Summertime

Well, it definitely feels like the end of summer. So here are some photos from our travels and adventures over the past months.


We went camping in the Purbecks a few times in June. Once was at a campiste alongside an old railway line that still has steam trains running along every hour or so. The second time was in this wonderful woodland campsite.

In July we had a great day for Fiachra's 6th birthday party. We had an 'Explorer Party' and Mum and Granny made a super jungle birthday cake.

Granny, Auntie Lucie and Aimee were visiting for the week of Fiachra's birthday. One day they went for a walk in the woods near an army training area. They saw tanks roaring over an obstacle course, but they then managed to get completely lost and nearly arrested by the Military Police for trespassing on Army land.

Soon after that brush with Guantanamo Bay, Grandad and Nana came to visit. We stayed well away from an military establishments and kept to the beach at Weymouth, where Nana and Fiachra took to the water.

In early August myself, Fiachra and Oisín went on a cycle-camping weekend back again in the Purbecks, this time at a farmer's small field campsite. The weather was super and we had a great time.


Then, at the end of August we went down to Cornwall for a week. It was a lovely campsite behind the beach at Treyarnon Bay, south of Padstow. Unfortunately the weather was not super. Despite that we still had a good time and did loads of different things.

We cycled over to the nearby RNLI lifeboat station, where Fiachra tried on an old-fashioned life jacket, and we were lucky enough to see the spectacular boat launch.

There were a few sunny days on the beach, where actually had to get the sun-hats out.

We also went to Tintagel on one of the days to have a look at an amazing waterfall. At the end of the week we just about managed to squeeze all our stuff into the car.

Springtime

The entire Harris-Murphy gang headed west for Easter and to welcome the new arrival, Aimee, into the world. We had a good two weeks in Ireland and met up with everyone we could.
We went down to Clonea Strand for 'Brunch on the Beach' on Easter Sunday morning.



On the lower shore of Clonea Strand we found these amazing Sabellaria (Honeycomb worm) mounds.

We also went with Derek, Sinead and Aoibh to Fota Wildlife Park on Easter Monday morning.






Rebecca got to spend quality time with her new niece


Oran was a bit miffed by the competition...

He soon cheered up again though and now he can't stop smiling and giggling, especially when he looks at his older brother's new hair style.



Towards the end of May, Rebecca and the boys went back to Ireland again for a week and hung out with grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.

Oran's Here

Two weeks ahead of scehdule, Oran Art Murphy decided he had enough of being cooped up in Rebecca's womb; he wanted out. So at 0435 hrs on the 17th February 2009 he was born. As with the other two it was a home birth. Rebecca was terrific, always in control, breathing through the contractions, even when they were pretty intense towards the end. Both mother and baby are in good health, though Mum is a bit wrecked.


Here are some photos of Oran.

Catching up

Well it has been a while since I updated the blog so in this one post we will travel in time at break-neck speed from August 2008 through to February 2009.

In August Mary and Lucie came over for a week.  We took a trip on the train and bus down to Swanage.

Then myself and Rebecca caught the train to Paris for a few days.  We had a grand time, saw all the sights, lounged about, cycled hither and thither and even managed to find a street named after our eldest son.

Leaping forward in time to Christmas, we went back to Ireland and spent some time in Waterford and Cork.  Christmas day was at Susan's in Bartlemy.  We had a second Christmas Day in Lismore before heading back home on the ferry.

Over New Year we went for a few walks and cycles in Puddletown Forest.  Fiachra did some excellent, death-defying, off-road, downhilling on his Action Man bike.

In early February, especially for Oisin's birthday week,  we had some good snowfalls.  Fiachra and I bunked off school/work and we all headed for the high ground to spend the morning sledging, snow-man building and snowball fighting.  A great day was had.