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The Irish Stud

I am putting today's musings and photos in now although I have a few other days to also add. But I am getting so far behind that if I don't make some kind of stab at this, I will forget how wonderful today was.

My childhood friend, Milda, flew into Dublin this morning for a three-day visit. I actually flew in the night before from Bristol, where I was visiting Sheila and FINALLY picking up the clothes we left at her house in December. Milda and I started Grade 1 together many years ago and were together in every grade up to our Junior year in High School. We lost track of each other when we went to different universities and then different careers but we reconnected several years ago thanks to the Internet. It's been wonderful having someone who has that kind of history with me. You know the feeling where you can talk about your childhood and someone remembers what you are actually talking about--parents, boyfriends, teachers, Montreal, etc...?

Anyway, I picked her up in Dublin at her friend's house. Sunshine, golden and warm. After discussion, we decided to visit the Irish Stud horse farm which also contains a gorgeous Japanese garden. It is located in Carlow, not far from where we were first based when we arrived in Ireland in December. We took the information tour around the horsey part and learned more than we probably wanted to know about horse breeding. Poor fillies--they are pregnant 11 months, give birth, and are then given 21 days before they get it back on with a stallion, fall pregnant.... I kind of feel it is the equine equivalent to a puppy farm but have to confess that the horse farm is way more luxurious than a puppy farm is.






Yes, fillies and foals looked very happy and they had loads of room to run and play. But somehow there is still something about breeding horses for racing and, if they don't turn out to be good racers, gelding them for steeplechase jumping, that makes me a little queasy. Oh well.









Our guide then took us to look at the "top" stallion, Invincible Spirit, who commands a stud fee of $120,000 a go. He looked fairly mellow but I guess he has quite. . .well, let's spare our blushes, shall we?



I actually enjoyed St. Fiachra's Garden and the Fairy Forest more.







St. Fiachra is the patron saint of gardens and French taxi cab drivers. Wait, French taxi cab drivers? Well, let's see. He was an Irish herbalist in the 7th century. So popular was he that to get his monastic solitude he moved to France. He proved to be equally popular in Meaux, where he died in 670. Now, how he came to be associated with French taxi cab drivers is unknown to me being as I doubt there were any in the mid 7th century. However, I did look him up in Wikipedia and he is indeed patron saint of taxi cab driers as well as hemorrhoids, fistulas, box makers, florists, hosiers, pewterers, tilemakers, and those suffering from infertility (with thanks to Wikipedia.) A day of blushes it seems--hemorrhoids indeed!

After touring the Stud farm, we went to the Japanese Garden which features a Journey of Life walk through various parts of the garden.

Milda at the Cave of Birth

Me at the Cave of Ignorance
On the Hill of Learning
Still on the Hill of Learning




The Marriage Path (1)
The Marriage Path (2)
The Hill of Ambition
The Island of Joy and Wonder
At the Well of Wisdom




And, at the end of the Journey of Life, the Chair of Old Age





After such a tiring journey [smile] we repaired to a lovely lunch at the tea room and sat at a picnic table with this beautiful view




 Yes it was a day of Ireland's best weather and fun. When we arrived in Dunmore we walked the dog and then we three all went out to dinner at The Spinnaker Inn.


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