Busy Busy Time Gort Show Approaching, 7.8.08

It's been a bit manic lately. The Gort Show is this coming weekend and we've had meetings and of course our own things to get ready. Both Jim and I have entered quite a few photos and they've all had to be chosen, then printed. It all takes time. Then you discover that one or two look rubbish when they're printed, so it's back to the start again. We always think our pictures aren't good enough, but usually, in comparison with most of the others, they are much better. There are, however, some 300 entries to the photographic section this year, so we may not do anything this time.

Jim's also been watching his vegetables NOT growing and suffering terribly from the lack of sun and too much rain. We also entered our one hanging basket, which was beaten to death last night in the very heavy rain! We're trying to resurrect it and have hung it in the porch! I have had to finish off a rug and am in the process of backing it with hessian.

I also have to make 2 cards, not started yet and no inspiration! Plus we are helping on Saturday evening from 6-9pm taking entries and on the day of the show, Sunday 10th, all day I should think. All self inflicted of course, so I can't really complain, but I am!

I have managed to do a little path weeding, but it'll all have to wait until next week now.

Buster is getting huge and a couple Jim met last week, dog breeders, said with the size of his feet he might double his size. Good grief, we'll need a larger house if he does.

This week is the Feakle Irish Music Festival. It's quite famous worldwide and the first concert was supposed to be at 1am lunch time yesterday. We decided to make the effort and go along, getting a bit caught up in a lot of traffic around the wood yard that we have used on occasions. On arriving, the hall was empty, but some helpful festival workers told us that the owner of the wood yard had just been killed, thus the cars there. Out of respect, they had cancelled the lunchtime concert. We knew him reasonably well, a really nice chap. He'd not long finished building a new house for himself, his wife and 5 children opposite the wood yard and they had settled in. We left in shock and as we drove back home, the hearse to pick up Noel's body was behind us.

We were both saddened by the awful event. There was a huge pile of chippings in the yard and Noel used to drive his digger up onto it if he had sold some, as had happened yesterday. He'd already loaded up 2 lorries and they were coming back for more. Somehow, the digger turned over and forced Noel's head through the glass window, cutting his neck badly, presumably severing a major artery. Awful. One can't help but think of his wife and children left behind and how they are now suffering.

I have taken a lot of photos this week in the hope of getting some good ones for the competition. I may put some on here.

Jim is making a chinese Sichean beef meal. We watched a very pretty chinese lady on tv the other night make it and it looked excellent and quite simple. We shall see.

Now back to sorting for the show. Sorry I've been a bit rubbish at blogging this week. Jim's back is improving slowly.









Buster waiting not very patiently while I take yet more photos

























Sandy




















Little folk on the fairy hill




















Rather lovely gladioli - the one below rained on, with the help of a spray!






































A pretty patch of Purple Loosestrife by our road
























Sandy giving BlackJack a wash