An easy start to the boating year

Finally coming up for air after juggling elderly parents and brochure creation for the Mountshannon Festival (now there's an image). I should give the festival its full name - Iniscealtra Festival of Arts, so you can look it up.

It's because of these two factors that Winter Solstice is still in Terryglass - this and the weather. We plan to be in Mountshannon for the festival which starts on 26 May, so are working slowly down the lake. The plan was to move the boat to Portumna last Monday with the parents on board, but the weather was like this:

'Like what?' you say. 'What's the fuss, the sun's shining?' But look at the brown water and the wet quay. Five minutes before, the spray was arching over the wall into the inner harbour as a squall passed over, and white horses were riding themselves into a frenzy.

Maybe you can see it here.

 No? Then you'll have to take my word for how wild it was.

The week before it was windy too, but not as bad as this. We were in Terryglass having made the big trip from Portumna - above the bridge, mind, not just Castle Harbour. As we waited for the 3pm opening a boat came round the bend up river, almost late for the bridge. It came behind us into Terryglass, a big Silverline hire boat, and on board were Tina and Willie who came and introduced themselves. They read this blog! So hello Tina and Willie, it was good to meet you.

We didn't move out of the harbour after that. How bad is that? This is the difference having bikes on board makes. We can get our fun cycling round the countryside. There was plenty of music too in the village - session on Friday night and dancing on Friday and Saturday. I suddenly saw the point of country music - you can jive to it. Joe had practiced this for his birthday party but hadn't done any since. We managed an approximation.

So the next stop will probably be Portumna, then a steady wend south to Mountshannon. Then who knows where we'll go for the summer.