Last week, when we left Paddy and Plunkett, they were halfway around the wonderful gardens at Powerscourt Estate, just south of Dublin in Co. Wicklow. They’ve seen a lot already…
…But there’s still plenty left for curious Beasties to explore! Let’s join them as they’re taking a breather in the peaceful environs of the arboretum. What great, deep conversations are they having on that elegant stone bench, I wonder?
“Reminds me a bit of the scenes on Endor from Return of the Jedi, this place.”
“No way, Plunkett! It’s the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, from the Harry Potter films!”
Uh-oh, this could get ugly. Quick, let’s distract them with games… Pine cone football, anyone?
Or how about a round of hide and seek? There must be millions of good hiding places in here!
“Found you, Paddy! Now it’s my turn to hide.”
But, as usual, Paddy has a trick up his woolly sleeves.
“If I climb up this gate…”
“…I’ll be able to see everything!”
The gates in the gardens at Powerscourt are something else – the one Paddy has chosen to scale here is the Venetian Gate, which has been a feature here since 1900. Its curling vine leaf design makes it the perfect way to enter the Herbaceous Border section of the gardens, and it’s positively gleaming since its restoration in 2016. Or how about the Bamberg Gate?
It originally graced the entrance of Bamberg Cathedral in Germany, and is 240 years old! It also recently had a facelift, and even the attendant eagles on the pillars got a shiny new coat of gold paint.
Ah – while we’ve been admiring the gates, Paddy has uncovered Plunkett’s secret hiding place. Now they’re off to have a better look at the walled garden. Inspired by his recent gate-climbing exploits, Paddy is keen to convince Plunkett to enjoy the views from on high as well.
“Come on, Plunkett! Nearly there!”
“This had better be worth it… Oh, look at those statues!”
“And what’s that up on the hill?”
The boys have no choice but to investigate further… Although they make time to stop for lunch along the way.
And, at journey’s end, they find themselves in a very peculiar place.
It’s the old family pet cemetery! Much less scary than the one in the Stephen King story, this one has memorials to faithful hounds and, if you look at the older headstone on the right, less conventional “pets” like cows get a look-in too.
But the boys can’t help wondering about the headstone they’re standing beside in the photo – what type of animal was Teddy? And what exactly brought about his mysterious, “accidental” demise? Join them in their wild speculations in the comments below – it is nearly Hallowe’en, after all!
And we’ll be back next week, with more monster shenanigans… See you then!
This beautiful beach with its tempting turquoise waters greeted the boys as they set out from 
“Plunkett! LOOK!”
… He will be able to admire its 21 soaring arches in relative peace.
The port at Mallaig is the gateway to the Western Isles, and although Paddy would happily have traded in his rail ticket for the chance to be captain of a pirate ship, Plunkett gently reminded him that this post is supposed to be about trains. Speaking of which… We’ve another one to catch! Don’t be late!
Plunkett reckoned that it was close enough – this still-active steam train is 
A few trains later, the boys were back in Glasgow… And because travelling Beasties know how to have a good time, they invited themselves into an empty penthouse suite in a nearby hotel for a little R&R.
“Can’t talk! Eating!”
“Not bad at all! Hey Plunkett, where are we off to next?”
Well, I can now reveal that this place with the lovely view is Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands!
It may be shrouded in mist, but it’s pretty difficult to hide completely. It’s Scotland’s highest mountain, after all!
“This is the sally port, Paddy! They used it to bring in supplies by boat back in the day. Look at that stonework…”
Perfect for little short Beastie legs! And luckily for the boys, just as their paws began to get tired, they happened upon a friendly local who offered them a lift home.
We’ll rejoin the boys in a couple of weeks. Next week… A new Beastie friend for you all to meet. And this one has SO MANY ACCESSORIES!
The lads do enjoy a nice trip on the train.
Um, Cullywherenow?
And it doesn’t stop with leprechauns, either. Look out, Plunkett… Here be dragons!
Oh, and unicorns and fairies too!
But you might be surprised to learn that these wondrous creatures are not the reason Paddy and Plunkett took the train to Cullybackey. Well, not the only reason.
Ta-daaaaaah! Bluebells galore!
This incredible display is in 
So, where’s he got to?
And on the other side… It’s a Beastie-sized cabin!
You’d better get the kettle on, Paddy… I think Plunkett will need a big cup of tea when he eventually tracks you down!
This boutique distillery is proud of its small size, and the owners are eager to keep as much of their production in-house as possible. That means using locally-grown grain as the base for their gin, whiskey, vodka and poitín, distilling and bottling everything in that cool-looking building in the photo above… And even designing their own specialised equipment to help the process along!
Those apple trees are pretty special – they’re descendants of a variety created for the original owners of the land where the distillery stands! They’ve a bit of growing to do yet, but I’m sure the Echlinville folks are already dreaming up fun things to make from those apples.
Hey there, Garcia Beastie! Loyal BeastieBlog readers may remember this fuzzy little guy as one of my very early commissions. The post where I introduce him is still knocking about 
Too late. I suppose it’s for the best that Garcia Beastie left his skis at home today!
Then the sun kept on shining all day… And Easter Monday too! Time to catch some rays.
Of course, you can’t count on the sun to stick around in these parts. So when we went to the beach on Tuesday…
“Hey, where did the good weather go?”
… But we had more fun looking for curious things on the tideline. And where could that mysterious gate lead?
Next, a little break to sit and watch the world (and some of the local bird life) go by. A perfect end to a relaxing holiday!
So, did any of you get away for a spring break? Be sure to tell us all about your adventures in the comments!
… And look, I’ve finally caught up with them – in the vegetable garden!
Meanwhile, Plunkett is checking out his rhubarb for signs of life. Hmmm, looks like we could almost have an early harvest soon!
But, pleasant as the thought of hot summer days spent munching juicy raspberries may be, that’s not going to fill any Beastie bellies today! And the first rumblings of Paddy’s stomach add a sudden note of urgency to this vegetable garden foray… What can the boys find to eat right now? Surely there has to be something better on the menu than parsley and baby rhubarb stew?
Hurray for kale! Super tasty, and super good for you… And very much in season, even right now! YUM!
But then Paddy popped up, and suggested that it might be nice to take a wander outside.
Turns out he’s pretty persuasive.
… Although some of these places are easier to get to than others.
Still, if it’s winter colour you’re after, this cheerful display of berries certainly fits the bill!
The view’s not bad either. Look how green everything is!
And when the boys spotted some long grass on the other side of the hedge, they knew exactly what to do next…
There’s always time for a quick game of hide and seek!
