A Celtic Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
may the wind be always at your back,
may the sun shine warm upon your face,
may the rains fall soft upon your fields.
Until we meet again,
may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Sunday, 7 October 2007

The Mhelliah

For those of you without 'yn Gaelg' (the Gaelic), this is the Manx harvest home. Now it has become a fund-raiser. Tonight's was for the football club. As the advert goes

Bushmills Irish rugby shirt - £10
Manx Electric Railway picture - £21
Cordless electric screwdriver - £10
Watching England beat Australia - priceless

Yes, I spent a lot tonight. I got some bargains (the picture was priced at £25). And the rugby shirt is a heavy one - will do me through the winter. But the real shocks of the day were the line-up for the semi final in the rugby. I think this is the firt time that both Australia and New Zealand have been going home after the quarter-final stages. England face France next weekend. If this continues, it will be a Scotland v Fiji semi-final as well! What a day for the underdogs!

And the best part of the night? Walking home at nearly midnight and seeing all the stars. it was a perfect night for star-gazing - crisp, clear and still. Not only were the constellations clear and easy to identify (Ursa Major and Cassiopeia were the clearest) but it was also possible to see the opalescence of the Milky Way, which is very rare to see in a built up area. Alas, there will soon be street lights in that part opf the road, as the relentless urge of local developers to build on any piece of land they can find continues, but it was lovely to enjoy it while I could.

4 comments:

Canadian flake said...

Glad you had a good time..nice to have something fun to do on the weekend. Rest well.

Cummal Bane said...

Thanks Flake. Yes I had a great time, and have just added to my post about the walk home - I wasn't sure I could spell the constellations last night! I am glad to know someone shares my slow and gentle life

jAMiE said...

It sounds like you had a good time, i'm glad...and you are well worth the money!

ps..the shirt is rather smart looking!

Unknown said...

Because of where I live we get to see the stars on a clear night. I love it! I look up often and when I go to bed I can see out the patio doors and see the moon and stars. Oh how lovely nature it is in all it's glory!
Joanne :-)