One Week

Welcome to a week in the life of a European traveller!  I caution you now, dear reader...this is not an entry for the faint of heart...or the short of attention span.  Actually, this is going to be a fairly photo-light post, so I thought I`d share with you all (mainly in words) what my week's been like.  I warn you...I'm preparing for one of the exciting bits of my travels (two more weeks until the Mediterranean with Irene...Woohoo!), so much of this week has been very mundane preparation for that.  As if that wasn't bad enough, my camera batteries died part-way through the week and I haven't managed (read remembered) to get new ones...so you'll have to use your fertile imaginations while I put in filler photos.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

And now, for the two people who haven't given up and stopped reading...here it is:

My Week in Omagh

Monday
Monday began early and chilly, with a bowl of cereal and a ride to the Centre for Migration Studies with Johanne.  I usually travel in there with her most days, to do a little informal volunteering at the Centre (I'm transcribing 100-year old letters...it's really interesting, totally geeky and actually a lot of fun), take part in numerous tea breaks, and get in my daily walks around the Ulster American Folk Park (both around the inside of the Park itself, and literally around it's outer perimeter, which is a lovely walk in itself).  If I'm going to walk 798 kms through Spain (which I've promised Jana and Angie I will), I figure I need to build in as many daily walks as possible...and where better than the lovely Tyrone countryside?

Of course, by about 10, it looked like all my plans were going to come to naught, after a surprise visit from an old friend from back home:

Yes folks, that is indeed snow!  In fact, there were some of the largest snowflakes (or clusters of flakes) that I have ever seen...about the size of toutons!  Things were looking bad for my walking regime...fortunately, the snow stopped about 10 minutes later.  And by the time I went walking with Centre librarian, pace-setter and walking-mate Christine, things looked pretty much like this:

Of course, Monday is double Coronation Street night, so after a meal of pasta leftovers (mmm...pesto), Johanne and I settled in for part of our weekly fix...those of you back home can only imagine how crazy things have gotten on the Street!

Tuesday
Johanne heads for Belfast for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so I catch a ride with Christine.... My day was supposed to include a play about the hiring fairs...but instead included a vast number of power outages, flickering lights, and cups of tea or coffee quickly grabbed while the kettle was hot.  I still managed a blustery walk, however, and even managed to write a few handwritten letters...proof that letter writing is not a completely dead art (although with the cost of postage, I'm starting to consider whether I might just hand deliver most of my correspondence). I also managed to make some time for my new favourite game, Where's Eric?  He's the donkey, for those of you playing along at home.  Care to take a stab at it?  Ok, look closely...

Got him yet?  No?  Let me give you a little hint...

There he is!  So much harder to spot than that silly Waldo, with his colourful scarf!

Not that exciting a day really, (unless you consider the ability to cook supper exciting, which I did...yay electricity!), but it did culminate in my guiltiest of pleasures (alas, now finished), Big Fat Gypsy Weddings on Channel 4...oh, and a few wonderful Skype conversations!  And a torrent of rain just as I was preparing to put the bin out for garbage day on Wednesday...why is it that the heavens always open up just as you commit to bringing the garbage from the backyard to the front?

Wednesday
Really?  We're only at Wednesday?  I think I may have to cut things a little shorter for the rest of the week.  Fortunately, we're pretty much at where my camera died...so with one exception, it's only words from here on out! Also fortunately (probably for you), Wednesday was a lot like Monday, without the snow and with glorious, wonderful sunshine...so cast your memory and imagination back....

Wednesday night I got a lift to Marks and Spencer in Omagh (I spend so much time there, I sort of feel like it might deserve a link on my 'places I've been' page...what do you think?), and walked home feeling as if spring were finally springing about!  What a difference the sun can make!  Here's a couple of shots from my walk home (and it IS the Catholic church...and it's not that I'm obsessed with it...this part of the walk just offers the best view of the skyline):

The photos don't quite do it justice...it's just at sunset, with bright blue sky and pinkish-red clouds glowing...again, not a recommendation for my camera.

Thursday
And repeat of Wednesday...with slightly less sun (but still nice), goodbyes to Christine (off for a week in France), and one episode of Corrie (violence on the Street!).

Friday
Cleaning day!  No, seriously!  Johanne has graciously invited me to stay with her, and asked very little (actually, nothing) in return...so I try to help out little ways, like feeding the birds when she's not here (the backyard has the best-fed robins in Ireland), doing the dishes and buying the odd treat or bottle of wine.  So, Friday was my day to really try to give back a bit.  And prepare for my upcoming cruise, lest you think me a selfless saint in all of this.  My day began quite early when the radio downstairs turned itself on (it has a habit of doing that, from time to time...apparently a manufacturing defect), but I managed a little lie-in before multiple loads of laundry, floor scrubbing, house vaccuming, bird feeding, bathroom cleaning, mirror and window wiping and fireplace de-ashing.  It felt AMAZING to actually accomplish so much, and I still had time for yoga and bag-packing...yep, I've still got two weeks to go, but my cruise luggage is packed and sitting on the floor of my (very clean) room.  After all of that, it was time for pizza, wine, crisps and Coronation Street (two episodes...what better way to spend a Friday night).  Sadly, there are no photos. Which means Mom will never believe that the cleaning took place. 

Saturday
We're on the home stretch now!  Anyone still with me?  Hello?  Hmm...am detecting the faint sound of crickets...which leads nicely to the frog I saw, sitting in the shade on the sidewalk, just before the police station.  I had a lovely walk through town, past the street of churches, around to look at shoes in all the shoe stores (I'm a hopeless case, what can I say...at least I didn't buy any), into the Superchem (or one of those chain drugstores...not Boots, though) where I got sun block and travel toilletries, and back home past the hellfire and damnation preachers who congregate each Saturday with a loudspeaker and leaflets, to preach the virtues of accepting God into our lives, and the dangers of hell we unbelievers face.  With batteries, I will attempt a video next week. 

Sunday
And today began with the low rumble of voices from the kitchen at three...which I ignored.  By five, however, the voices had turned into Alison Krauss singing, and I was beginning to sing along, so I trudged down to turn off the phantom radio.  At 7, Johanne trudged down to turn it off again.  By two this afternoon, it was surprising me with a random sports report in the middle of my yoga routine.   Its volume is now so low, it can play away all night if it wants to...which of course it won't...because that would cause us no bother at all.  And here I am...after a day of reading, writing and a documentary on the history of Ireland, I'm posting this and hitting the hay.  Goodnight folks!  I'll see you all next week...there'll be less talking and more images then, I promise.

-K-

Of Sheep and (Wo)men...

Thanks for all the get-well wishes!  I'm happy to report that I am once again hale and hearty, and back to wandering the streets and fields of County Tyrone! I'm continuing to take things fairly easy and walk as much as I can, in preparation for the Camino trek in May (think of this as sort of a Kate-in-training phase).  I can't believe how quickly time is passing--another three weeks, and it's goodbye Northern Ireland, buenos dias Barcelona!  It's amazing the changes since I first got here--it's now noticeably brighter in the evenings (we're gaining four minutes a day!), the grass is growing (and in some cases being mowed) and the first buds and flowers are starting to appear.  The public flower boxes in Omagh are already sporting pansies, but I thought I'd share a self-portrait of me (we had huge rains the day before), and a shot of these spring buds, taken on Monday during a glorious sunny walk:

In keeping with my livestock obsession, I've also got a candid sheep shot, with them sheltering from the rains that arrived later in the week (and wondering why the heck I'm interrupting their rest):

And here`s one of me that same day, umbrella in hand.  Check out my snazzy new walking shoes!  I'm sort of loving the shoe sales here!

On Friday I went with some friends to the Strule Arts Centre to see Ballet Theatre UK's production of Cinderella.  Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take photos in the Centre (there was also an amazing textile art exhibition and about a million little girls with their mothers, dressed as princesses complete with tiaras), so you'll have to make do with a shot of the outside of the centre and our tickets instead:

And I'll leave you with a shot of my exciting parcel from home, which I received yesterday morning.  Thanks Mom!  I've got a round of postcards and letters in the mail- let me know if you receive one (it'll be interesting to see how long they take).  Stay tuned next week for the long-promised Ballymena field trip photos, my version of Where's Waldo with Eric the donkey and hopefully a shot of the cutest mini-goat I've ever seen (if I can get the little creep to come close enough to get a good photo).  If you've got any requests, drop me a line!

-K-

The Best-Laid Schemes...

Welcome back!

So, today's post was supposed to outline my wonderful trip to Ballymena to see Gracehill Moravian Mission, the Braid Museum and Arts Centre and the first blooming snowdrops of the season, but then life happened.  I caught a cold and hacking cough from one of my Ballymena trip-mates, and spent a few days in my fleecy robe and Labrador slippers in pretty much this position:

And so I didn't manage to obtain copies of the trip group photos (not taken on my camera), or do pretty much anything else, for a number of days.  I promise a full account of the day's activities, along with photographic proof that I have indeed travelled beyond Omagh, next week.  To make up for this failure, I've included a few more than 5 pictures, and I've added a "places I've visited" page to this blog, with links to any notable spots.  Why not check it out and do a virtual tour?

Before getting sick (or at least, admitting that I was sick enough to stay home in bed), I did manage to do a little bit of wandering around the area, photographing sheep, signs, and sights around County Tyrone (not necessarily in that order):*

*To Geoillogical Guy: in honour of your Vampire-Weekend-filled car trips, I've tossed an Oxford Comma into that last sentence for you.

Kate's Wonder Tour begins in Town Centre, Omagh, which is a short walk from where I'm staying with my lovely hostess (and history-geek enabler) Johanne.  The first shot is of me on the walk in, looking out over the lovely Sperrins (the hills in the background).  It's a self-portrait.  Enough said.

Garden of Light

 Above is a picture I took of part of the memorial to the people who lost their lives in the 1998 bomb attack.  Wikipedia has a pretty good article, if you're interested in learning a bit more about it.  The names of the victims are inscribed on the low wall in the background, and the mirrors reflect light towards the site of bombing in the centre of town, and in the wading pool in the foreground.  There have been a number of security alerts of late in Northern Ireland, so this seemed particularly poignant and relevant, somehow.

On a lighter note, I discovered the following two signs around Omagh, and thought their opposition was too humourous to pass up.  I'm holding out for one that says the water's just right:

Omagh town centre is quite beautiful, and I hope to do it justice in photographs in a few subsequent posts, but I'll finish the town section of the blog with a few night shots, taken on my way home from Marks and Spencer with a bag of groceries...and wine.  I do love being able to buy my salad greens and a nice Italian red two aisles from each other in the same store. My apologies for the quality: with the flash, everything became dark.  Without it, my auto-focus doesn't work.  That's what I get for cheaping out when I bought my camera!

Omagh at Night: This is the worst picture I will post, I promise!

I'm pretty sure this is the Catholic church

On Saturday I went to the Centre for Migration Studies at the Ulster American Folk Park to hear a really interesting lecture on identity and sectarianism (which I'm not going to tell you about, but search for 'Marianne Elliott' and her work if you'd like to know more).  I took the opportunity (between rain showers) of taking a photo of sheep from the front entrance of the Folk Park: 

And lest you think that you'd escaped with only one photo of fauna, back by popular demand are my Folk Park buddies, Eric and Allie. It's from a few weeks ago (when we had a lot of frost), but I couldn't keep their fans waiting. I'll leave you with a goodbye from them and from me.  See you next week!

-K-

Another Link in the Chain

This blog started as part of a bargain made with my cousin Sarah to share 5 pictures a week from our lives.  Check out Sarah's blog with her 5 weekly pictures at the following address:
http://nocuz.blogspot.com/

-K-

The First Sunday

Well, here it is-my first official blog post.  Given that I've been in Northern Ireland for exactly a month, I guess it's about time!  Thanks to encouragement (and threats and pointed comments) from various relatives that will remain nameless (*cough* Sarah *cough*), I've decided to post a weekly update on my travels each Sunday, featuring five photos that (hopefully) capture what I've been up to all week long.  This way, none of you get inundated with boring, minute-by-minute accounts of what I'm doing, and I get to spend my time actually travelling, instead of blogging about it.  Everyone's a winner!

As I've got a bit of time to catch up on, these first 5 photos range from the eve of my departure in St. John's to the end of January in Omagh, where I've mainly been quietly exploring, taking lots of nice walks and coping with the phenomenon known as freezing fog.  Enjoy!

Oh, and if you'd like to join in and share some photos of your weekly adventures with me (there's no backing out now, Cuz!), please post a link in the comments, or email a snapshot or 5 and I'll try to get them up here too!

-K-

Disclaimer: I've been obsessively photographing sheep.  This obsession may dominate upcoming posts.  Oh, and the photo below? Not an optical illusion...the sheep really is on top of there.

Also, the following photos all had much longer captions in an earlier draft of this post.  Then blogger became possessed by some evil spirit, and after fiddling with them for an hour, I am ungraciously accepting defeat and posting as-is.  Once I've had a bit of a computer exorcism, I hope the next post will be slightly more informative.  And now to return you to regularly scheduled programming:

Sibling time en route to the mall

 

Best $4 ever spent at the mall!

A frosty day outside the Ulster American Folk Park

Lunch Time- County Tyrone

My donkey and horse friends, Eric and Allie (he's there, look closely)