I have to admit to being a little distracted on my drives to work of late. We have had some atrocious weather – rain, high winds, storms – the upside being the spectacular early morning cloud formations.
My journey has been interrupted with frequent pauses to capture the ever changing skyscape.
Sometimes, the sky resembles the ocean.
The drive home brings a different set of surprises.
The Giant’s Causeway was discovered by the Bishop of Derry in 1692 and much debate ensued as to the origin of this amazing phenomenon.
One theory was that it was created by an Irish giant called Finn MacCool who was challenged to a fight by the Scottish giant Benandonner. Finn built the causeway across the North Channel to meet his foe but he chickened out when he saw the size of the Scot. Instead, he disguised himself as his own son. Benandonner took fright at the thought of just how big his rival must be and retreated to Scotland, destroying the causeway as he went. The mystery was solved in 1771 when French geologist, Nicolas Desmarest, announced the structure was the result of volcanic activity around 60 million years ago. Almost 40,000 basalt columns were created as the molten lava cooled, forming a pavement from the cliff to the sea.
Most of the columns are hexagonal,
the tallest being around 12 metres high.
Some of the formations have been named after objects they resemble. In the distance are the Chimney Stacks and about two thirds along the cliff to the right, the Organ Pipes.
There was a lot more to see along the Giant’s Causeway Walk but unfortunately, it was too late in the day to tackle that. I was happy just to be standing in this spectacular location,
Michael was a little more adventurous.
Walking in the forest on a crisp, cold morning after a heavy frost is like strolling through nature’s jewellery store. The sun, low in the sky, turns simple dew drops into glittering diamonds.
Even those stems bereft of foliage held onto the occasional glistening droplet.
I was like a child in a sweet shop, I couldn’t get enough of this amazing beauty.
The gems would disappear as the sun climbed, but for now I was content to experience another of nature’s treats.
Finding affordable accommodation in the centre of Rome isn’t easy. We were fortunate to be able to plan our trip well ahead and booked a wonderful hotel in the historic centre of the city. We had arranged airport transfer through the hotel and enjoyed a very comfortable ride, the driver kindly pointed out some of the sights along the way. Hotel Ranieri is set in a restored 19th century Umbertine palace on Via Venti Settembre.
The entrance is very inviting and almost hidden from the road by the beautiful orange trees lining the footpath.
The hotel has 47 rooms over five floors as well as some privately owned apartments. The staircase is magnificent, whether standing at reception looking up
or on the fifth floor looking down.
The tiny lift was just big enough for two adults with a suitcase each, certainly reminiscent of a bygone era.
Our room was very comfortable and we could open a window onto a courtyard (five floors below), no need for the air conditioner. It was also surprisingly quiet, not what we expected on such a busy street.
Beyond the reception desk and an interesting work of art,
the lounge bar had a relaxed, intimate ambience, a very pleasant setting to partake of a beverage.
Breakfast was included in the room rate, and down the stairs to the basement
was a bright and airy breakfast room.
There was something for every taste, a great way to start the day.
Once we finished the renovation of the back room, we moved straight on to the decking of the outdoor space. We removed the old pavers
and, under the watchful eye of the foreman,
built the frame while working around existing obstacles as best we could.
After much research, we decided to use Ekodeck, a composite material that (this is the best bit) requires no oiling, painting or maintenance.
It didn’t take long to cut and lay the planks, we used the CAMO hidden screw system so there are no screws visible on top of the boards.
We laid a metre wide strip to connect the doors with the garden
and then added the edges.
For completeness, we laid a border of white pebbles
and planted six dwarf camellias at the barbecue end.
Next is the outdoor kitchen area….
cannonhillchronicles 