Guided tour

We had a week in Tramore minding Pat the Salt. On Sunday, he was settled after breakfast, so we snuck out for a brisk walk out along the Doneraile cliff-tops and down to Tramore Cove. 

Pat's knees cannot really bear weight anymore, so there was no danger of him doing runner or going up to the Garda barracks to cadge a lift to Áras an Uachtaráin. Even falling out of bed would be a bit of a stretch in his current condition. Some of us are in training [got the t-shirt!!] for Darkness into Light for Pieta House on Sat 11th May . . . cue Dawn ♪ ♫ ♩ Walk. So 'brisk' was the walking.

The tide was in when we got to the wee harbour, and it was too gorgeous not to bide a wee in the sun looking out across the bay and back at the cliffs. On the way back up the hill we paused at the RNLI station and peered in the windows to scope out the zodiac within.

You will surely want to do the jigsaw of this picture!
As we turned away we encountered a couple with a canoe on a trolley and they invited us in for a proper look! Hail and well met Noirin and Fergal, who are part of the RNLI team as well as canoeists. It was, of course, super interesting to see everything and have some parts of the kit explained by folks who had gone out on many a shout. I think I can share that they have a matching kettle and toaster in the same livery as the zodiac. 

On the way back, the Coast Guard were doing a practice Cliff Rescue.

TIL that multiple sledge-hammers are part of the standard kit along with ropes, stretchers, band-aids, splints . . . like with television: [insert TV star here] is supported by the AD, best boy, continuity, director, ELT, gaffer, hair&makeup, key-grip, locations, PA, wardrobe. The star of cliff rescue is probably Abby Abseil but the ropes are each secured by six [6] steel spikes driven into the turf. I'm imagining there is a 🔨🔨 John Henry like scene 🔨🔨 at the cliff top when so many spikes must be hammered home before anyone can start the Rescue.  

Because nautical things have to come in Threes, I'll note that it was exactly 77 years since Thor Heyerdahl had set out from Peru in Kon-Tiki to people the Pacific.
It's not everyday I get so much excitement.