Flowers

In the beginning there was a river.

Another Booker winner opens this, the twentieth post. An earlier post, starting with 'a radiant late afternoon' was written in 1932 by Georges Simenon; an interesting Maigret novel, The Bar on the Seine. Not that it was easy to work out but it was translated and re-issued in 2006. I used it to defeat the googlers among you.

A day after getting rain gear and making 'Taranaki' mackerel for dinner, we walked about eight kilometres amid the bursting colours of spring. The virtual flowers shown here are for Mother's Day. Even Gus, that enthusiastic hound, got out for a run, reined in by a short leash to keep him from going under passing cars.

There were lots of families out walking. Spring or Mother's Day rewards, who knows? The route was positively mall-crowded by comparison to recent weeks.

Down at Coliemore Harbour, the neoprene brigade were snorkling back and forth across the sound to Dalkey Island, all done safely at low tide, avoiding the dangerous tidal rips.

Fund raising update: we are close to £10,000 and certain to exceed it. Car washing, henna tattoos, the curry quiz night and overeating at the bake sales have all done their part.

All blog photos are originals, taken with my iPhone, edited with Camera+ and posted through Picasa.

Obelisk

I would like to write down what happened in my grandmother's house the summer I was eight or nine, but I am not sure if it really did happen.

Another Booker winner starts this blog. And a reminder about the leading quotes; they are first lines from books I've read over the last year or so. They're in no particular order, the earlier ones come from the books at the bottom of the piles beside my bed. Sometimes I may find a way to relate them to the blog, like yesterday I was in in Dubai and Salmon Fishing in Yemen provided a coincidental and very tenuous link. You may know or guess or try to find out which book opens with the first lines posted. There's no reward or anything since I'm asking that you consider sponsoring me to walk (or continue to blog beforehand).

Back in Ireland to vote, I started the day with another walk across Killiney Hill, this time with family and dog, pictured at the Obelisk. I've been snapping the pictures with my iPhone, editing them with Camera+ and then uploading them to Picasa with PicUpp.