A heavy load.

Another wet day ... although early morning was lovely.  But, by lunch time the rain was starting and when this photograph was taken we had constant rain.
Round bales are a relatively modern phenomena.  In "my young days" the small rectangular bales were tied with wire and popped out of the back of the baler.  Then we had to grab them and stack them in threes so that they'd dry more evenly.  Now these great cylinders lie all over the fields at harvest like some monsters from outer space!
But you don't often see THREE of them being carried on a front loader!  How the driver of this tractor could see ... I don't know.  Most of the time they were being carried just above the ground surface ... but then ... as he needed to turn into a side road the hydraulics lifted the bales high above the cab.

Typically at that point the autofocus on the camera zoomed in to the raindrops ... but it still made an interesting picture.  We'd not had to follow him for too long ... but thankfully long enough to get the pictures!
That was a country road that I've not be on before.  Two friends and I were returning from a rather good meal at a restaurant we'd been thinking about testing out for ages.

The Tannery has a good reputation and our experience today would back that up one hundred per cent.  All three of our main courses were excellent - the plate above is described as a "Lite Bite" and is a selection of Indian foods, attractively presented and very tasty.

The dessert menu followed and this delightful plateful is called Chocolate Nemesis!  

Lunch today was time off in lieu of the work that I had to do yesterday!  And enjoyed very much.

Now ... after a day of rain it is snowing.  Down at sea level it probably won't lie for long although at midnight there is a good dusting everywhere.  It will be interesting to see how it is tomorrow morning. 

As we go to sleep in the relative peace and comfort of our homes in Northern Ireland it is sobering to think of the devastation that the people of Japan are having to face on this day after that awful earthquake ... and the New Zealand one still fresh in memory ... and that's not forgetting all the other areas of the world that have been in the news for civil unrest, war, natural disasters and many more causes of grief and sickness ... 

O Christ our Lord,

as in times past,

not all the sick and suffering

found their own way to your side,

but had to have their hands taken,

or their bodies carried,

or their names mentioned;

so we, confident of your goodness,

bring others to you.

As in times past,

you looked at the faith of friends

and let peace and healing be known,

look on our faith,

even our little faith,

and let your kingdom come. 

John Bell.