Tag Archives: dog

Update in Progress…50% Complete…

It’s Sunday afternoon and the Club Sportive has been postponed for two weeks due to the shitty weather that has hit us this weekend. Yesterday was rain and today it’s wind with more rain on the way. With dangerous gusts and some exposed sections on the route the hard but sensible decision was taken to postpone. It puts some pressure on other plans I have for September but at least I’ll have 2 weeks to work off the holiday excesses.

I’m not ready to start thinking about or preparing to return to work tomorrow so continuing with this update is the best way to avoid both! Part I is here if you missed it.

Work

3 days ago I passed my 1 year anniversary in my new job, although still calling it new feels a bit weird at this stage. I guess the significant change from customer facing retail to sales rep brought so many new experiences and challenges that it definitely does still feel new at times.

It took me a while to get comfortable in my new position and there have been a lot of changes in the company just in the last year but I really do feel that I’ve found a niche that fits me. Despite a period of “imposter syndrome” and a very challenging retail environment I’ve settled well and have grown in confidence, especially over the last 3-4 months.

A large part of this is the respect and value that is given by those that I work with both at my own level and above. It’s a welcoming and supportive environment to work in and I really didn’t realise just how bad my previous working environment was. Just as that had a very negative impact on my mental health this new environment has helped me leave that behind and begin to move on.

Closing a number of big hotel contracts and developing new leads within the hospitality sector has contributed significantly to my standing within the company, has proven my value to both my managers and myself and has given me confidence that I am good at this job.

I’ve been asked a number of times recently how I’m feeling about the job and changing away from working in shops. Although there are things that I do miss about shop working I can honestly say that I’m very happy with the change and don’t see myself going back.

Family

I’ve spoken here and on Facebook a number of times about my Great Aunt Ruby. Unfortunately, Ruby’s time was finally up and she passed away in March. At the time of her death she was the oldest living person in Ireland at 109 years old. She had gained a lot of celebrity in the last few years and there was a lot of attention for her funeral. It seemed as if Donegal had taken her as their own and so many people in our home village and beyond simply called her Aunt Ruby.

While her death was very sad her wake and funeral were a celebration of a full life, lived to the max and a lady that touched so many lives with her kind nature. She was always full of stories so it was very fitting to hear so many people bring their own stories of her. She had friends across all ages and generations and it made me proud to call her family ❤️

https://www.donegaldaily.com/2025/03/21/huge-sadness-at-passing-of-ruby-druce-irelands-oldest-person-2-3/

https://www.donegallive.ie/news/local-news/1760281/ruby-druce-enriched-the-lives-of-so-many-funeral-mass-of-109-year-old-hears.html

Within our own home it has been a pretty busy Summer. Owen finished his first year of college at Letterkenny ATU and has been working most of the Summer. It’s been a lot of hours and early starts for him but it did allow him to buy his own car at the beginning of July and to rebuild a solid savings account!

Conor started working earlier this year too at my brother’s coffee van in Castlefinn. It’s been mostly weekends with some extra shifts over the Summer and has given him an extra confidence and a huge injection of independence with his own money. He’s also started driving lessons with the aim of getting his license maybe by the end of the year depending on the waiting lists.

It has also been a Summer of football as Owen continues to play with our local GAA Club Senior team. With the lack of a Minor team this year Conor has also been attending quite a bit of the training. He’s ineligible to play due to his age but he’s been welcomed to training. A minor setback in the middle of May saw him break his collar bone in a bad fall at training. He was laid up for 6 weeks which kept him off work but he’s recovered completely and was back training at the end of July.

And of course the big football story of the Summer was Donegal’s progress in the Championship this year. We spent a fair bit of time watching them conquer Ulster before progressing to the All Ireland Final before sadly being outmatched by Kerry. We watched some of the games at home, some in our local pub and even made it to Croke Park for the Semi Final.

At the beginning of August Catriona and myself took a day to ourselves and headed on a great day trip to visit Gola Island off the West Coast of Donegal and we’re all just back from a great family holiday to Benalmádena in Spain 🇪🇸

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A post shared by Niall Harran (@niallharran)

*Summit of Monte Calamorro (750m) reached by cable car*

Over the last couple of years I’ve very much neglected the outside of the house. Whatever motivation I could gather up was spent getting the boys to cut the grass and responding only to anything urgent that needed attention. The house really was showing significant signs of neglect! This Summer I spent a lot of time getting the driveway, kerbs, sides and back of the house tidied, weeded and powerwashed before painting the outside of the house itself. This occupied a lot of evenings and weekends over 4-6 weeks but the result is worth it with a house that I’m no longer ashamed to have visitors calling! A few other small jobs remain to be done indoors but it’s been a pleasant change to have some motivation to tackle these things again!

*Longer ladder required to finish the front!*

Cooper

In the style of Unironedman it seems to be de rigueur to finish with dogs…

It took from January to March to get over the loss of much loved Rosie who we had to put to sleep on NYE. Then we were joined by the madness that is Cooper!

When I told my friend Jim that we were adopting a Springer he sent me this video. It’s scarily accurate!

On our home check the lady from the Rescue told us adoption works on the 3 x 3s (3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to settle in and 3 months to feel at home). Cooper seemed to settle very quickly but it definitely took the 3 months for him to be at home. His energy, behaviour and lack of training was a definite challenge and it took a lot of work to calm him down enough to be able to get him to behave without upsetting the entire house. He’s still mad as a box of frogs but all the work has been worth it and he’s a part of the family now. Leaving him at a kennel for the week we were in Spain was surprisingly difficult!

New Arrival on the Way ❤️

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For a few weeks now I’ve been lurking in the local dog rehoming sites, testing the feelings about the possibility of a new dog. A couple have caught my eye but nothing really grabbed me until about 2 weeks ago I spotted this guy…

He’s called Cooper and is a 4 year old Springer Spaniel. He was bought by a family at the beginning of Covid and they are no longer able to give him the attention or the activity that he needs. He’s a typical Springer, a bundle of pure energy and exactly what we love in a dog. He’s like a male version of much loved Rosie and perfect for our house.

We put in our adoption application straight away but as he was being neutered we had to wait until this weekend to see him once his stitches were out.

First of all though, a home check was completed on Thursday evening. I was nervous about this as our garden isn’t fully enclosed. I had trained Rosie to stay in our garden and I’m convinced we could do the same again but would they? Thankfully, it wasn’t an issue and the lady was very sensible agreeing with us that behavioural training is best as any dog will get out if it really wants to!

This evening was the big day and we finally got to meet him. The minute I got out of the car I knew he was for us! However, it was important for all of us to be comfortable, to see what he was like and make sure that he was happy with us too. A while in the outdoor pen with him and it was like he was always a part of us. He was very excited but not mental, running and jumping but not jumping up, begging to be played with and rolling over to get his belly rubbed. He was just the perfect blend of excitable and energetic yet submissive enough to behave himself.

The lady offered us to take him for a short walk up the road to get a chance to be alone with him. He’s OK but not great on a lead as the previous family didn’t walk him and it was only when he came to the Rescue Centre that he started this training. Even with that short time though he was pretty good and I know he’ll get better very quickly with daily walks. We all got a chance to walk him and it was a very easy decision to make.

Back at the centre we finalised the arrangements and we’re to collect him on Saturday morning to give us a full weekend to get him settled in. It’s a long weekend for St. Patrick’s Day and I’ve booked the Tuesday off as well so I’ll have 4 full days to work with him before he has to be left alone during the day. I can’t wait and we’re all looking forward to welcoming this wee man into the house ♥️

Day 1 at the Rescue Centre

It’ll never be possible to replace Rosie and she’ll always hold a special place in our memories but our house feels empty without a dog and we want to have another special friend that we can give all our love to and give him a new forever home. At the centre the lady said that maybe Rosie sent this wee man to us. I’m not sure how I feel about that but it’s certainly a lovely thought…

Springer Style

Grieving For A Pet

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It’s coming up on 9 weeks now since we had to say goodbye to poor Rosie. I always knew losing her would be hard but I was totally unprepared for just how hard it would actually be! I’ve always been a firm believer that unless you have owned a dog then it’s not possible to understand just how much they become a part of the family and that the loss of a dog can’t really be understood by someone who has never had a dog. The last two months have taught me that unless you’ve been through the death of a dog then you don’t really understand either…

I know there are people that are reading this who are grieving for the loss of loved ones. I have been through that myself and I know that the loss of someone close, either family or friend, is so much more significant than the loss of a pet. However, I still wasn’t prepared for the rawness of the grief I experienced with Rosie.

I believe a large part of that came from the fact that she didn’t die, we had to decide it was time to let her go and ultimately that decision came down to me. Hand on heart, that was the most difficult decision I’ve made in my life and the most horribly guilt ridden one also!

I’m not a great person for poetry but I did find two poems that gave me comfort at the time. One of these I shared on my post back in January and this is the second:

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this — the last battle — can’t be won.
You will be sad I understand,
But don’t let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn’t want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where my needs they’ll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don’t grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We’ve been so close — we two — these years,
Don’t let your heart hold any tears.

~~ Unknown

We all made sure that Rosie went as calmly and as settled as possible. We were all with her right to the end and I held her while she slipped away. The least I could do was make sure that I was the last thing she saw. Afterwards, we brought her home and buried her at the top of the garden so that she will be with us as long as we’re here.

It hasn’t been easy this last couple of months. There have been a lot of tears but the rawness has mellowed to a dull ache. It’s the little things that hit the hardest. Leftover dinners that now go in the bin, lifting the garage keys that always used to bring her running, the back door that’s hardly ever unlocked any more, keeping little tidbits on the side of your plate that are no longer needed. Toughest of all is going to let her out for a pee in the morning and realising that she’s no longer there…..

The biggest difference with losing a pet is that, raw though the grief may be, it’s not as all consuming as losing a person and the grief does begin to fade much quicker. Eventually the mind does begin to turn to finding a new friend to come in to the family.

I’ve been lurking in a couple of local rehoming groups for the last couple of weeks, trying to see how I’m feeling and waiting to see if one would catch my eye. I’m trying not to get too excited but we’re going to go and see a dog early next week (we have to wait a little while as he’s recovering from neutering surgery). He’s 4 years old and a Springer Spaniel so he’s like a male version of Rosie. We know nothing of his history and we may not click so we’ll just take it as it comes without too many expectations. Watch this space….

just not feeling it…

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I’ve been finding it difficult to get into a good headspace for a good few weeks now. I wrote back in the middle of July that I was finding it difficult to get motivated to walk and cycle and basically get past the planning stage of anything really. Despite pushing myself to do some things I still feel that I’m only operating at something like 75% of normal. It’s like a series of those days when the weather is full of low hanging clouds and misty drizzle, grey and dispiriting.

With those kind of feelings along comes that good friend comfort eating. I’ve definitely been guilty of resorting to a much increased consumption of chocolate, crisps and biscuits over the last 6/8 weeks. That combined with a considerable drop in activity has resulted in weight gain and I’m now at the top end of my scale. I’m really not comfortable in this zone as it’s getting easier to just let it go.

Energy levels are poor. I’m sleepy and lethargic at strange parts of the day. I almost nodded off at lunchtime today and I’ve found the evening commute difficult on a number of occasions with a sleepy head and droopy eyelids. I’m going to bed at decent times but don’t think my sleep quality is where it should be.

I’ve also been having some “digestive” issues in the last month. I’m not sure if that is a symptom or a contributing cause. I’m concerned that it is the beginning of an intolerance or maybe a form of IBS but have a feeling that it’s mostly dietary and stress related. I’m hoping that a few weeks of cleaner eating will help settle me down again. It can only help with the weight gain also!

I had very little interest in riding my bike today and with a mid morning vaccine appointment for the two boys and an afternoon forecast for persistent rain I knew it was unlikely to happen anyway. Shortly after lunch and almost nodding off I decided to try and lift some of this hateful lethargy and went for a walk in the rain. It was quite warm with no wind and mostly just drizzle when I set off. The heavier rain came along the road but I don’t really mind walking in these kind of conditions. Along the way I met some new neighbours 🐮

The route was mostly local minor roads and lanes but also skirts through one of the local forestry plantations. I took a small bag with me containing my gas cannister, stove, cook pot and water. The plan was to go into the trees and make a hot chocolate.

I didn’t really want a hot chocolate but it’s difficult to rush one without scalding your mouth so it forces you to slow down and take your time. I had Rosie with me too which wasn’t a great idea as she can’t settle when out like this, wants to keep moving and whines a lot.

zero patience!

I ended up sitting for at least half an hour while I prepared my drink and allowed it to cool. It was nice to sit and enjoy the forest and try to settle my mind. I found it surprisingly difficult to switch off my brain, random nonsense and ideas flitting around but I guess I just need more practice to get better at it.

Header image from NAMI.org

video: bessy bell hike

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Over the last 6 months or so I’ve been watching progressively more on YouTube. I’ve become a regular follower of quite a few channels, some cycling but mostly outdoor – hiking, wild camping and bushcraft. A while back I made my first YouTube video and shared it here. Since then the idea of making this a more frequent thing has been rattling around in my head.

One thing that has held me back is the worry of ridicule. Putting myself out there in film feels pretty pretentious and there is the fear that I could be making a complete arse of myself. However, on my Bessy Bell walk this week I took along a tripod and did some filming as well as photography.

I have to say I did enjoy the filming. Looking for shots and compositions as well as sharing the sights and sounds brought a different dimension to the day. I also enjoyed the post filming editing and production, finding the right footage and mixing in music, commentary and photos. It’s a bit like writing this blog, just a different medium.

Below is the finished article. It’s far from perfect and I learned a lot from this first proper attempt but at least I’m happy to share it.

https://youtu.be/8Gx5wanUYsA

bessy bell hike

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I haven’t been on the bike since the 100km spin for April. The following Bank Holiday weekend was pretty grim weather wise and the Wednesday after I managed to hurt my back doing some clearing out of the attic and garage. I’ve had problems with my lower back for a good number of years with a slightly bulging disc that causes sciatica when irritated. Nothing major but it flares up from time to time. I’ve had various physio treatments for it but I have a weak core and a terrible lazy streak that means I never totally get rid of it.

This time I strained my left side which resulted in pain and inflammation on both sides of my lower back. I’ve had to start on a course of pain killers and wear a back support to work to allow me to stay on my feet all day. I’ve been able to keep working and walking but had to stop cycling to allow it to heal. It had improved towards the end of last week so I decided that a hike was in order to get me out in the fresh air for a few hours and to test the limits of my back in a situation where I could easily bail if I was in too much discomfort.

Bessy Bell is a large hill/small mountain just outside Newtownstewart and approximately 25min from home. I was last up here about 5 years ago and figured this would be a good time for a revisit. The 12km loop is completely on stone forest roads and easy for navigation. The climb to the summit isn’t too taxing (maximum height 420m) and the views are very rewarding.

Rosie isn’t a good traveller, she gets car sick, but at only a 25min journey I decided she could come too. She’s getting on at 10 1/2 now but has been full of energy all week so I figured she would manage better than me!

After the summit you descend most of the way by the same track before branching off to follow the Ulster Way most of the way back to the start. This is pretty level all the way with a mix of forest and clearfell areas, very easy and pleasant walking.

The Ulster Way is overlapped in this region by the International Appalachian Trail. New signage has been installed in the last 6 months or so and this is a later section than my previous walk in Killeter Forest a few weeks ago.

For food I took the usual packed lunch but also decided to take a gas cannister and stove for the first time ever. Normally I carry a flask of tea which usually results in a sub standard, stale tasting and lukewarm drink for lunch. Using the stove provided a very refreshing cup to accompany my sandwiches and definitely worth the slight extra weight.

The final 1.5-2km section is along a stretch of rural road. It’s a busy enough road but quieter than I expected this time. Also there was still lots of flowers to admire and nice scenery to enjoy along the way.

Despite the rest of the country being under a thunderstorm warning it managed to stay dry, warm and mostly sunny for the day. My back coped well and has continued to improve slightly every day since. I hope to get back on the bike for short spins this week.

snow makes everything better

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Turns out yesterday’s snow was just an indication of what was to come with heavy snow showers overnight resulting in a beautiful covering of snow for a bright and sunny morning.

I’d planned to walk the usual 4.5km before breakfast but was enjoying it so much I kept going for the longer 6km walk.

Lots of photos below but I could have taken hundreds. After yesterday’s mishaps I was particularly scundered* last night but this beautiful fresh landscape had changed everything this morning ☃☀

*scundered (scunnered in Scotland): one of the best emotion descriptive words I know, just one of the things we do particularly well in Ireland.

walking with a camera

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It’s very cold, frosty and icy here today. I couldn’t get enough motivation to go out on the bike. The road bike was a non starter and the MTB seemed too much like hard work!

The weather was bright and sunny though so I decided to head for the Five Crossroads forest with Rosie for a walk and to mess around with the “good” camera. I wanted to see if I could take better photos compared to using my phone camera.

We bought the camera approximately 6 years ago. It’s a Fujifilm Finepix S4800 and you can read a full review here. Essentially it’s a mid range camera with auto and manual features and a decent 30x zoom capability.

My phone is a Samsung A50 running Android v10 and it’s about 1 year old. Like the camera it’s also a mid range model with a decent camera and a full review can be found here.

Virtually all my photos are taken using the phone. The camera is bulky and delicate and requires planning and effort to have it with me and to get access to the photos afterwards. The phone is always on hand, photos are instantly accessible, backed up and easy to share. I decided to find out today if the extra effort is worth it.

These photos are samples of those taken using the camera.

The two below were taken using the phone.

A lot of the photos taken on the camera were blurry or over exposed due to the direct sunlight. Many of the long view shots were disappointing compared to what I could see. I was impressed by the close up shots and the zoomed ones though. The phone is obviously much better for the all important selfie shot and the software seemed better able to cope with the sun. The software also seems to add an extra warmth to the photos making them more appealing. I didn’t test the camera in low light but both the linked review above and my own experience confirm that the phone is poor in low light conditions.

My conclusion is that the phone will still be my go to option but the camera is worth the extra effort for family occasions, shots requiring zoom or close ups. If I was trained to use the camera properly I would probably get more use from it.

It was also a nice walk and close to the end I met my sister and husband out for a walk with their kids and dog. It was nice to see them as we’ve seen very little of each other due to various lockdowns and good to catch up.

Header image source: Wikimedia Commons.

sundays have become run days

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In the last couple of weeks Conor’s gaelic training has changed from Saturday afternoon to Sunday. It has put a real spanner in my cycling. His training starts at 1130am and finishes at 1245pm. It doesn’t give me enough time before unless I get up really early and afterwards I only have a couple of hours before darkness. I’ve found it difficult to get motivated to go out in the cold and wet afternoons. However, both of the last two Sundays I’ve made it out for a run.

Today my legs were feeling tired and heavy but the bright winter sunshine was nice to be out in. I did underestimate how cold the strong breeze was though and was glad to finish the warm up walk and start running.

There is a local 5K running event scheduled for Boxing Day. I’m still in two minds whether to enter or not. I’m not sure I can run the 5K without walking and I don’t see the point of doing it otherwise. I plan to run Tuesday and Thursday and then decide.

water, water, everywhere…