Working On The Bucket List

Hellooooooooo!
I am so glad to be back for our daily visits!!

On Saturday I posted a quick picture (this one) on the farm's Facebook page.


It was meant to be a teaser as to what I have been up to these past two weeks.
No, we did not add sheep to our farm (although I would love to!)
I had hinted that I was checking something off our my bucket list...
and that is just what we did.


We spent the past two weeks in Scotland and Ireland!
What beautiful countries!
(Almost as beautiful as I think our farm is.)


We traveled all over each country, saw amazing sights, sampled unique cuisine,
and met the most friendly, engaging people.

We traveled back in time...

walking the footsteps of William Wallace (Braveheart) and Rob Roy,

and learned about some of the ancient history of the British Isles.


We saw fortresses...


castles...


quaint towns, older than anything in this country.


We enjoyed tea and scones, almost on a daily basis,
(a lovely ritual that I think we should adopt!).


The Scottish highlands are spectacular...


the Scottish moors, beautifully austere...


 Edinburgh, 


with it's ancient castle towering above the city...


Scotland offers beauty around every bend...


There is something so touching about the sound of Amazing Grace as it's played on the pipes...


A brief stop in Belfast, Northern Ireland, gave us a chance to tour the Titanic museum,


and see where the show "Game of Thrones" is made.



Ireland, with it verdant pastures stretching as far as the eye can see...



its's rocky coastline offering the Cliffs of Mohrer...


(we had unusually spectacular weather)


quaint villages...


 abandoned and ruined abbeys, castles and fortresses dot the countryside...


I took so many, many pictures...
too many to share here.


We toured the Guinness brewery...
(Hubbs learned to pour the perfect pint.)

visited Blarney Castle...


(and no, we did not kiss the Blarney Stone...we did see it however...
too many other lips had touched that spot before us!)

We took a horse carriage ride 


through a national park


 to visit a grand old estate... one whose history boasts a visit from Queen Victoria.


We spent a night in a castle...


For me, one of the highlights was a visit to an Irish sheep farm.


We watched their sheepdog work the sheep...


watched the farmer shearing...


bottle fed lambs...




and lost ourselves in the ambiance of a quaint, 250 yr. old farmhouse 


with its thatched roof.


Adorable cuteness everywhere we looked!


It was a magical two weeks...
but the best part of all was coming home!
I am so glad to be back amongst my friends.
There's no place like home!

Tomorrow I will fill you in on how all of our farm friends are doing!

Comments

Oh wow! So that's what you have been up to! Scotland and Ireland are on my bucket list too; all that history and beautiful scenery. Your photos are great, and it seems you had perfect weather. You looked so excited to be feeding that lamb!
I bet you had a big welcome from all your farm friends on your return! Looking forward to hearing what they have been up to as well!

Kathy
jaz@octoberfarm said…
welcome home!!! i thought about you guys a lot and wondered how you were enjoying your trip! i think of ireland and scotland each time i drive through the laurel highlands. they sure are beautiful countries. did you eat lots of salmon and soda bread? glad you didn't kiss the blarney stone. a lot more has touched it than just lips...yuck! let's just say the local kids have lots of fun with it!
Anonymous said…
What a whirlwind of a time, and so lucky that you had someone to take care of the farm animals for you. It must have been hard to leave them behind for a while, and yet a much needed vacation for you I am sure... xox Thanks so much for sharing your trip photos with all of us... bet you took a million photos!
Abby Frances said…
Both of those beautiful countries are on my bucket list as well! It is wonderful that you took some time off and enjoyed yourselves. Thank you for sharing your photos. They are beautiful.
Abby Frances said…
Both of those beautiful countries are on my bucket list as well! It is wonderful that you took some time off and enjoyed yourselves. Thank you for sharing your photos. They are beautiful.
Anonymous said…
Squeals of delight! Terri C
Anke said…
What a fabulous trip and gorgeous photos! Never been there myself but would love to go one day...
Cindy said…
Lucky you! That is also on my list - such beautiful countries. Your pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Jennifer said…
Welcome back! Oh my! What a beautiful, magical two week time you had! All that history, all that mystery! Stunning scenery. How did you leave it behind!? LOL
colleen said…
Good morning. Been chomping at the bit to see what you've been up to!! Looks like you had a fun filled two weeks. Love all the pictures....feels like I just took a vacation just looking at them. I will go back and look at them all at least once more. You take care and glad you are back home....as I need my DAILY dose of your blog. Keep up the good work.
What a lot of fun! I would love to spend the night in one of those castles, though I probably wouldnt sleep. Id sneak around like Harry Potter lol! The farmhouse and sheep look so adorable!
Patsy from Illinois said…
We missed you! I sure missed my daily Bee Haven fix. I was starting to get a little twitchy, lol. So glad you had a good trip. With two Irish grandfathers, I have always wanted to take a trip to Ireland. Loved the country houses. What were they like inside? Are they very rustic? Anyway, I am looking forward to my daily Bee Haven dose again.
Unknown said…
What a wonderful trip! My grandma was from Edinburgh so it was fun to see your pictures! Glad you are home to share more blog posts...missed you.
This N That said…
You sure lucked out with the weather..Glad you had some hands on animal time..Never been to Scotland but a lot of your Ireland pictures looked familiar..Love the castles and the History that goes with them..So glad you're back..Hugs
Laura Sudderth said…
The hills are alive with the sound of music...oh, sorry wrong country. But those beautiful green hills! So glad you both had wonderful weather! There are five places I would like to see: Alaska (and not from a cruise ship), Greece, Tahiti, Ireland and Scotland. A friend of mine went to Ireland for two weeks and she never made any type of reservations for lodging. She just met people on the local bus and they invited her to their homes! So glad you both are back home safe and sound. There truly is no place like home and your own bed.
Anonymous said…
So glad you had a wonderful trip! I know how hard it is to leave the farm animals, so I'm anxious to hear how they fared during your absence. Beautiful photography!
Suzan said…
LOVELY shots!! What a wonderful visit!!
Anonymous said…
So glad to hear you had w trip of a lifetime : ) One day I hope to visit them too. Beautiful pictures. Patty/NS
Lynne said…
What a fabulous few weeks for you. Two of my all time favorite places to visit. I have not been to Belfast though . . . Did you. Visit the Giant's Causeway?
diane c. said…
Wow. What a wonderful reason to be away. Your pictures are just wonderful. It makes me want to take a vacation there too! So glad you're back. You were missed!!!!
happyone said…
Your post brought back many memories. I love both countries. I lived in Scotland for 4 years in the 70's. We lived in Kinnaird Castle in Brechin (The Laundry Room Flat) and my daughter was born there.

In 2006 we took a walking vacation with The Wayfarers and walked the Ring of Kerry in Ireland.

So nice seeing all the beautiful scenes and sights from both countries.
Glad to hear you had such a wonderful time.
Rain said…
Wonderful photos!! Lovely trip!!
Oh, my gosh! What an awesome vacation! Scotland and Wales have long been places that I ache to visit. I want to walk out on those moors and feel the wind...
It's always good to be home - but great shots from abroad. Thank you so much for sharing....!
Ireland is amazing, I've never been to Scotland, it looks just beautiful. It looks like you had a great trip! Welcome home!