Day 14. The end of the rainbow

Today was a truly beautiful one, a day spent car-rambling across Clare, right up into Burren Country. I started off by meandering my way to Cratloe Woods and the pretty Craughan Cemetery.

Then is was straight on past Ennis, Corofin and the wonderfully named Killinaboy (Scott couldn't believe that one when he saw it!) to the magnificant Leamanah Castle, home of the infamous Maire Rua who allegedly kept a harem of young men dressed as maidservants, marrying twenty-five of them, and the casually dispatching them when bored by throwing them off the tower. (She also tortured and killed the real maidservants.) The castle looks amazing - the great big stone elements of the windows are still there, and it's suprisingly complete, except for the roof.

Then I literally followed a rainbow - across Famine villages, down roads, by Inchiquin lake (where the banshee is heard to howl), through Carren cemetery and Killinaboy cemetery and on to Clare Abbey in Ennis.

A beautiful day. And it nearly didn;t happen. I dropped Scott to Shannon, then drove to Ennis. Stopped for petrol and realised I didn't have my purse. So drove sadly all the way home, picking up my neighbour Betty en route. Betty advised me to go again anyhow, as the day was so fine and that the Burren would be beautiful. Betty, you were right! I've learned something new - don't give up on a great day out due to setbacks.

And to top it all off, I pressed the final button on Submittable to send my 'The Witch That Got Hurt' off to Fey Publishing.

Today was the epitome of that final sentence beloved of primary school essayists when describing formative experiences - 'And then I went home, tired but happy.'