The last week has seen a change in the weather in Ireland with the relentless record rain of autumn giving way to ice and snow.  Having walked the dog in a blizzard yesterday we we unable to suppress our childish enthusiasm for playing in the snow and made ourselves a snowman.  We knew he would be a very temporary companion as his positioning close to the canal was only going to have one consequence and when, an hour after completion, we heard a splash followed by running feet we knew his time was up. Given that it is several decades since the last whiteout in Ireland the kids’ excitement is not surprising. For our part we are just relieved that we got back from a week in England a day early and without incident: with the weather closing in, had we returned when intended the journey across Wales would have been hell, the ferry crossing rough and the short run from Dublin nigh on impossible.


After six months absence a trip to England to catch up with family and friends was welcome and, leaving the boat in Ted and Eric’s care, we caught a ferry from Dublin a few days before the end of the year.  English road traffic was a real shock: the run to Suffolk from Cheshire took seven hours at an average speed of under 40 mph (and the whole journey was on motorway or dual carriageways) but at least we had BBC radio 4 for company. The BBC is number two on our short list of ‘things we miss about England’ as Irish radio and television is heavily reliant on advertising and sponsorship for funding which, apart from constant and annoying interruptions, limits the range of programmes.  The one exception to the constant barrage of products was a Christmas Day devoid of adverts, a very pleasant bonus given that there were some good films to watch (particularly ‘Once’, a film that proves you don’t need a budget the size of some countries GDP to entertain).  At the top of this list is the National Health Service something which, while we had been fortunate in not having needed it, every time the price of health care in Ireland came up we thought ever more fondly of. A trip to our dentist had been booked along with the ferries back in November. The third and final item on ‘The list’ is Public Footpaths: on any English or Welsh Ordnance survey map a maze of possible walks is clearly marked and legally endorsed with dotted lines; with a dog to walk twice daily their absence on Irish maps becomes an issue when spending more than a few days in one place.  Within a few miles of disembarking at Holyhead we took to the hills to celebrate this wonderful liberty and to take a picture for Jill to draw.

Just a week in England was an eye opener on the quality of life we enjoy in Ireland and we were happy to return knowing that so many of the family and friends we truly miss are going to be coming out to visit over the next year.    

With Christmas and the New Year behind us, we are looking forward to the canal re-opening in the spring and the joy of traveling again. The plan (Oh, such foolishness!) is to make the short run west from Sallins to the junction with the Barrow Line which, as long as the river has returned to navigable levels, will let us access the River Barrow. The Barrow has a fearsome reputation and it is quite possible that, should we have the wet spring and summer of the last few years, we may end up spending the rest of the year tied to a tree somewhere in the back of beyond. We just hope that it behaves and we are able to enjoy what we are assured is the most beautiful stretch of water in the country. If by some miracle we are able to get back up the river, we intend to spend early summer on the vastness of Lough Derg and to use the Shannon Harbour rally to ‘bookend’ our first year in Ireland. As for the Misfits? Ted, Joelle and Eric are hoping to get away again this summer and it is likely that our little flotilla will reassemble but it is foolish to make solid plans in such a fluid environment so we will see what the river gods decree.