Graeme

PM sent. Graeme

Fantastic pictures - what a happy crew and ships dog. Great way to bring up kids - well done!

Hi John Yes thats the one. Its a really nice paddle and offers two quite different trips depending on whether or not you use the lock gates which circumnavigate the many grade 1-3 rapids or opt to paddle the river. You can portage the locks or hire or buy a lock key. I have done it twice with groups with varying appetites for excitement and it works well. You get a chance to stop at the locks and inspect nearly all the rapids although there are a few whitewater sections that last for a couple of KM. Conditions on the river sections can change very significantly with differing water levels - many of the rapids are old broken weirs and there are potentially dangerous stoppers, underwater obstructions and fallen trees / strainers. The last weir before St Mullins was very dangerous last time I was there, with a big river wide stopper in full flow. I think there have been some fatalities here so one to treat with caution. In good conditions though it is a fantastic trip which feels wilder than it is. I last paddled here in 2009 but the lack of boat traffic was very noticible and I think RTE (Irish TV) did a documentary about the lack of maintenance on the locks some time ago. You can print an excellent (essential in the boat reference) section by section guide to the river here IWAI - The Barrow Navigation There are lots of opportunities to camp if you are self sufficient. Quite a lot of the banks are wooded. Many of the locks are in nice rural locations with flat grass areas. On one trip we camped unexpectedly in a field after a member of the group capsized late in the day - the farmer came down to say hello in the morning really pleased to see us and said to come again anytime!! We started at Clogrennan, one camp was at Ballyellen lock if I remember correctly, there is also a nice large area to camp just before Graiguenamanagh which has a coffee shop, small supermarket and a good second hand bookshop. Don't rely on easily finding drinking water. Some of the taps mentioned in the guide were not working. We brought all our own. Both times we finished at the tidal limits at St Mullins which is a nice wee place with a pub/restaurant at the take out. I hope this helps. Any questions let me know. Graeme PS wee pic on one of the river sections to whet your appetite

oops might have got that wrong - was a few years ago. Her boat is a peterborough design - the other boat partially in the photo is the bigger prosector design.

Hi Al Nice boat - the one in my post above may look wooden but it is actually a royalex mad river with nice ash gunwales but this is a prospector in 4mm birch ply that the wife built from selway fisher plans, being launched for the first time on a four day trip down the River Barrow. Its a fantastically light and fast (not to mention pretty) boat and surprisingly capable in whitewater and rocky rapids - those first few scraps make you wince though! Graeme

Touring the ancient oak woodlands of Upper Lough Erne.

Thanks Al Its a really fantastic house, Those scandanavians are smart folks. The larch looks really well.

Hi Worcswuss I don't think anyone has replied to this yet, so I'll have a go. Not claiming to be a theologian! 1. I think its fair to say that Christians believe the bible is god's word for us. It is made up of different books and its important to understand the origin and context of each of these. For example we are told the ten commandments were written on stone by God himself, then there were the prophets (humans who spoke from God), then there are the the gospels which are witness statements from those who knew jesus (lots of direct quotes) and then there are what are known as pastoral letters like those written by Paul which were to specific churches addressing specific (but remarkably familiar) issues. The actual books included in what we now have as the bible are there as a result of agreement between scholars over the last couple of thousand years. Basic principles for inclusion as I understand it was agreement between multiple copies and compatibility with the rest of scripture. Its worth noting that people may disagree on interpretations of scripture. This is were theology comes in with regards to understanding the context - is it poetry, legal, narrative, a letter etc. Understanding who the recipient is and their culture is also important. Jesus talked about his Holy Spirit who would also help us understand scripture. So if you lived in a rainforest somewhere and had never seen a bible could you know God? I believe the answer is yes because creation itself proclaims God. I know lots of people will disagree with me - thats ok. For me being in the mountains, on the water in a canoe or kayak or in the woods is a spiritual experience. 2. Did Jesus claim to be the son of God? Answer to this one is yes. Its why he was killed. When Jesus was baptised by John the baptist the bible tells us a voice from heaven was heard to say"you are my son whom I love, with you I am well pleased". The old testament is full of prophesies for the coming of Jesus - thats one of the differences from the likes of David Ike. As for why people believed - I guess that is quite an individual response. What I do believe is that if God is real that he hears and responds to people talking to him (prayer). This is a longer reply than I expected. I promise you I try not to look down on anyone. Graeme PS I don't think it is an accident that Jesus was a carpenter!

Fantastic - if I had a barn like that I don't think I would need a house!

Al What a great house! As the old people say - heath to enjoy! Its really encouraging to see people have done what we dream of doing some day. May I ask a couple of questions? Did you design it / build it yourself? What kind of foundations did you use? What wood did you use for the board and batten cladding? I assume there is lots of insulation in there?

Rob that is fantastic - what wood did you use for the shingles - is it cedar? How do the cleft verses sawn shingles perform? Do you have any membrane under there or does it work welll on its own?

Hi alex - agree with you there.

Hi Alex Yes exactly that kind of thing. I think that is the Simon Dale house? I wasn't being too prescriptive though - I know this is a very creative bunch of people so I suspect there are a few interesting houses, offices, guest cabins, workshops, wood sheds, saunas etc out there.