Canal Ride

 I had my annual medical checkup last week, and since driving aggravates my shoulder, I decided that it was withing cycling range given a good weather forecast. It was a nice combination of into town along the canal, and then a short part through the city before I was back out on the coast road with a cycle lane all the way. Now I know that I can plan around tide times and take a trip to the North Bull Island nature reserve with my camera some time. Last week, though, I just had my phone and I was a bit pressed for time on the way out because C was wrong when he told me I couldn't miss a particular turn. I had spotted this utility box on the way out, and was glad to have time to stop and take a couple of pictures on the way back. The two striped chimneys are a classic Dublin sight - Poolbeg Power Station, and there is a strong Viking heritage in Dublin. In fact the Battle of Clontarf (this area) in 1014 resulted in the victory of Brian Boru and his Irish army over an Irish-Viking alliance, and came to be seen as a battle that marked the end of the Viking domination of the country. 

Many people enjoy sitting along the canal side - but only the famous get sculptures to commemorate the fact. Here on the Royal Canal we have the poet  Brendan Behan sitting just above the 2nd lock. The Grand Canal plays host to another poet, Patrick Kavanagh. 

And at the 10th lock is a sculpture of a lock keeper. While most of the locks along the River Shannon are now automated, we did pass through one old one on our holiday last summer, when we detoured down the Camlin River, which had to be opened manually by the lock keeper just as represented here. 

I had plenty of choices for this month's header. Originally I had a swan, but in the end I decided to go with this chick - I think it's a coot. And I'm also adding a just for fun card. The rat had been floating around my desk since last November when C took his trip to Maine. Being on mineral paper he wasn't as substantial as all the other bits and pieces that float around indefinitely, so I was keen to use him up. 

Canal Walk

 Finally  my duckling hunt paid off. It was a beautiful (but cold,  a heavy frost overnight) morning, and as I had bad earache yesterday I decided to go for a walk along the canal rather than cycle in the park. I walked to the lock along the road, because where the houseboats are, and beside the train station, is usually the best place for finding ducklings. Nothing there except a mallard drake enjoying the sun, and a moorhen showing the beautiful browns in its plumage in the sunshine. Normally I think of them as black birds. But, despite the recent heavy rain and frequent hail showers, I decided to risk the mud along the towpath and walk back home canal-side, and that was where I found my chickies at last. They were tiny, I don't think they can be hatched that long. And yet this time last year, any we saw were well past the fuzzball stage. I wonder why they were so much later this year...

Apologies for the brightness - it was, as I said, a very bright sunny morning. I'm sorry, for some reason the photos are showing in reverse of the order I wanted, and it's one thing that is not so easy in the newer Blogger dashboard, moving them around. My walk started at the bottom of the photos here. Many of the houseboats were decked out with planters and tubs full of colourful Spring flowers. The snail was on the side of a barge which does charter trips. 

Milestones

 It's taken me a LONG time to get to 1000 blog posts, but this is it.

I've been cycling to work for a full year now. A few falls in the ice and snow, one broken rear derailleur and bent hanger, one chain off, possibly fitter than I was. It's been better than I expected, if also much longer than I expected.

Since this is a milestone post I'm going to combine my March favourite cards (not very many) and our walk along the canal last night. Another milestone - I think C went for 3 walks yesterday, though his first one was more a saunter to stretch his back. His lunchtime one was a full one, but it was a lovely sunny afternoon and he was happy to come out again.

The utility box depicts the canal lock. There are often fishermen, I think we saw a record number yesterday. The swans were resting on the bank, not bothered at all by all the pedestrians passing so close. A houseboat still decked out for St. Patrick's Day...

Canal Walk

 Our temperatures fell below freezing last night, and we took a walk along the canal this morning secure in the knowledge that the current mud would be frozen solid and easy to walk along. The canal was glazing over, but it's not cold enough for that to last. 

The last two photos are some of the houseboats at the lock, seen from the bridge, and some large baubles hanging from the windows of one. A lot of them had strings of lights - they must have been very pretty to see at night. 

It was lovely to see, but I'm glad temperatures are due to rise again because frosty roads are not the best for cycling to work!

The cold weather also brought some birds I haven't seen in the garden ever since I switched to the squirrel-proof feeders. There was a little siskin all fluffed out against the cold who has been visiting the niger seed feeder on and off all day. And a female blackcap was either making love to the apples I pegged out on the lawn or viewing them from the feeders to make sure it was safe to hop down and enjoy a feast. Unfortunately our back window isn't very clean at the moment, making photography a little less sharp than it should be.

Another canal walk

I've never seen so much active traffic along the canal - all I've ever seen before is the boat that does the dredging.  Two weeks ago I saw a lovely yellow one moored down by the train station (called The Yellow Sub), which was going the next time I passed. And one day last week we saw this one going upstream.

Moorhen

 This is the one I've shown the front of before, the non-chimney. It was a hot sunny day when we walked past and the doors were open - fun to see how they are painted on the inside too.