Wonderful Wicklow

In the three or four years immediately prior to going to America Marguerite and Jude would take a trip to County Wicklow for a few days each summer, just to chill out, relax and enjoy the beauty of the Irish countryside.  So they have ranted and raved about it sooooo much that Marguerite Snr, Emma and David decided to come along this year (and Ben too) - just to see what all the fuss was about.







The wee spot they always stay in is Glendalough.  It's stuck very nicely in the middle of the Wicklow mountains ........













...... but while getting there you should be mindful of the need to avoid the sheep who may be taking a leisurely stroll among the joggers. 

You could say this is a classic Irish scene!












Soon enough Marguerite, Jude, Ben, Marguerite Snr, Emma and David had arrived in Glendalough.  Jude quickly whisked everyone away on one of his famous 'it's just around the corner' walks.  Jude had become notorious for taking folk on walks when they came to Boston.  He would say a walk is only going to a few hundred yards and it ends up being maybe four or five miles and folk end up complaining of aching limbs, tiredness, dehydration and the like. 'It's just around the corner', is what he would say continuously until he reaches the destination.   



Jude loves signs like this because it means folk need to get out and walk. 














They may not have realized it at the time but Jude always did this for the benefit of the visitor because, as he insists, it helped ensure they had a great holiday and they got to see as much as possible.  On one walk in Boston Michael Snr had to purchase a new pairs of soft shoes halfway through before cancelling plans for that evening citing tiredness, while on another walk Charlene eventually refused to go any further having been marched around the black heritage trail in Boston.





Ben what do you think of Dada's walks?















'They're Magic Dada', is what Ben thinks ...... even if he can't quite say it yet!















Eventually ....... just as they were all moaning and complaining about how they were about to keel over ....... they did indeed turn that last corner and got to their destination .......












 ......... beautiful Glendalough with it's fascinating history ......

........ and it's wonderful scenery.

Jude wasted no time in getting his feet wet and was pleasantly surprised to find the water nice and warm (for Irish standards that is).












Here he is skimming stones on the water.  This is an ancient pastime which folk like Jude, who grew up near the coast, grow to be quite the experts at (well so he thinks).


















'He's nuts, he's definitely nuts, we're not walking another foot, not one more step', said the three ladies. 

Oh yeah....... who do you think has the coolest sunglasses?











Ben wanted a go in the water too, so in he got .....
















........ and laughed as he splashed away as happy as could be.














Emma decided to dive into ..... the wa, wa, wa, wa .... the photos ....... but sadly for her this punter kept getting in the way.













However she did get into this one ........ and what a nice wee pic that is of Emma and David.














Meanwhile Ben is over at the water's edge checking out the ducks .......














..... and singing a song to his auld Dada.




 




 







Time for a nice group pic at the water's edge.
















'I'm his Auntie'.  'But I'm his Mother'. 'So what ..... I'm his Auntie'.

Ben's so popular Emma and Marguerite both want too hold him at the same time!











Jude, David, Marguerite, Emma, Marguerite and Ben enjoy their wee trip to the lake at Glendalough.














'Hey, let's get some ice cream', said Marguerite.















And very yummy it was too!!
















Glendalough is full of cool wee footpaths for dandering along .....















 ...... like this one.















So they dandered back through Glendalough and made their way back to the monuments and ruins. 













Seriously folks ........ if you are ever in Ireland you should consider a visit here.  It is just one hour south of Dublin and it's the most beautiful countryside ever.













Glendalough is the site of an early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th Century by St. Kevin.   Here the gang has a rummage around St. Kevin's church.












Marguerite and Emma enjoy the history of the place.














While Marguerite Snr checks out the Cathedral ruins.  This cathedral building dates back to the 10th Century ....... now that's a long time ago folks!













Marguerite and Jude have a wee seat with St. Kevin's church in the background.














Probably the most well known image in Glendalough is the Round Tower.  These were used as many things back in the day, for example, lookouts, storage and places of refuge, among other things.


 
 





 
  
Moments later .......















....... the gang were having a good auld giggle at the Irish Mother's Letter table cloth.














The three Crossan ladies strike a pose at the Glendalough bridge.

Wha?  You can only see two.

Look a little closer!










Marguerite, Emma, David, Marguerite, Jude and Ben all enjoy the craic in County Wicklow.















'Jude, thanks for taking us there today, it was great', said Emma ..... even if it did mean she walked further today than she has done in years.













Before long the gang were back in their wee cottage in Laragh.  Here is Ben getting settled into that wee chair there.













And having fun in the sun at the cottage are: David, Marguerite, Marguerite Snr and Emma.  










 



Meanwhile Jude is busy flying Ben's kite in the gorgeous weather.















Ben just loves watching that kite fly. Here he is sitting in the doorway watching.














Emma has fired up the BBQ.  Spot the wooden beam placed across the table to protect the table from burning.  














It was no bother to Emma - soon she had the BBQ cooking away great.















Ben multitasking - he's holding the pram umbrella while sleeping.














But he did not sleep for long as he quickly woke up and began playing a fun game of Peek-A-Boo from behind this wee blue blanket.

















'Left a bit, right a bit ..... ahhh Mummy, that's great', said young Marguerite as she got pampered / spoilt by her Mum.













Meanwhile Ben's also getting spoilt with hugs and kisses.














Ben's favourite books are 'The Cat in the Hat' and 'Do you like Green Eggs and Ham', both by Dr Seuss. Oh and he like 'Make way for Ducklings' too, loves that one.  Say a line from either book at any time and Ben eyes light up.

Here he is about to settle down for the night.










The next day the gang were up nice and breezy and headed into Blessington to the outdoor activities Centre.   Here are David, Emma, Marguerite and Jude as they prepared for some Kayaking.


 
 








Watching Marguerite and Emma get into their Kayaks was like watching an episode of 'Two Broke Girls' as they were more interested in their nail varnish and shoes than just getting into the Kayak.











Eventually they made it ....... and off they sailed.
















Marguerite and Ben watched from the wings.















Just as they were about 20 yards away from thon white boat Marguerite and Emma announced, 'Ok, let's have a race to the white boat'.

Chancers!












Kayaking on Blessington lakes ....... nice!















Ben liked the look of this auld kayaking lark and so he had a wee go himself ........ on dry land of course!













'Ahhhh, this sand is great', was what Ben may have been thinking here while Marguerite sat on the cool tree bench minding him.  Sitting on the tree bench was easy for some and not so easy .......












......... for others.    








 


     
   


After the kayaking there was just about enough time to squeeze in a wee visit to the farm animals. 














Ben loved the animals at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston so when there are animals around Ben will always be taken over for a wee nosey.













Next stop in Blessington was a game at the cool wee Pitch and Putt course.   Here is Marguerite about to launch her first swing.













'Can we sit over here on the grass well away from the golfers? Ben may have been asking. 

You see - Ben knows a dodgy swing when he sees one. 













And here, 5 minutes later, was Marguerite Snr ..... still in the same spot ........ still swinging at the same ball.  At one point Marguerite's club actually hit thon tree behind her ...... which is pretty odd considering it's at least 8 feet away.   But fair play to Marguerite though as she did pick it up ................... eventually!









Emma did quite well.  She had a few dodgy shots of course but she also had a couple of clinker shots too.  She tried her best, God love her, ahhh sure she tried her best!













Nice shot Marguerite!  Well actually ...... Marguerite was worried about hitting her ball down thon road there (to the left).  And she was right to worry about it because sure on this very shot that's exactly what she did ....... she launched it and it went bouncing down the middle of the road.  Thankfully no cars came at that moment!








At this stage the game was very close.  There was only a couple of shots in it and the crowd were getting very excited.  Sure the standard of play was unreal ...... or as Tom Cassidy would say, 'it was unreeeel Jude'.











Who said Golf was boring?  The excitement is just too much for Ben at this stage.














 Emma and David have seen enough by now to understand that Marguerite's shot could go just about anywhere ........ including backwards!

Sports is about taking part and fair play to everyone today for joining in and having some good auld laughs but from a different viewpoint it can be argued that sports is about winners and losers.  And today the winner was ..........








......... Jude ......... Seve ...... Clarke. 

Here he is sinking a clinker at the 18th and celebrating like he's just won the Open. 





 
 







A game of golf will take it out of you and today to refill the tanks the gang pulled into this cool wee spot in Hollywood, Co Wicklow.  you can tell by the look on David's face there that he is struggling at this point to accept the crushing defeat he has just endured on the golf course.  He did eventually get over it though.









At meal times the first person fed is always the most important person ....... the man of the house .... the coolest person in the house ..... and often the most hungry ........... and that would be Ben of course.











Todays lunch nearly turned into one of those classic 'this ain't gonna work' scenarios where certain folk (naming no names) were being fussy about the menu.  Jude took the pragmatic approach and just ordered a sandwich and chips (even though sandwiches were not on the menu) ..... and the rest followed suit by doing exactly the same.  The wee server had to run down the street to buy a loaf but as they wanted a sandwich ....... well they got a sandwich.  Now that was good service. 






After lunch the gang headed back to Glendalough ... back through the beautiful Wicklow Gap .....













........ where even the sheep are impressed so much by the view that they will stand atop big boulders like this to get the best view.  Nice pic.  Wha?    

 

      







Now it was the last night of the trip and that meant going out for a nice dinner and a few swalls at the Wicklow Heather.  Here Manuel delivers the goods. 











Since Marguerite, Jude and Ben returned from America they really have had some great weather.  It's has been great actually.  Here Ben has his wee sun hat on as his Mama and Dada enjoy the evening.











Ben having a laugh with Marguerite.















'Hey I'm cool'.














Emma and David are all dolled up tonight.  It took Emma 10 minutes to get ready while it took David an hour.  An hour?  Yep, an hour!  What was he doing for an hour?  Fixing his hair apparently?  Wha? Yep. 











Ben gets a big hug from Auntie Emma. 


















This was a great wee trip to Wonderful Wicklow.  Sure it's always a treat to go there and this time was no exception as everyone had a great time.