Safe Return Doubtful

The place at Magheragallan beach in Gweedore Bay was ideal for the weekend. It was out of the wind, which was above 30 mph at times, and I don’t think it got less than 20. The area is a small peninsula just to the north of Derrybeg town where the sports facilities are, two swimming piers with a beach in between, a soccer pitch, a GA pitch, and a golf course. Twice, on Sunday morning and today, I took a very slow jog around the perimeter of it, about 5 miles. The route is an excellent one, on beaches for about half of it, and the other on a trail around the golf course. 

On Sunday morning there was a Gaelic Football match on, and I stood as the solitary spectator, in the drizzly rain, for about half an hour. After ten minutes or so, one of the coaches came over and asked if I was a scout. I should have played up to it, but I was more interested to know a bit more about how the sport was doing. It seemed disappointing that there was no one watching at all. The sport is struggling for numbers at the amateur club level like rugby union, also 15 a side, with substitutes needed, it’s a big commitment to be training and fit enough to last the 60 minutes, on a pitch that’s 140 metres by 90 metres. The situation of this particular field means that the game is very often subject to a strong wind blowing down the pitch; which at least means play seems to be concentrated in one half, almost throughout. 

Highlights of the rest of the weekend included a much needed exciting British and Irish Lions game, the Test Match, though the Old Trafford wicket is one that needs some immediate attention, and three decent films; Barbara, a German film from 2012, Carol, from 2015 based on the Patricia Highsmith novel, Mother!, from 2017 with a totally over the top last hour, and Hanna, from 2011, a thriller, which usually I struggle with, but I enjoyed this. 

Roja has continued to very steadily improve. I took him off the Tramodol on Sunday morning as the side effects mean loss of appetite and constipation. It had done its job, the pain is all but gone. He is walking on the left leg now, putting some weight on it, but it’s only 25 metres at a time. I took him back to the vet in Letterkenny today to get a Librela injection. If it helps, we can get another one at this much cheaper price before being back in the UK. The vet is still quite pessimistic about the degree and swelling in the shoulder. My vet in Penrith had been in April also, and has indeed before. I’m hoping that in a couple of weeks he can walking without a limp, and maybe for 15 minutes or so. It does affect what I can do if we get a hot spell, which looks unlikely at present on the west coast here. Currently, with 14 to 18C, it’s fine to leave him in the van while I’m out. 

After our appointment at the vets in mid-afternoon we drove south for ninety minutes to a bit of coast a few kilometres to the west of Killybegs, Muckross Head. There’s an excellent place to stop, and a short walk in the headland which I’ve just done before a sea fret came in and the view was lessened.