Farm animals

In the west of Ireland, we have no shortage of farm animals. Among my favourite are the poultry. Especially chickens. I could watch them all day, they are such characters. This is Junior. He is very handsome.

This is Junior’s father and some of the hens. We can’t let Junior and his father be too near each other because they fight, and every morning there is a competition to see who can crow the loudest.

Just down through the fields this is our neighbour’s donkey.

Our other neighbours farm cattle and deer.

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Inspired by CFFC – Farm Animals

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Sunday Windows

A selection of Irish and Welsh window’s for this week’s Lens artist photo challege #13 – windows.

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Swinford Agricultural Show

It was all action at the Swinford agricultural show last Sunday. Despite the damp weather, there were  sheep,  cattle, horse jumping and a dog show.

We’d missed the poultry show earlier in the day but could still view the varied breeds of ducks, chickens and geese. The geese were handsome and well fed; the cockerels and ducks ranged from handsome to bizarre!

And of course there was the craft and collect tent. Cakes, jams, breads all to make the mouth water.

There were vegetable specimens I could only be envious off, though I could have improved on the apples.

Beautiful crafts by adults and children. I was particularly taken by this doll, who looks the image of our Irish president Michael D Higgins (one on left with tufts of grey hair).

And of course lots of colour in the flower section.

A great way to end the summer holiday.

Lens Artist Photo Challege # 8 Colorful

In Ireland, street festivals have almost become the norm in the summer. It’s a way for small towns and villages to increase numbers of tourists to their local area and they can be often be very colourful.

Sweet stall Tubbercurry Fair

Street festivals are a way of celebrating what those communities have to offer. Some examples here in Mayo there is the Ballina Salmon Festival and the Foxford Riverfest, Swinford has the Síamsa Sráide, a celebration of transitional music and song, and lots more throughout the country.

 

standing tall

This year, we have the opportunity to visit Tubbercurry Old Fair. The old fair day was a tradition in Irish towns. People from rural areas would go into towns on these days (usually one day in a month) and buy what they needed. Cows and livestock would be brought to the fair to be sold and so on.

The Tubbercurry fair day festival tries to recreate this event – but along with all the things that would have been on a traditional fair day there are all the new things too. Today, the fair gives an opportunity for gifted crafts men and women to display their wares as well as given demonstrations of their talents.

 

straw house for laying hens

Wooden wheel

Willow basket

 

 

 

 

 

Grey skies above

Above the sky is grey, but we haven’t had anymore snow since very early this morning and Storm Emma has gone. Wedneday’s daffodils are a bit deeper in snow. And the school is closed so we can have some fun in the snow.

It was supposed to be a bunny but we think it looks more like a mouse!

 

Ascend – Weekly photo challenge

Snowy roof

Sunday after the snow, when the sun came out.

Photo Challenge: Ascend

Comfortable

The poor hens are not quite as comfortable this weather. Don’t get me wrong they have a nice house with straw to shelter in, but outside everything is wet and sodden! Still it doesn’t stop them getting out and about. However, like me, I wonder if they are perhaps dreaming of dozing off comfortably in the summer sun.

Snoozing chicken

See Wild Daffodil and nanacathy for more comfortable photos for this week’s one a week challenge – comfortable.