Summer colour

Well we haven't really had a summer this year but the flowers are still trying their best to put on a show.

The cornflower and wild flowers at the front gate have been great so I'm going to put them in three raised beds I have built next season, the colour has gone on for a good couple of months and I'll try and stagger early season bulbs like dafs and then the wild flower mix later in the season.

Got a trailer load of good soil from the garden centre at Moycullin the other day it was meant to be a ton but I think it was more like 2 tons, no complaints right enough.

John has been up visiting and helped make the rockery in the second photo from the bottom. My next helper arrives tomorrow afternoon for a few weeks then George and the clan descend on us for Angies birthday.

Omey horse races

Ian, Robbie, Angie, Gus and I were at the races yesterday, not the glamorous Galway Race meet where you have to don your best Sunday clobber this was at the Omey races. Omey is a tidal island located near Claddaghduff, a few miles from Clifden, in the western edge of Connemara. There is a route across the sand to the island and, at high tide, the water is deep enough to cover a car. The horse racing takes place on the beach and if the weather is good it would be a magic day out, yesterday the weather was anything but good but it was still well worth a visit even though we got soaked.

Angie won the first race after backing the favourite she took away €1.25 in profit my horse came second but seeing there were only three horses in the first race that's the same as coming second last. Anyway I,m not complaining as I won €100.

Will definitely go to Omey Races again if the weather is nice next year.

The day before we had a trip to Cong via Maam cross through Joyces Country a region in counties Galway and Mayo in Ireland. There are about 2,000 people living in the area. About 25% are native Irish speakers, in my part of connemara about 85% are native Irish speakers.
 Joyce Country lies west of the Lough Mask area, beyond the isthmus; a hilly region in the north of County Galway, extending into the southern part of County Mayo, traversed by green valleys and lonely roads which takes its name from a Norman Welsh family who settled here in the 13th century during the reign of Edward I. Many people with the name Joyce still live there. The writer James Joyce carries the family name. Infact we were laughing away as we drove through the area as every sign was like Joyces hardwear or Joyces garage or Paddy Joyce solicitors.

The weather has been pretty dreich for my wee sisters visit although we did manage out on the yacht for a fish the first day they were here, kids caught about 25 mackerel all in.