Chorlton.

So for the past few days I have been bunking in Chorlton. I am terribly lucky of course, to have been so warmly welcomed by a certain Mark Ward, into his home in this lovely suburb of Manchester, where I was finally able to wash my clothes and sleep in a real bed. As much as I love being on the move, it does feel good to be in a house for a bit. And it has been so good catching up with the British-Australians...I really missed their humour.
Tomorrow I am going to go to Leeds for the day, just to see what the craic is. Then it's back down to London for the weekend and off to Cornwall on Monday!

'The Forge'

All I know is a door into the dark.
Outside, old axles and iron hoops rusting;
Inside, the hammered anvil's short-pitched ring,
The unpredictable fantail of sparks
Or hiss when the new shoe toughens in the water.
The anvil must be somewhere in the centre,
Horned as a unicorn, at one end square,
Set there immovable: an altar
Where he expands himself in shape and music.
Sometimes leather-aproned, hairs in his nose,
He leans out on the jamb, recalls a clatter,
Of hoofs where traffic is flashing in rows;
Then grunts and goes in, with slam and a flick
To beat real iron out, to work the bellows.

Seamus Heaney - Door into the Dark, 1969.

Last night I met the most amazing people.
After returning briefly to Ireland in search of the Agnew trace, I went back to Belfast for a night and stayed in a little independent backpacker's called Arnie's. This place was tiny so each person that arrived was welcomed into a small circle of travellers to tell their story. We talked for hours, went out for a drink and talked some more. This morning we parted ways, getting back on the road, somehow better for it all.

Aye pt. II

My time in Scotland was absolutely brilliant – I spent almost two weeks there, exploring the ins and outs of Edinburgh town and touring the highlands with my good friends Anna and Ashley. In Aye pt. I are photos of the Scottish sun, of cafes and pub crawls, and of the charming old town of Scotland's capital. In this blog, Aye pt. II, I would like to share with you the magic of lochs and glens, of the desolate expanse that is Wallace country.

Aye pt. I

The old buildings of Edinburgh.


Edinburgh at dusk.


Chocolate soup nom nom nom.


The Royal Mile.


Barbeques and sunglasses...Scotland's in summer.


Dolly the sheep/ Ash & David in the beer garden.

Éire.

Although it has been quite some time since I left the land of Éire, I would like to share with you some photos of my last days at UCD - of the hidden pathways I discovered, of campus life, and of the surrounding landscape that I miss so much.