Cairn

Almost restored to rude health and the sun shining, we decided to do a walk and headed off to Coomkeen. This is a wild and remote spot. You park up high and go straight up onto the mountain and walk along the ridge - fantastic views straight away across to Bantry Bay. The light and colours were ever changing as weather scudded about all over the place. Lots of interesting things to inspect too - an old ruined farmstead and windswept hawthorns; the remains of some booleys where people used to shelter having brought their cattle up high for the summer; tons of interesting fungi; big glimmering bogs to spuddle through (new word, thanks you SarumStroller) and lots of enigmatic arty cairns, one adorned with a ram's skull. We were at the very highest and most exposed point when a serious bit of weather came our way - Himself has captured the moment! You then descend down windy green roads, water gushing down from the mountain and passed various interesting habitations, some ruined some not, some with attendant dogs, some not. The final bit of the loop is a steep and scenic climb back up onto the moorland.

Back home and we skyped son#2 - his big news, he and his girlfriend are off to New Zealand for a month in January! Yesterday we skyped son#1 - his big news he's getting wedding gigs coming in and he's finally taken up coffee!

Other than that, the Christmas cake is cooked - what a beast! It weighs as much as a small child but smells divine.

And we saw an excellent film last night at Arthouse - Ida - bleak and beautiful, and so so exquisitely photographed in black and white with a square format - every frame a work of art.

More from the walk Links all over the place today!