Scuba Diving in County Kerry

Scuba Diving in County Kerry

Way back in the early 1970’s we used to holiday every year with the local scuba diving team, a holiday which usually involved getting on a ferry and heading over to County Kerry in Southern Ireland, a place I have very fond memories of despite every Summer being a mix of high winds and rain, with the occasional patch of brilliant sunshine.

To this day I’m captivated by the beauty of the Dingle peninsular in County Kerry, which seems to resonate with film makers as well, with the mix of Hollywood block busters that have been filmed there! It’s great to hear that the film industry is continuing this trend as the latest Star Wars saga, Episode 7 and 8 being filmed on Skellig Michael, just off the coast of Kerry.

One of my first trips out with the dive team was off the Blasket Islands just off the Dingle peninsular. As was usual for the Irish sea, the weather was a bit choppy, which meant the inflatable tender we were using was being tossed about quite a bit. As I was just 10 years old at the time, I also had a hard time actually staying on board!

When the time came to get in the water, I had to admit I was a bit scared – at that time regulations were much laxer than they are now, so it wasn’t seen as unusual for someone who hadn’t even reached teenager status to be donning a wetsuit and flippers, let alone a tank and weights belt!

Dropping off the boat and into the cold water was a bit of a shock, but soon I was amazed at the clarity of the water. I’d been in the water around Cornwall and assumed that Irish water would be just as cloudy, but this was just like diving in the Mediterranean (except for being around 15 degrees cooler!)

As I was a novice diver, I couldn’t go too deep, but the haul of Lobster that day was amazing, with enough to fill a chest freezer back at the lodgings we were staying in.  Best of all, this first trip cemented my life-long love of the water, with diving and fishing being two of my favorite sports.  I’d have to say I’m still not a fan of inflatable boats though!

 

Knitting Inspiration from Pinterest

DIY mania is currently taking the world by storm. People, squeezed by financial pressures, are turning to learning, using new DIY skills to save money and create their own goodies. For years now knitters have been doing the same. They haven’t because of financial pressures though, but because of the love of creating something special and unique with their bare hands. It’s this idea of uniqueness coupled with a close knit community (no pun intended!) that drives knitters to continuously be more daring in their designs.

Below are a few examples of some fabulous things people are knitting right now, being shared across social media from knitter to knitter!

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Collectable Crazes (or Crazies?)

Hands up who remembers ranges like Sylvanian Families, or those sticker albums and packs of stickers which seemed to always contain the same stickers over and over? Kids love to collect things and marketers latch onto this by producing ranges designed to appeal to kids and to parents who remember the buzz of collecting from their childhood. Continue reading

Grab your Fishing Tackle!

There are some absolutely amazing creatures on our Planet, which goes to show that diversity isn’t a bad thing!  Read here all about some of the strangest creatures to swim in our rivers and Oceans… finding out some bizarre facts along the way!  This infographic shows that certain species have been around for millions of years without any major changes, showing that if a design is good there’s no need to change! Continue reading