Tobar na Slainte, Shandwick

I walked to a Well today , but the well was dry.

Drinking the water is supposed to get rid of the "Evil Eye" maybe it was dry because Shandwick is Evil Eye Central, and the locals have drunk the well dry.
It was rather a spooky place, and you got the feeling that the ghosts of the Evil Eyes were watching you !!

But it was still very enjoyable, if rather a short walk.

I also passed the Shandwick Stone which is encased in a Glass  and looks rather like an Ancient Telephone Box.

 The name "Shandwick" is supposed to come from the Norse, Sand-Vik meaning Sand Bay.

But there were no Vikings about, so I can only presume they were out plundering and pillaging, or maybe they'd  just gone to Tesco's ??

Nice for a Holiday

Nice for a holiday, But some of us have to live here !!
But I'd rather live here than in a city.

It was that dreaded time of the year when it's time for the MoT (yearly check to see if your vehicle is fit for the road) .
So took the camera and took a few pictures while I was waiting.
It passed, so that's it for another year, she's 15 years old now and every year I get the feeling there are going to be big problems.

The Garage is where the signs are in the background, not a very nice place to be standing around on a cold day, but on a nice day you couldn't get any better.

Bikes with chubby Tyres

It doesn't look like the Traction will be good.
But I presume if you can keep one of these upright, it'll float ?
I wonder if those Tyres are puncture proof ??

Singlespeed Bicycles

Mission Bicycles are so simple and so functional, it makes me realise why I ride like to ride Singlespeed Bicycles
Nice simple design, and some really nice colours too, what more can anyone ask for ??

And there are no Hill's you can't walk up, and one more excuse why you have to ??

Gone Surfing

An Eco Surfmobile.

Just what every Surfer wants, as long as you don't want to sleep in it.

It's probably for Rich Surfers, who can afford to stay in hotels..

But to me, you still can't beat a Van, "To Love it, is to Live in it." as the Tee shirt says.

iPod Revolution

I've been watching a TV programme about Steve Jobs called "The iPod Revolution".
It was interesting to watch as it made me realise how some people think.

It's not a case of selling something to someone, but more a case of convincing someone they need something and can't live without it.

These days a lot of people seem to have a fear of not fitting in, wanting to fit in with a certain group of People.
So they must buy the latest Fashion, Gadget, or whatever to make the statement that they are part of the scene, whatever that scene may be.

They have a fear of being alone and spend most of their life waiting for the next fashion trend, be it an iPod, a Car, or Clothing, the must have thing that makes you stand out from the crowd until everyone has one and you go back to being part of it and begin looking for the next, Must have thing..

What happened to the Individual who thought for himself, did his own thing and never followed fashion..
That Dinosaur is alive and well and writing this Blog.

My Neighbour's New Tin Shed

My neighbour's just got a new Tin Shed.

But it's not like this one ??

Hippy Cement Truck

If only all Cement trucks were like this ??

A Big Surfboard

Big enough for all the family..

House Truck

A House Truck in the making, with custom wheel arches.

Inspired By... SunRay Kelley from Shwood Eyewear on Vimeo.

I think this blog could be changing direction, with all the good stuff I'm finding.

I'm thinking maybe it's time to do things from the heart, and just add the things I like, rather than trying to think what others might like..

Sandcastles

Beaches !!

>> http://www.art-spire.com/en/art/40-awesome-sand-sculptures/

What a great way to spend time on the Beach, all I ever built were sandcastles that always seemed to fall down.

How do they get them to stay together ??

And how do they come up with such great themes ??

I'm not an Artist in any way, when I left School it was a simple case of get a job and earn money.

The Artists seem to be those who had parents who had the money, to send them to some fancy Art School.

But isn't the Internet a wonderful thing, now anyone can study art, anytime they want..

Too Cold

Well it's rather cold out, too cold for Archery or Cycling and it's not even Winter yet.
The plan is to get in more archery practice, but that's out until the wind dies down
I've been asked to go to two archery competitions, but as their not what I call social occasions, I'll give them a miss, there's nothing worse than travelling a long way to be greeted to a load of sour faces.
It's coming down to, if your not happy with what's already there, change it yourself.
It's no use complaining about something and not trying to change it, I've done it before and got awards for putting on events, so I know I can do it again.
The worst part is the burning of bridges and knowing there's no turning back, but if your not happy does it really matter.
I've been asked about doing reenactment with the Longbow, I've already done it with the British Longbow Society, which reenacts the practice of Victorian Archery.
It's not really my thing as I'm more like Robin Hood and not very good at acting like a Victorian Gentleman.

Bicycles

Just a picture of one of my bicycles, not used much now, as I prefer a more leisurely riding position.
So it's For Sale..
I now tend to use a dutch style bicycle complete with panniers and a front basket as it's a lot more practical.
It would make an ideal touring bike, as it would easily carry all your worldly goods.
I've always fancied a Surly Pugsley, but with it's fat tyres it's not really the sort of bike you would use on the road, more of a bike for the beach..

Positive Thoughts

It's a nice day, but I think they are now getting few and far between.
No Snow yet but every other Person you meet says it's on it's way, and the Snowploughs are ready for action.
It's strange how some People just seem to look at winter as the downside of life.
If your not into outdoor Winter stuff you can always sit down with a good book.
There's always something to keep you amused on dark winter nights and you don't have to look far especially with the internet as you have the whole world at your fingertips.

After reading Lloyd Khan's blog about Skateboarding, I've been reading up about it.
It's all very interesting, but even though I can ride a Bicycle, a Longboard is rather pushing my balancing capabilities to the limit.
But it's all good stuff.
It's last day of fishing today so we now have the river to ourselves till next year.
It's supposed to be a nice day tomorrow, but as usual we won't know if that's right until we look out of the window in the morning.
Who knows it could be a Longbow day ??

No Fishing

Only two days to go and I'll have the River to myself once more, as it's the end of the fishing season for another year.
But the nights are drawing in and the days are getting shorter, who knows one dark night I may find something interesting to put on this blog??.
But at least the weather has been good over the last few days, which means there's a good chance I'll be able to get out with the Longbow and put some holes in the Target Ball.

Funny Old Day

Went to fix a neighbours Guttering on his Shed, and rehang a Gate.

Took the dog for a walk along the river and on my return my Neighbour was waiting for me, he'd managed to put his Tractor on it's side, after righting it we left it for a while to let the Oil settle, but it still looked like Puff the Magic Dragon when it started.
But it was all ok after we'd taken it home, and put some more oil in it.

Another happy day in paradise !!

Which one ???

I took these three pictures yesterday, I prefer the bottom one for some reason, maybe it's the road that puts the tree in the right place ??

I put the video on for no other reason than I like it, as it's so simple.

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Steve Jobs

What are you reading ?

How many books are you reading at the same time ??
I've just realised how many books I'm reading and asked myself why ??
It's down to what mood I'm in at the time.

I've just read "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougall, it's the best book I've read for a while, easy to read and very entertaining.

I'm currently reading "Vagabond" by Bernard Cornwell, rather gory as it all seems rather blood thirsty.

Another one is (Hunting the Osage Bow) by Dean Torges, it's more about making an Osage bow than hunting with one, and is easy to understand which makes it a very good book for the budding Bowyer.

My night time reading is "Chinggis Khan" which is a translation of Mongol history by Urgunge Onon, a good book to read if you have any interest in Mongol history.

So my reading is rather varied at the moment but there's usually an archery book in there somewhere.
.

Are Cyclists Individuals ??

Are Cyclists individuals or just followers of fashion ??
Most cyclists seem to want to buy the latest Bicycle along with the latest fashion in Clothing, are they really Cyclists or do they just want to fit in with the crowd rather than being an individual.
Is it fear of being left out and not fitting in with the group they follow.
But who is the Leader ?? the Media ?? the magazines that tell you what the latest fashion is?? the companies that fill the magazinies with Adverts to brainwash you into believing you must have something or people will look down on you.
But after all is said and done "You can only be Inferior, with your own consent".
I have to ask myself do I, stand out from the crowd?? then realised I don't go near many crowds to find out .
But I suppose all my Bicycles are rather Individual, from the Brompton folding bike, to the singlespeed Mountain Bike, plus the two Dutch touring bikes I ride among others.

Beating the weather.

Where did the wind come from ???
A nice morning, but a Gale blew up this afternoon.
If the weather stays fine Sunday is Archery day, so it will be out with the Longbow and a walk through a slippery Oak Wood.
Using an English Longbow on a Woodland Course can be difficult at times due to their length, they can catch on the lower trees and branches, a shorter bow is sometimes more practical in those situations..
The Horsebow is getting more popular in the UK, as due to it's shorter length it is a lot easier to use on Woodland Courses with low hanging branches.

Direction ??

I met up with the Big man pictured above today, he's friendly enough as long as you respect him.
We meet up several times a week, he's not worried about me, it seems to be more about the dog and looking after his ladies.
It was out with the old LL Bean maine hunting boots today, their well worn but you can't seem to get them in the UK, so I'm hoping I can find a friendly Cobbler who can do something with them and bring them back to life.
The soles are covered in Shoe Goo which keeps coming off, but hopefully they can be saved as they are the comfiest boots I have and the driest, as I spend a lot of my walking through bogs.


I've been looking at other peoples's blogs to find a direction for this one ??

The problem now is, I've looked at so many that are so good and so interesting I find myself looking at others rather than getting on with this one.

As you may notice I'm not good at colours ?? but I think I'm slowly getting the right idea.

The Bohemian Lifestyle looks interesting whatever it's supposed to be, but someone mentioned art so not being very artistic, that sort of leaves me out..

Rain and Feathers don't mix, so no Archery today again..

Quick Week

That was a quick week, Saturday already !!

Took the Horsebow out and the Rinehart Target ball for an hour or so.

I was surprised how quickly it got dark.

Looking at the weather it's going to be a wet weekend .

And I need to practice more, but rain and feathers don't go together very good, even if they are covered in silicon waterproofing powder .

But even if you don't get out with the Bow you should do exercises to keep you fit.