HX Report
Irishman in the Middle East
10 Random Shots – February 2015
Posted on December 14, 2015
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SONY DSC
SONY DSC
SONY DSC
SONY DSC
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SONY DSC
Weekly Photo Challenge – Eye Spy (2)
Posted on December 5, 2015
Weekly Photo Challenge – Eye Spy
Posted on December 4, 2015
The Grange Book
Posted on November 26, 2015
MB returns once more to his home community of Grange. To the history and the scenery and the greenery. A number of his posts of recent weeks have concerned same topic. MB did not explain in previous posts why he was running a series of pieces on his homeland. Apart from the interesting content (really MB?!) of the actual posts, there was another reason. Read More
Lakes, tourists, Canadians
Posted on November 18, 2015
Introduction by MB
In recent weeks, MB has introduced you all some more to his Grange/HX homeland and to some of its scenery and characters. In a post of last week, he mentioned that his Mom operated a farm guesthouse during MB’s growing-up years and after, and that many friendships endure from those days to the present. One such friend is BC from Canada.
BC first visited Ireland in April 1976 and most recently in September 2015. She is a long-time follower of MBs HX blog and occasionally makes comment. During her recent September visit, MB had an idea to ask BC to take over his blog for one week, having a hunch that BC could write a good story. Even though she had never written much at all in her past she accepted the offer. How right MB was. Read More
A little bit of history – Part 2
Posted on November 12, 2015
MB recently recounted the story of the shooting of the Mayor of Limerick from almost one hundred years back, as witnessed and told by his wife. The mayor hailed from the same village as MB back home, a village called Grange. This week MB wants to tell you some more of Grange. Read More
Weekly Photo Challenge – Ornate
Posted on November 6, 2015
Made in an intricate shape or decorated with complex patterns. elaborate, decorated, embellished, adorned, ornamented, fancy, fussy, ostentatious.
MB is back in his favourite Grange Stone Circle in HX again. It’s Summer solstice morning, 21st June 2015, circa 5am, and the sun is not yet risen. MB is wandering around the circle taking shots of anything interesting that catches his eye in the pre-dawn light. Some visitors have left fruit on some of the stones during the night, as offering to the rising sun. One person has left an ornate (slightly) mini-sun.
MB gives you the mini-sun:
Weekly Photo Challenge – Treat
Posted on October 30, 2015
The challenge this week is ‘Treat’. Like having a treat – to eat (MB seems to be a poet, and he didn’t even know it!)
Anyway, MB was back in the homeland in June and was in the Grange stone circle on the morning of the Summer solstice sunrise. Where else would he be on that morning?! Heard this lady play an Irish air on her violin while standing in the middle of the circle. Was truly stunning. A real treat. MB did not know her personally, she was not local. Seems she was/is a member of the Irish National Chamber Orchestra and had traveled from afar to play.
The Irish air she played was/is called ‘The Chulainn’, which MB is almost 100% sure is written about a warrior from Irish mythology called Cu Chulainn. Must investigate that some more at another time.
The Chulainn air: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwxga8udIio
Rock me mama!
Posted on October 30, 2015
Back home in HX, the two favourite types of music of the natives are: country and western. Read More
Weekly Photo Challenge – Careful
Posted on October 23, 2015
Michelle’s photo challenge this week:
This week, show us something careful — a photo taken with care, a person being careful, or a task or detail requiring care.
‘The Sideline Cut’
MB returns to the Irish sport of hurling for this week’s challenge, and specifically to an aspect of the game called ‘the sideline cut’.
When the ball is knocked out over the sideline during the course of a game by either team, the referee awards a ‘sideline cut’ to the opposite team. It’s a bit like a golf shot but much more difficult to execute, given the nature of the implement with its broad edge (a hurley). Even in top games the amount of fluffed shots is very high. To get it exactly right requires great care and skill.
Execute the strike poorly and the ball will dribble embarrassingly along the ground for just a few yards. Hit it correctly, at the precise point required underneath the ball and at exactly the correct angle with the hurley stick, and watch the ball soar majestically into the air and into the far distance. At approximately the same angle as a well-struck 8-iron in golf.
MB caught this player taking a sideline cut at a recent game when he was home in September, just as the hurley is about to make contact with the ball. Can not remember how it turned out.
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Weekly Photo Challenge – (Extra)ordinary
Posted on October 16, 2015
Cherri is asking for unexpected ‘interestingness’ in this week’s PC. MB has selected a shot from trip to Goa, India, in April of this year.
Went for short walk one night and encountered this scene on the street, that all but MB seemed oblivious to. Interestingness with a capital ‘I’ for MB – but not for the locals. The two guys standing next to the cow just sum up how little notice the locals actually take of a cow sitting on their street at night.
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