couple of small projects for Alan but I’m kind of taking a few hours off this afternoon.  Some quiet time will be refreshing. My left knee, injured in a fall in December of 2009, has been most uncomfortable for the last week or so. I didn’t mention it to the doctor because I have arthritis meds and some chrondroitin glucosamine. I think I may have twisted it coming down the stairs.
The few hours turned out to be the balance of the day. I fixed a plate for John Brown, and then took a nap. After that I joined Deirdre and Bebe who were also “kicking back”. We’ve had a hard few days! With two refrigerators full of leftovers and a well stocked larder, Bebe went after “take away” for supper…fried chicken and chips.
Deirdre started the meals for the weekend group and then we played games. It’s early to bed tonight…11 pm. Bebe is joining the Kairos cleanup project in Newcastle in the morning and in the afternoon, we are taking a drive with Cynthia. Our original plan has been rerouted since it will probably be too wet and cold for Tollymore Forest tomorrow. Looking forward to someone else driving so I can see all the vistas and landscapes!

Sat…

Up at 8…nine hours sleep! It’s been about seven most nights the last few weeks so the extra really felt good! The guests coming today were expected at ten. The leader arrived at 9 so I helped him rearrange tables and chairs and other things as needed to set up the room. In the meantime the Tesco order arrived so there were groceries to put in the larder….Richard was kind enough to help me with those six or eight crates of food. Deirdre prepared the “arrival tea”.  The morning was spent in serving a later tea and helping with prep work….grating chocolate, whipping cream…simple tasks. Bebe came down at 10:30 for a bit of breakfast before her event in Newcastle at 11.  Nathan arrived just before 12 to help Deirdre finish up lunch and serve and washup. They had carrot soup and an assortment of sandwiches with cheesecake for dessert.  Cynthia called again to reroute our agenda for the day….it’s not raining so let’s go to Tollymore today!!

At Foley's Bridge

Larkin

Bebe was home from Newcastle shortly after one so we were back to Newcastle to meet Cynthia and head for Tollymore.  Cynthia says it is a “magical forest”. We parked the little lavender car (Cynthia’s) and began the walk into the forest passing a small stone home along the lane. Deeper in the forest there was another cottage…perhaps Hansel and Gretel’s?  This forest may have been the place that inspired C.S. Lewis’ visions of Narnia. There are all type of towering trees, some with wispy fernlike leaves, others with berries and the traditional oak. There are trees with massive trunks and twisted limbs that spread out several metres and narrow tall stately evergreens.  One tree, a larken, was very airy and the foliage has turned yellow. You can see it across the forest. There are soft inclines and steep inclines to climb and climb and climb. The Shimna  River runs through the forest and we could hear it most of the time as it tumbled over stones and boulders. There were small tower like structures, perhaps the portals to Narnia, that welcomed us to the forest and Foley’s Bridge dated 1780 further in. It was quiet and peaceful.

Portals of Narnia?

After the arch

There were several people with their dogs. I do believe that eight out of ten Irish folk have a dog and walk it daily! They walk through the Murlough Trust Preserve, in downtown Newcastle, along the sea and in Tollymore Forest. They seem to be everywhere….in fact, in Dundrum there is a tea shop called Paws for Tea which welcomes pets when you pop in for a cuppa’.

A little stone sanctuary on the side of the mountain....

We came to a huge stone that said….STOP Look around and praise the name of Him who made it all.                           And had John 1:3 in the corner. This is quite a testimony in the middle of the forest!  The Azalea walk ended with an archway and opened into another area of the forest.  The Earl of Clannbressel had built a small stone retreat spot called The Hermitage The Hermitage had a small bench inside and a window type opening.

We walked down to the river to see the stepping stones. There is now a fence up at this location as these stones are no longer safe to cross. We began the walk to a second set of stepping stones only to learn that Cynthia was expecting to cross the river on them! Bebe hesitated a bit and I concurred! We should retrace our steps and leave the forest another way. I could see a potential disaster!

We began our way out. Cynthia said we had seen only “a bit” of the forest and missed the waterfall and the gravestone of an early Irish king from about 3000 B.C. But it is a big forest and we were running out of daylight. We were heading for the car. We walked through the overgrown path that got narrower and narrower.  We were pushing back briars and thorns as continued. It was then that Cynthia said “I don’t remember this”. But we pressed on and soon came to a lane that she recognized. It was now nearly dark and we were walking with great care. I was glad that many of the leaves that carpeted the forest floor were yellow. They do show up a bit in the moonlight so it helped a little! I had a torch (flashlight) in the car but didn't think I'd need it as we entered the forest at 1:45!  I was certainly glad I had brought my blackthorn walking stick! It served me well on the ups and downs of the hills and the ups and downs of the irregular stone steps. It was helpful as we stepped over tree roots and around muddy patches.

It was after five when we left the “magical forest”. It had been a beautiful afternoon with no rain and incredible views. I cannot remember the last time I took a 3 ½ hour walk anywhere much less a fantastic forest like Tolleymore! It was wonderful!

From there we went to Maghera for supper at a local pub. They had an “early bird” special…actually about six selections. I think Bebe and Cynthia had Sirloin and Guinness…a steak served on a pastry shell with a sauce of some sort. I had lasagna. Then the dessert menu came…what to have? Apple Crumble and Custard? Blackberry Blackwell Tart? Passion Fruit Brulee? Bitter Lemon Tart? There were other choices but we settled on these...I ordered the blackberry tart but they were out; my second choice was the brulee. All were excellent!!

It was nearly 8:30 when we left Maghera. Bebe and I picked up Little Suzy at Cynthia’s and were home by 8:45. We checked with the Alpha Course group about what time they want breakfast in the morning and retired to our rooms for an early evening. I brought up a pear for my after dinner snack. The pears are from Murlough….ripe and juicy! Yum, triple yum…supper, dessert and fruit!!

Note: On Sunday evening both Bebe and I are feeling the effects of a long walk in the woods...ache, ache, ache.