Hello there Beastie friends! I hope you’re all staying safe and keeping well in these strange times. I thought I’d do something a little different today, and share a behind-the-scenes story… My Christmas in the countryside!
I usually head north of the border to spend the festive season with my family in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, Coronavirus laughed in the face of my holiday plans. But luckily, Boyfriend’s family stepped in and “adopted” me for a couple of days, and Christmas Eve saw us both scooting westwards on the train to the peace and quiet of County Roscommon.
It was so nice to leave the city behind for a couple of days, and I made sure to head out for a walk every day to enjoy the sights and sounds of the countryside! Care to join me?
Now, we are in Ireland here, so it rained A LOT. Can you tell?
And while some shadowy thickets retained a feeling of chilly mystery when the clouds parted…
… In some places the winter sun broke through the trees and made the empty fields glow.
Gotta love those quiet roads and wide open skies.
And there are wonders right at your feet in the undergrowth, too.
These alien-looking marvels are fungi called earthstars. They pop up in the same place every year, so I always make sure to check in on them when I’m in the neighbourhood.
Then as the sun slipped below the horizon, I headed for home… Just as the moon started to rise over the fields.
But where was Explorer Beastie while all this was going on? Ummm…
Well, I suppose the holidays are a time to rest up and recharge your batteries.
So, did the pandemic throw a spanner in the works of your usual end-of-year activities? And did you end up doing something different but equally fun? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!
… Paddy is, as ever, happy to oblige. Revisit his attempt to obtain gainful seasonal employment from a certain jolly Beastie in a red suit 
… Or overindulge in high-calorie foods.
But you may wish to take your mind off the Beastie-shaped gap in your life by perusing the shelves of our 
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!
Ooooh, look at that Christmas tree!
Then I lost him for a moment – I could have sworn he was right next to this leaf and berry arrangement a second ago!
Aha! Found him. That’s some pretty good camouflage, though.
That’s better!
