Cúchulainn: the Hound of Ulster

One of the main heroes in Irish mythology, Cúchulainn, like the Greek hero Achilles, was destined for a short life but a glorious one. He was born Setanta, but aged around 7 he killed the ferocious guard dog of the King of Ulster (in self defence in fairness, he turned up at the castle after dark having been distracted by a game of hurling and the dog was already slavering on the battlements). The King was devastated, and the small but ferocious boy promised to be his guard dog until a new one could be reared. He took on a new name Cú Chulainn - Chulainn's Hound. He was renowned for his 7 fingers and 7 toes on each hand and 7 pupils in each eye. He had a fearsome weapon known as the Gae Bolga and when he went into battle a warp spasm over took him ( a terrifying sight)! After doing tons of heroic, and not so heroic acts, his death was only achieved by trickery and magic. So those were my thoughts as I watched this pair from the swimming beach! Actually the dog was an old chap, a sort of hairy lurcher, and his owner was a man of mature years. They were having fun together. The water was pretty nippy since you asked.

And a new blog - all about miraculous moving tussocks! In case you're wondering what on earth a tussock is, by sublime serendipity,  Maureen6002 blipped some the other day - I can't vouch for their miraculous qualities but it's a lovely blip.