Today is gonna’ be the best day of our lives…

Week two started on the farm with some life drawing, and a continuation of our drawing and photo projects from the previous week. Julie introduced weaving to the group, and we managed to squeeze in a few juggling and cartwheel lessons as well.

Our trip to Cork started at Blarney Castle where everyone got a chance to kiss the famous stone. A few were surprised to see it wasn’t made of gold or covered in jewels, and its hard to tell if its powers bestowed the gift of eloquence to anyone since the group as a whole never seems to be at a loss for words. After a quick walk through the grounds we headed to Cork City for a beautiful lunch at the English Market. Afterwords, four different groups gave Frank an Iron Chef challenge by picking some surprise ingredients for dinner. On the menu were diced lamb, field mushrooms, camembert cheese and cucumber. A visit to the Lewis Glucksman gallery and a trad session rounded out our day.

Early on our second day in Cork we headed to Cape Clear Island. On the bus ride Mary-Kate and Julie worked their musical magic and willed us an absolutely beautiful day. A long hike along the coast to an old castle and a trip to a goat farm for some ice-cream were followed by some leisure time and sunbathing by the water. After dinner we had a talent show where Manya, Victoria and Mary-Kate shared top honors. The next morning some went for a kayak trip around the inlet and explored a nearby cave.

Back at the farm we were greeted by Manya’s sister Devra. We’re lucky we had her here for our Sunday morning brunch as she led the efforts for some excellent huevos rancheros. Be sure to check out our updated photos page for all the new images!