Saturday night ...

A visit to the optician for a check up (now that the black eye is fading) gave the opportunity to spend a night in Kilkeel ... and ... with no television ... my evening was spent listening to records!  Yes, you read that correctly ... records!  (There's no damage to the eye apart from the bruising.)
There's quite a collection of records and it was good to revisit these old friends ... and some of them are very old indeed!

 At some stage they need to be listed and/or classified ...

 ... for now ... it's just a random pick.

 ... and a visit down memory lane!

Eliot wasn't particularly interested so found a spot on the carpet and just sat at my feet.  He was much happier today when we were able to sit outside a cafe in Newcastle and enjoy a coffee ... they brought him a generous dish of water so we were both happy.  He attracts a lot of attention and a number of folk stopped to pat him ... one lad got down on the pavement beside him and gave Eliot a good rub!

It was a glorious morning ...

... although when we returned to Belfast there was rain and sleet.  What a contrast within a thirty mile radius.

A day off is good ... time to rest, reflect, review, relax ... time to breathe fresh air and clean windows ... vacuum floors ... cut grass ... and pick flowers!

This camellia was hiding behind the plant in the shade ... it's a beautiful white bush but the flowers very quickly become damaged and browned.  The season for them is so short ... it was lovely to get this one just before the remainder of the buds open.
There were a few daffodils too and they've come back with me to be enjoyed over the weekend.

One of the other things about being away is the opportunity to sample food in favourite restaurants ... this gorgeous dessert is a Jaffa Cake ... very light, orange-flavoured sponge smothered in chocolate sauce!  If you're around Sea Salt then I'd recommend it very highly.  It is a lot lighter than it looks ... you can't always go by appearances!

You might even find some "wee buns" in one of the local shops!

Now, Saint Patrick's Day tomorrow ... I do hope he finds the stone that needs to be turned over as it is still cold and wet here ...

Eliot doesn't stand a chance of getting a long walk unless Saint Patrick does his stuff!