We are just back from a most enjoyable weekend in Galway visiting relatives: Sue's this time.

Following a night of chat and feasting on Saturday, we rose on Sunday morning to one of the most perfect October mornings ever delivered and we set forth for the Burren and inspected a magnificent building-in-progress at Mortyclogh beneath Abbey Hill before walking the Flaggy Shore to New Quay.

And, it being October, the Flaggy Shore was all, and more than, Seamus Heaney describes.

But, contrary to his expectations, we did 'park and capture it' and on Lough Murree was 'the flock of swans'...................

which, when we got closer, we saw..............

…..............included two black ones.

The Flaggy Shore was as busy as the waterfront at St. Tropez on a summer's day and the black swans were the talk of the walk.

The Flaggy Shore runs along the south side of Aughinish Bay.........

The shore just beneath Lake Murree

Aughinish Bay

.....to New Quay where we paused for a welcome feed of mussels and Guinness and cursed the misuse of cement as it has been allowed to scar the beautiful, cut burren stone.

Back in the city, full of fresh air, sights and sounds (not to mention the Guinness and mussels) although it was merely late evening, we were near ready for sleep.

But there was more revelling to be done and, that night, we found ourselves at Raha for a fine dinner of Galway lamb.

A wonderful family weekend which also included a brief visit to our own Galway residents to deliver them their first box of Ballyduff eggs and where we also met one of the most faithful followers of these jottings!