Windswept

About 5km from our front door lies the biggest of the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, the biggest on this side of the range that is. At a mere 427metres high, Croghan is more of a hill than a mountain but the views from the summit are quite spectacular. I haven't been up there in a couple of years but today I ventured as far as the entrance of the upward trail. Close by, I came across this windswept thorn bush, bent over double from its life long struggle to grow despite the prevailing winds. There is surely a lesson here for all of us about bending with the conditions in order to prevail. A grander, straighter tree, like a beech, would never have succeeded, which is probably why there isn't a single beech on the exposed hillside. In facr, out on the sheep slopes where this one grows, there are no bid trees. Only these little thorn bushes manage to eke out an existence.

Note, for those without access to Facebook... you will find some shots from Venice on my Blipfolio. Just got them up and running there today.