19th - 22nd April. Plenty of water on the Shannon Erne Waterway.

As soon as we were through Corraquil Lock, on the Shannon Erne Waterway, the higher water levels became evident. There was quite a flow on the Woodford River, needing more power from the engine to make way against the stream.

There is a lovely way through the woods from Ballyconnell, and under the trees, at this time of year, is a carpet of celandine and wood anenomes.

Carrying on beyond Ballyconnell, the tree reflections remind me of pictures seen in an art gallery!

As we head towards Skelan lock, foam from the weir is swirling in front of The Puzzler.

Luckily lock 3 was ready for us, and it was possible to get off the boat, once inside the lock. The water level is so high that even the bollards on the jetty below the lock are under water. The jetty lies between the life belt and the wall. It could have been a paddle to the shore!

On the far side of Skelan lock, the natural mossy look has been left.

There is certainly plenty of water going over the weir, beyond the lock, to create the foam.

The sky over Ballymagauran Lough shows promise of good weather to come.

At Haughton's Shore we are floating high against the wall.

However, our favourite mooring on the far side, is completely under water.

At Ballinamore there is a mooring below the river bridge, off the main waterway. This is handy both for shopping, and for getting diesel from the local agricultural suppliers. We were out of luck this time though as their diesel tank was empty! We will be able to fill up at Leitrim though, at the west end of the Shannon Erne Waterway.

Shannon found this boat, which is more her size, near to Kilclare Upper Lock.

The byflow below lock 15 is just waiting to catch The Puzzler unawares!

What a wet dog! Shannon is learning the hard way that she needs to jump, not step, on to the boat. Luckily she had her lifejacket on when she fell in at Leitrim. Tigerdog would have laughed!

An hour later, after a good towelling and brushing, she is as good as new.

15th - 18th April. From Enniskillen through Upper Lough Erne to Aghalane on the Shannon Erne Waterway

We are leaving Enniskillen for the summer. Enniskillen Castle can be seen behind Andy.

At Culky, Shannon decided to go exploring on her own. This is the first time that she has been allowed outside The Puzzler since she had her injections. She is fascinated by everything.

We spent the first night out of Enniskillen at Tullyinishmore. Shannon had to be on a lead here, as the sheep and lambs from the field next door had taken over the mooring. The resident kingfisher came to look at us too, but was rather camera-shy!

Is there anyone watching me?

Well, this does taste rather good!

On our way across Upper Lough Erne the wind got up and the waves were quite lively.

There is a note in our Navigational Guide which states: "Tirraroe provides good shelter if windy" so we decided to pull in there for a calm night. The end of the jetty is quite a long way out from the shore.

However, when the note in the Guide was written, it was referring to a northly or westerly wind. Today there is a south wind, which is unusual. Having pulled in to the mooring, we were pinned to the jetty by the wind and there was no escape! It was quite a rough night too! These waves are outside the galley window.

When the jetty is this colour, it is difficult to see Shannon. Her camouflage is effective.

By the time we reached Geaglum the next day, in calmer weather, Shannon was feeling confident enough to go exploring on her own.

For those of you who watched Blandings on TV recently, this is the Cot by the boathouse at Castle Crom which was used in the film.

The old castle at Crom is always an impressive sight from the lough.

From Upper Lough Erne we sailed on to the Shannon Erne Waterway. Shannon enjoys playing with a ball, but these new ones at Aghalane mooring are a bit too big for comfort!

Walking along from Aghalane, this sheep had crossed the ditch for greener pastures on the other side, and seemed to be quite stuck. However, at the offer of a helpful pull from Sally, she decided to slip back into the water, and go back where she had come from! She was very wet, but otherwise fine.

1st - 14th April. Still in Enniskillen. Shannon, and St Michael's Flower festival.

As Shannon has not yet had her second injection, she has been exercising along the roof of The Puzzler. She is already in training for agility!

Shannon is quite happy to wear her new lifejacket while she watches life on the river.

She enjoys going out for a walk, even if it is in the rucksack.

We went to visit Margo, who is 97 years older than Shannon! They both enjoyed meeting each other.

There was a Flower Festival at St. Michael's this week. This is the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Enniskillen and is a very impressive building.

We enjoyed seeing all the lovely flower arrangements. They had been placed in every nook and cranny, causing concern to one lady. This conversation took place as a result of this.
Lady: Where can confession be heard today?
Priest: Oh, there is no confession today.
Lady: What about tomorrow then?
Priest: No, there is no confession here at all this week.
Lady: But I must go to confession as soon as possible!
Priest: Why? What have you done? Have you committed a murder?
There was no answer to this!

Every day there is police activity on the river as all the visiting police are trained in readiness for the G8 conference, which will be five miles from Enniskillen, just downstream at the Loch Erne centre. There do not seem to be any Health and Safety issues about how many people can be crammed into one of these dinghies!

As Shannon cannot go for regular walks until next week, from above she looks rather like a doorstop in shape!

She has a new bed so is trying it out for size.

All her toys can fit in it too!

26th - 31st March. River life on the Erne and a trip to the Atlantic Coast.

The swans at the Round “O” are more active now that spring is in the air.

Big Red went up under Enniskillen Bridge earlier today, pushing an empty work barge and has returned with a large digger on board. Work is continuing everywhere in preparation for the G8 Conference.

This new weedcutter was launched at the Round “O” slipway this morning. After a few turns around the river, pretending to cut non-existent weed, he is coming out of the water again. Presumably everything is in working order!

We measured Shannon for a lifejacket, but she had outgrown it by the time it arrived! This replacement jacket is two sizes bigger, and should fit her for a while.

 

We are staying with Maurice and Janet for Easter. This waterfall on the Roogagh River is just above the village of Garrison.

A typical Irish cottage in County Leitrim.

The cliffs above Glencar are as spectacular as ever.

Across on the other side of Glencar, is the shamrock of deciduous trees, which were planted among the conifers.

At Rosses Point, this bronze sculpture of a girl, called Waiting on Shore, is reaching to those out at sea.

This plaque can be seen on the wall below the statue.

The statue of a boy on the rock in the bay is very lifelike. He is made of metal and has a light alongside him to warn ships of danger. The wrecks of some ships from the Spanish Armada were found near here.

Lord Mountbatten’s House stands high above us as we head for Mullaghmore.

The gates of the house still bear the insignia, M of B, for Mountbatten of Burma. It is quite poignant to see this.

The Atlantic rollers breaking over the rocks at Mullaghmore Head were really spectacular.

The wind was bitterly cold as we walked out along the breakwater outside Mullaghmore Harbour.