Happy New Year!

Happy 2011 to all,may it be healthy,peaceful and productive!

Seasons Greetings 2010!

Wishing everyone out there a very happy Christmas and New Year,stay safe and warm!

Snow

This is what I had to walk through for around 20mins.yesterday from home to the hairdressers to get a haircut and colour for Christmas!More snow due to us during tonight/tomorrow Mon. I think people are generally fed up of the white stuff now as it is curtailing activities everywhere.

On a more tragic note a young girl died here yesterday while sledding down a steep hill and crashed into a large tree which killed her instantly,freinds who were with her survived with injuries and are hospitalised.

Spirit of Christmas

The Spirit of Christmas festival is held in Cork City on an annual basis and is really drawing the crowds! The crisp cold air and snow and frost has only added to the atmosphere too. Here the Presentation Secondary School Choir joined our local soprano Cara O Sullivan for carol singing on the Grand Parade. The choir recently won the All Ireland School Choir competition in Belfast.

It was getting dark when I arrived so photos are not great though they get better further down the post!




Inside the Santa Village with a snow machine causing the flurries of snow to fall!
These Moose look real I think!
Inside the Santa Village!

Night sky over Cork on the Grand Parade during the Spirit of Christmas fest which brought people from far and wide to visit the open air markets and food stalls on the street.
This the known as the "counting house" of the now closed Beamish and Crawford Brewery which has been transformed into a Santa Village for the season. The house itself is a Tudor style and really lends itself to the Christmas theme I think as it is like something from the Dickens era! Admission to the "village" is 2 euros with free lollipops! and lots of photo ops.!

Walking in the sunshine!

Today I took advantage of lovely blue skies and sunshine to get out for my walk which I have missed these past two days owing to freezing temps.and icy footpaths which are hard to see in the dark,which is the usual time I manage to get out!

The little girl I mind was at home sick so that gave me a free morning to stretch my legs and excercise! The temperature is due to fall to -8 tonight with rain and wind forecast too so we can expect slippery surfaces tomorrow! We are not as badly off as the east of the country though as snow is falling fairly heavily there and all sorts of problems are being caused to transport both land and air.It used to be that rain and wind was the bane of our lives here in Ireland but now I would take the rain anyday,at least we can get out and travel around!At least the local councils seem to have the gritting and salting of main roads under control so all is not lost.

Patches of ice and snow still lingering during the day.
This is the Lough a lovely place to walk around and this morning it was mostly frozen over though not as much as last year when skaters took their lives in their hands and skated on the surface!See photos from last January on my side bar!
Sorry for the blurry picture!
It pays to obey the signs!
Spotted these geysers/fountain type things this morning,must be to keep the water flowing for the birds like a kind of oasis for them in the frozen waters!



The Christmas Crib waiting to be unveiled where it will be complete with the full size figures and lighting.