Knocknataggart

The alarm was set for 5.15am but the cuckoo was already up and enjoying the day at 4.30! I snuck in another half hour and then was up, rendezvousing with my friend GInny and we were off to count the birds. It was a stunning morning, wall to wall sunshine and already quite warm.  We counted 30 different species but there were some absentees - no magpies and no martins - but an awful lot of loud willow warblers, wrens and blackcaps. A small black cat ran across our path twice and the dog gave a cursory bark. Most thrilling of all, we saw a hare sitting on a rock, perfectly silhouetted. As is now customary we drank strong coffee and ate good croissants in Skibbereen afterwards.

The day continued to be glorious - a bit of reading, a bit of weed whacking and then - a SWIM!!  It was now or never and we plunged teetered in. It was perishing in fairness, 10C, but we didn't feel chilled to the marrow afterwards and even managed a slight linger. A mum and her two little kids were also swimming and a girl was sunbathing so it was all very Mediterranean!