Ireland

We have had quite a busy time with visitors and travelling.  Spent three days in Dublin last week.  It was sadly wet wet and more wet for the first two days so we took good advice and got tickets for the hop on hop off bus which lasted for 48 hours.  Was the best place to be and the commentary was such a hoot.  The bus drivers even sing to you and we had renditions of Molly Malone and others.  They were very tuneful too. 

One just cannot help but like the Irish people.  They are so welcoming and funny.  No sooner had we gotten off the plane than did an Irishman come and ask us if we needed any help with directions.  We boarded the bus into town from the airport and John determined that we needed to get off at stop No 6.  He says, I guess stop no 6 comes after no 5 and the funny bus driver says in his lovely Irish lilt, well you would be right in tinking tat, but it is Ireland and anything is possible.  We did laugh.

The tour gave a good commentary of all the local sights and after two days of getting on and off we new it almost by heart, but as all the windows were fogged up we did not see a thing.

However what better way to spend a wet afternoon than visit the Guiness Brewery with the tasting bar on the 7th floor at the top.  The internal structure is shaped like a enormous pint glass.  They brew 3 million bottles a day and one bar we visited said they sell 10,000 glasses of the stuff a week.   You are given a chit to have a complimentary glass at the end of your tour - which you need as the tour winds up to the 7th floor en route.  John went back to the bar a couple of times and each time was asked by a tourist if he would like their chit.  Sooo we had a very long but fun session.  Chatted with three different lots of tourists - two sisters from New York, a group from Ireland who were off the see a show and then another older couple of women who has spent the last month driving right round Ireland.  As you can imagine - we did not even feel the cold and wet by the time we got back on the bus.

Conversly we visited St Patricks Cathedral which has a history dating from 1191. The first church was built then when Saint Patrick was said to have baptised converted christians at a well site and then the present cathedral was build in 1191.  The most noted dean was Johathan Swift who wrote Gullivers Travels.

The Trinity College is also in Dublin and this was founded by Elizabeth I.  It is famous for the Book of Kells and it has one of the worlds greatest research libraries.  The main chamber of the long room contains 200,000 of the librarys oldest books.  This original chamber was a chamber with shelves along the bottom only but by the 1850's they were overflowing so they raised the roof to make a vaulted chamber.  It is quite beautiful.  They also house the oldest harp in Ireland. which they predict dates from the 15th cerntury.  The Harp is the national emblem for Ireland.  The library displays research volumes written by early scholars and the perfection and detail of the calligraphic writing and pictures is astounding.

The Book of Kells was written in Latin by the Monks of Iona in Scotland, over 1000 years ago and is lavishly decorated.  It tells the story of the four gospels.  When the monastry at Iona was attacked by Vikings and left 60 monks dead, the Book of Kells was moved to Dublin around 1653 and was housed at Trinity from 1661.

The city has some amazing statues and colums and the main street is very attractive with pleached hornbean trees and a lovely mix of building facades. 

Ryans bar is a famous pub which was recommended for good food and drink so we went there for lunch.  Lovely old timber and lots of character.  We had lunch at Temple Bar the next day.  This was my favourite.  The enclosed outdoor courtyard was just gorgeous with ivy and flowering baskets dripping off the walls.  Lovely teratso tiles and french doors painted in shiny black.  It was so alive with people, laughter and conversation.

We arrived back late Saturday evening and Sunday we joined Michelle McDonnell at Rosemary Alexanders garden in Hampshire.  Michelle has completed a landscape course with Rosemary and contacted her to say she was returning.  Her visit coincided with  Rosemary's garden being open for the National Garden Scheme, so she suggested that we go and help her in the garden.  For those of you who dont know her, she runs a famous design school which has fours arms of possible study.  She herself trained as a lansdscape architect and taught at the Inchball school in London, but thought that was terribly badly run so started her own.  She is in her 70's and is an absolute dynamo.   Her garden is just lovely and clever.  Michelle and I had to assist with the visitors, tie up her sweet peas with blue string and then pick all the gooseberries of three bushes which were groaning with fruit.  Awful things to pick as they are so prickly.   She then took us on a goosechase to visit another garden open  called Kent House,.  This was owned by a very old gentleman but he had stunning roses and quite a lovely wooded garden.

Tuesday of last week was another fantastic adventure.  We visited Highgrove and this would rate as one of the most wonderful gardens I have ever visited.  Prince Charles is actively involved in the on going design, developement and care of this garden and it is truly beautiful.  Sadly we were not allowed to take any photos - the security is very tight and there are cameras all over the property.  You are greeted by a police man who checks your passport for ID both entering and leaving.  He has the cleverest collection of garden areas that meld into one huge landscape.  My favourite was the meadow garden and stumpery.  Stumperies are made up of giant tree roots and are planted out with ferns, hostas and shade loving plants.  They were a Victorian idea and were a measure of how much money you had.  Highgrove has one of the largest collections of giant Hostas in Britain and not one slug whole.  His garden is all organic, and this has been a challenge to get it to the state is is at today with a balanced eco system.  Oops I lied when I said my favourite part were the stumpery and meadow.  It is actually the vegetable pottager.  You enter this under a long arbour of apple trees trained over an arch (on two sides of the garden).  It is so lovely I think it is what Eden is like!!

I will take some pictures from his book to show you. 

Our computer had had a hernia and is not working so are unable to access any photos just yet, but will post asap.

Have the promise of two sunny days this week,  so things are looking better.

Love and hugs to you all

The cook and the gardener.