Power to power

That freespiral has energy! Before we'd even got to the blipmeet at Castletownshend she'd shown Jen and me the turquoise estuary, the tiny blue school where she used to teach, a flower-bedecked bridge, a fascinating shrine in a graveyard wall at Maulinward containing a scooped rock holding very rusty coins, a 12-arched stately bridge in Ballydehob from the days before the destruction of Ireland's train service and a view of Jeremy Irons's castle with the Fastnet lighthouse beyond.

Himself and B had gone off on another Orpen hunt in the opposite direction and we all reached our lunch rendezvous around the same time, along with Cheeryoscuro, hasitscloud, Travellersjoy, Bat, RP1, Madgewildfire, Soletrader and Jo. 

Fed, watered, but not yet fully chatted, we went to the nearby church with astonishingly bright and detailed stained glass windows by Harry Clarke (extra).

At this point I entirely lost my sense of place but the day involved more turquoise sea at Castlehaven where RP1 bravely went for a dip while the rest of us entered fairyland with treeferns, mushroom-bowls of rain, flyagaric and of course a holy well, treacherously up a little slope of mud.

Then up to the magnificent Knockdrum hillfort with views seaward over Sherkin and Cape Clear Islands and back to these fingers of rock.

After farewells to a delightful bunch of blippers, the five of us drove back through Skibbereen to superb fish and chips at Bantry. On a stormy day the shop closes because the fishing boats haven't been able to get out, that's how fresh the fish was.

Jensphotos, freespiral and I drove back along the north shore of the Sheepshead peninsula so got to see the sun, which had shone on us warmly all day, set in a glory of orange and pink.

Back over the mountain and a large full orange moon rose above the horizon. 

No, it's not just energy that freespiral has, it's some sort of magical power.