I am currently sitting at the small square table in the kitchen of the cottage, peering out the open window to the grassy field that stretches out along a hilltop and carries over into another field on the other side. There are a few trees scattered about the top of the hill and both fields remain empty of our cow friends. I am sitting here with my evening cup of tea as tomorrow will be an early morning and I will be short on time to write. I am guaranteed to miss it as it has become my morning ritual but for the benefit of everyone, it is best to write this evening so I am not rushed. It is interesting writing in the evening when everyone is up and about; I can still hear the birdsong and the gentle hoots from the woodland pigeon but also the cows that are currently across the road and a few fields down from the cottage. Added to the sounds of nature are the sounds of Ellery snacking on dried fruit, Kevin as he moves about the kitchen collecting phones to pull photos to attach to the blog, chatter and giggles between the girls and Kevin; sounds I am not used to hearing during my morning writing but are welcomed all the same as I love when my family is together, enjoying each other’s company.

We began today with a relaxing morning at home with a simple breakfast and made our way into Ardmore to experience the joy that is the Ardmore Farmer’s Market. The streets were crowded with cars and people as we made our way into the market grounds that sit just above the scenic Ardmore Beach. The first area of the market is set up as a car boot sale. The closest I can come to describe that in American terms would be to say similar to a flea market. The second area was for crafters and the third encompassed food vendors; from fresh produce to food trucks. We started in the flea market area and wound our way through tent after tent of remarkable and unique finds. I found a lot of things that I wished I could get, specifically a very large and ornate trunk, but I am relatively confident I would not have been able to pass it off as my carry-on bag on the flight home, so in Ardmore, it remains.

Kevin picked up a candle stick made by Jack O’Patsy Pottery, as it is the same as the pottery of the kitchen dishes and accent-ware at the cottage, to gift our host as a thank you upon leaving. The girls picked up a few trinkets both for themselves and for others and Kevin and I bought a sign made by a local vendor and his family’s beach treasures collected while on beach strolls. Audra had a section of her hair braided and wrapped and we listened to a couple of different musical groups play traditional Irish tunes. We opted not to eat at the market, as we had a late breakfast, but did indulge in a variety of flavors of cheesecake from Charly’s Cheesecakes. They were very good but the general consensus of the girls and Kevin was that they preferred mine. We plan to go back to the market before out trip ends to sample the wide selection of food trucks available.

We returned to the cottage after taking a short walk through town. One of the buildings on the main strip is having their roof rethatched and I found it incredibly amazing. I am in love with the thatched roofs that are found all about Ireland and to see one in the process of being redone was really neat. We spent a bit of time at the cottage and headed out to Caliso Beach. It is apparently a very popular spot for campers but we found a quiet area and spent some time skipping stones and climbing rocks.

We headed over to the far end of the beach where there appeared to be some form of cave or overhang that looked interesting but about three quarters of the way there, were stopped by a friendly couple who let us know that that section of the beach was for the naturalists. Backtracked, we did, and returned to the cottage to clean up before dinner, again, at The Old Thatch. Tonight will be early to bed as tomorrow will be early to rise and all of these things will happen, but only after I finish my cup of tea.