... Goldengrove unleaving

Margaret, are you grieving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you will weep know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow’s springs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.
Gerald Manley Hopkins

An enjoyable afternoon in the woods! It was a bit damp and grey with the odd burst of heavy rain so we headed off to Glengariff where the thick woodland offers a bit of protection whatever the weather. We walked the Big Meadow Walk and went on to admire Esknamucka waterfall which was pretty impressive. The woods are mostly oak, beech and birch and are wonderfully thick, green and mossy.
We saw:
an orange tinged river
a tiny fly agaric mushroom with a large bite out of it and a small pile of sick next to it!!!
a lake with a small island in the middle
rhododendrons flowering
tall eucalyptus trees moulting
six black Dexter cattle
enormous rocks bestrewn with moss and ferns
a gushing waterfall
Now Himself is blipping madly, there's a bit of argy bargy for the best places and views! I wonder what he's putting up tonight.

And here's proof that the lorry went on the ferry!