Month: March 2025

Donaghadee, again!

~ Ashley ~ 25 Comments

There is something about this County Down seaside town that keeps drawing us back! Perhaps it’s the history with its connections to Scotland, perhaps it’s just a great place to visit with its variety of little shops and places to eat; my wife’s Scottish DNA may have something to do with it! Whatever it is, we’re back again, this time for a couple of days. We stayed at a wonderful location, right on the front:

Five Star Luxury – Sleep by the Sea

We were able to find out about One Shore Street through the TrekNI website:

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I’m not a historian but here are some things that might interest readers with history on their minds:

There is an Anglo-Norman motte from the 12th century. It must have been great defensive site. There has been a permanent RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) station here since 1910. Grace Neill’s bar has been in existence since the 17th century although it began under a different name. We had a wonderful meal there. Here is a link to its website:

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Here are a few photos from our short visit to Donaghadee:

We chose to walk along the path south towards Millisle. Looking back to the lighthouse was a completely different view. We met and chatted to lots of friendly people, many with dogs getting their daily exercise.

Perhaps this is where we should have returned to, 20 years ago! On our day of leaving, the temperature dropped and it felt like winter once again (come on Spring!) Nevertheless, what a great visit.

Ashley

James Gillray: Kick-About #128

~ Ashley ~ 33 Comments

This was something I’d never have considered, that is, drawing a caricature of a current figure in the news! So, head on over to Phil Gomm’s Kick-About by clicking on the link below to see what the other Kick-Abouters have been doing.

The Kick-About #128 ‘James Gillray’

James Gillray was a British caricaturist during the 1800’s. His etchings of the political life of the period are hugely important, he has been dubbed the “father of political cartoons”. For further information go to:

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/James_Gillray

Here are my caricatures:

The Emperor’s New Clothes

The Emperor’s New Throne

We all know who they are!

Ashley

Spring Equinox 2025

~ Ashley ~ 42 Comments

A country lane,
The hedgerow filled with birdsong;
What do they know?

Yesterday, as I took my morning walk, it was so cold I had to wear my hat, and my gloves.  The cold didn’t seem to bother the birds in the hedgerows though.

The Spring Equinox falls today, Thursday 20th March.  It signifies that both day and night are of equal length and it is sometimes seen as the first day of spring, although if the ancient calendar is followed then spring began at the start of February.  Confused?  Yes, the cyclical seasons have certainly changed since ancient times!  And so have we, with all our technology!

However, let’s not get bogged down in technology but instead think about why the ancients celebrated this day!  Day and night are of equal length, so light and dark are balanced.  We can also imagine that the inner and outer worlds are stable, that is, the conscious and the unconscious realms.  What about looking forward and backward with a balanced view?

What a great opportunity to celebrate and think of these things before summer activities take over our frenetic lives.






Ashley