What's that bright light up in the sky?

Well, a sunny morning. Are we still in Ireland? 

It wasn't an early start but at 10 am we headed for our Walk with Alpacas near Newtownmountkennedy. I decided to drive as much of the route as possible without the bossy Ms Google wanting us to use all the tiniest, narrowest roads. We fairly sailed along to Blessington and had gone too far. But we still had plenty of time and I actually needed my sunglasses to drive. We did get a scare when it clouded over but that didn't last long.

The directions, when we let Ms Google have her say, took us over the Wicklow gap where we encountered a few healthy-looking sheep beside the road in a couple of spots. The ride was uneventful and thanks to a slow-moving van ahead of us, we could do a bit of neck-craning to see the views. Relax, it was Heather who looked around, I was watching that van and trying to shout that it was possible to shift up to 3rd gear if he'd give it a try.

Making good progress we got a message from K2 Alpacas that there had been an accident on the road and to use a different route. We didn't know any other route but they didn't say from which direction, so we just chugged on. All the while we were getting hungry. Breakfast was a piece of toast and a bit of scrambled egg. But our mouths were getting ready for some soup with brown bread. It's everywhere.

Well, now we know that's no longer true. There was a Taco Truck with some unappetizing options, but otherwise, K2 has no cafe and offered coffee and hot chocolate machines, chocolate bars, Pringles, cookies and cupcakes. I settled on a hot chocolate and a small can of Pringles that I didn't finish. I wondered if I'd have the energy for the walk. I did - barely.

It has been a little wet - have I mentioned our weather? The grounds were a bit muddy but one of the guides suggested that I use a pair of their rubber boots. Thank goodness I did. The ground practically sucked them down and I might well have walked right out of the old runners I'd thought would work. Heather had brought Wellies from home so she was all set.

Eventually the guides and us and fellow trekkers, rounded up the alpacas - quite the feat in itself. I'd like to think that the trekkers helped and I suppose by holding the rope and moving ever forward, we did. Once the small herd of males was in the designated enclosure they were put on leashes, ready for our walk. Each of us was given our own alpaca. Heather had Tom and I had Little Ted. Tom led the way and Little Ted brought up the rear. He has little leadership ambition but is a reasonable follower. He did stop along the way to take in the scenery and munch on the grass but we were never too far behind.

We fed them a sort of enriched kibble and posed for photos. It was a delightful experience. There were 9 trekkers and a leader in each of today's two groups. It was chilly but not too windy and the sun shone the entire time.

The trekkers with Little Ted and Tom

Following a suggestion from Lynne, we drove to the Horse and Hound in Delgany and enjoyed a prawn stir fry with bok choy in a delicious broth, along with some tasty flatbread, served hot. It was just enough and very tasty. By then I might have even enjoyed some of the kibble we fed to Little Ted and Tom.

We decided to take the quickest route back. The part on the M11 was super. There was a fair amount of traffic but no slowdowns and it seemed like no time when we had to exit and follow a secondary road. Those R roads are very good. They have a centre line. But then it came time to let Ms Google have her way with us again on the L roads. Some even have grass growing in the middle. There is no centre line. In many many places there is no room for two small cars to pass. We were exceedingly fortunate that no passing was required.

The problem became the sun. Parts of our route had us headed west. On more than one of these L roads, it was low and directly in our eyes. Even putting one hand up to try to block the glare wasn't enough. On those occasions I used 1st gear and tried to peek at the hedge on the left and keep as close to it as possible. We had no idea if anything was even coming. Luckily, nothing did. I guess there were 3 or 4 of those terrifying occasions which each covered a few dozen yards of distance. 

When we were nearing Shillelagh, and almost home, there was a flock of pheasants on the road. They almost always fly out of the way. Almost. Sadly, we heard the stupid one who refused to budge, make contact, possibly a couple of times, with the underside of the car. I sure hope it finished him off because he would have been terribly injured. We couldn't stop nor could we have done anything if we had. Heather was aghast, but I was not about to jam on the brakes, with a car not too far behind, just because a single stupid pheasant stood his ground.

Anway, we are home and going to have a little nap before meeting the Byrnes for Heather to say good-bye and a possible visit to Egan's where much of their family has gathered in the pub. It could happen that music will break out. Fingers crossed.