Life has been lashed out of the long spiked grass, it's swaying on its stalks like straw. Windblown chamomiles crowd at random as carelessly scattered solar sprinkles, inter-dotted by diffident daisies.This summer has mistreated Nature.
The wind has flagellated the montbretias and the rain in turn has drowned them. You've got to be an optimist to have your van dressed up with solar panels. Every so often I need to let the engine idle to power up my computer. And then to think this is the middle of the summer.
But the rain is also reason for good cheer. I've found a well again, on direction of my next-door neighbour Gerry. Between Slieve Elva and Black Rock a river that collects the rain in Caher Valley runs in rapids to the sea.
The valley narrows from a width of six km and 300 metres high on opposite sides to a kilometre wide between heights of 200 metres. The drop in about seven km is about 150 metres. The byroad is partly lined by sturdy walls for when the Caher River overflows. Then a stampede of rock blocks bursts in fury through the ravine. But mostly it's a gorgeous babble that only raises its voice in the rain. In one of the walls is a stile and close thereunder is a shallow, over grass grown dip with crystal clear water, upon which diligent whirligigs circle. With a sawn-off bottle I can fill up two fivelitres before the water gets cloudy, but then I have a liquid silver that even pales Kilshanny water. Now civilised people may observe with dismay that I drink water in which animals hang out, but may I remind you that the same creatures die from poisoning in your drinking water. This water is filtered by a couple of hundred metres of limestone and has an awesome quench factor. Of course I could not resist to also taste the equally clear water from the river itself, but that was plain foul.
The last part of Caher Valley is very sought-after by landscape painters. Sometimes there's a fair number of them and indeed, the valley sometimes has the allure of a garden of Eden. Except for dramatic, steep walls and a rock-strewn river also floral idylls thrive.
Bundles of harebells,
fields of meadowsweet
and remarkably many purple species.
Also patches with ox-eyed daisy tapestries. These would show best if I could photograph them from above. I estimated the slope, but thought it too steep to climb. Not for myself. If I fall I'll heal again, but my camera doesn't. My eye roved further higher and there, very steep and just under the crest I saw a pack of wild goats. I knew them to be about, but I only saw them once before, when they came by the meadow, running the rocks. It was a splotchy lot. They stood drying in the sun after a galore shower.
After a while they billied off.
All this paradisiacal nearly makes you forget Dusty, but that's the other good news. Mona Lisa, the TV production company that in 2009 filmed the footage for the documentary 'Manimal' has sent me the complete DVD as I have participated in this as well. A large part of this has been broadcast by ARTE in France and Germany on June 30th. The film consists of nine parts which I'd like to display on my YouTube channel in as many editions.
Modification: Unfortunately ARTE does not give permission to publish the documentary 'Manimal' in its entirity. However, it is permitted to publish some fragments of a few minutes. That I hope to do in the next editions of Dolphin Address.
Years ago the Hawaiian biologist Ken Martin demonstrated that dolphins can watch television and that they recognise themselves in a mirror. It may take a while until Apple launches an underwater computer, but then I would love to show Dusty her part in 'Manimal'. Until then telepathy will have to do.