A beautiful bright and crisp day - I headed over to Schull for a spot of Christmas shopping. I met  TJ for lunch and we had a wander down by the sea blipping herons and cormorants.

On  my way home though I was diverted by the glimpse of an abandoned house and paused to have a recce. It was a typical west Cork farmhouse and the backdoor was open. Inside was very delapidated and damp but still full of interesting bits and pieces, some very poignant. The calendar on the wall was from 1987;  a packet of pills lay on the windowsill;  a most extraordinary painting of a dead woman in a coffin (The BVM?)  surrounded by angels was propped against a sagging armchair; a photograph of a woman tucked into the corner;  a mildewed photo of a Pope; a rusty old sewing machine lay on the floor; and this cluster of rosary beads hung askew. It had a sad but gentle feel to it. It was for sale. I haven't thought of  a suitable title yet.