Visiting Mary in Northern Ireland

In January we flew from Bristol to Derry to visit Mary who is working at Coleraine Hospital.

We stayed at Portrush in a friends' holiday house which was lovely and quiet. Mary had three days off so she enjoyed showing us her favourite places along the beautiful coast of Antrim and Derry.

The changing skies and seascapes along this coast are beautiful. The view from Mary's favourite cafe in Portstewart is stunning. It was amazing to look out on Donegal, in the Republic at the same time as being able to see Islay and Jura in the Scottish Inner Hebrides.

We all enjoyed a tour of Bushmills whiskey distillery, the oldest in the world. A ride on the Coleraine to Derry Train was fun, reckoned by Michael Palin to be one of the best train rides in the world. The scenery is amazing.

We need to return to sample even more of the deights of Ireland!

Family Christmas

Belatedly, here are a few photos of our family over Christmas and New Year.

Staring with Lois' annual ritual of the nativity scene in the Hall. She always chooses the best of the logs I have chopped for the wood stove and , with copious straw and fairy lights the effect is lovely for people entering the Rectory.

Rick and Zoe dress the tree!

Griffin visited us from New Zealand via NZpost, here he is with Zoe.

It was lovely to see Gran (Ken's Mum) and Polly (our niece) at my sister Jane and Philip's in Glastonbury on Boxing Day.










Lots of Ashe and Johnstone cousins enjoyed the gathering at Farnborough.













Esther shares a joke with Grandpa / Pat Ashe.