This weekend I tried to spend as much time as possible outside when the weather was good. On Saturday myself and my sister in law went for a long walk at the Farnham Estate near to where we live. I had never gone for a walk in the grounds before. We took the long route and afterwards went for a much needed cup of tea and scone.

Views of the hotel which was the former Estate House

This photo looks like it was stretched but it isn't. That is the actual shape and size of the tree. Spot the lanterns hanging from the lower branches too.

Today we went for a short drive to get out of the house. It was so wet this weekend but between the showers the blue skies emerged and allowed me to take some photographs. We stayed local to home and visited Kilmore Cathedral which is such a beautiful setting right in the heart of the countryside. There is a wealth of heritage all around the site-the Cathedral, Holy Well, See House, Bishop's Palace, Motte and Bailey and Bishop Bedell's Tree which is believed to be the oldest sycamore tree in Ireland planted in approximately 1632. Bishop Bedell is buried on site and you can visit his tomb also. 

I've taken today off work so I have a long weekend. Who doesn't love long weekends. The weather has been so mixed here this week, rain, sun, clouds, wind and more rain. The sky is really dull today so not very good weather for taking photographs. Instead I took a look back over some of my summer photographs and pulled out these ones from my walk around the farm... When the weather is sunny here, there is no where else I would rather be!

Last weekend we got a chance to get away for a night so off we headed through County Cavan and Fermanagh to Donegal. We stayed the night in Bundoran. Here are a few of my photographs of our trip. We packed in loads of sites so I will share more photographs in another post soon.

 Cute Robin at Monea Castle

 Monea Castle, County Fermanagh

Driveway to Monea Castle

 Rougey Walk, Bundoran, County Donegal

 Some pretty flowers, Rougey Walk

 Horses near Tullan Strand, Bundoran, County Donegal

 Wildflowers at Tullan Strand

 Cute house and garden near the sea

Hope you have been enjoying the glorious weather....

Last weekend we had dry crisp weather which made such a change. I done lots of Spring cleaning on Saturday and went to a birthday party Saturday night. Sunday I spent time with family and went off for a lovely long walk around the farm in the evening. It was really cold but I wrapped up warm and off I went. Below are some of my photos, you can see how the light was changing and the sun began to set over the lake. I love getting out and about with lots of fresh air...

November sunsets are so beautiful... check out these photos I took last Sunday evening when the sun was setting over the lake.... A picture speaks louder than words.....

Sorry it's been awhile since I last blogged. Time seems to be flying away on me. I have been busy around the house and with work. Lots of gardening and decorating. With Summer here the days are much longer and plenty of time is being spent outside to make the most of the long bright evenings. Above are some images from around my home today. I picked the foxglove up the lane last night and I also have a posy of flowers on my dresser in the living room. I have my new couch bought for my sitting room and the final photo is of my sitting room. I have it fully painted and waiting on the fireplace to be installed on Tuesday. Here are a few more photos of my travel over the past week with work and leisure. Hope you are having a nice weekend....

I got a new phone for Christmas and have set up an Instagram account, below are just a few images from my Instragram. Why not follow me allthingsnice_4life  It is snowing heavy here at home and I am longing for the longer Spring days with flowers budding and the sun shining.

Images above 1) Shop at Powerscourt House and Gardens, County Wicklow, Ireland 2) Cottage from my travels in the West of Ireland 3) Cute black lamb on the farm 4) Avoca Shop at Avoca, County Wicklow Ireland 5) Derelict house lost in time County Cavan, Ireland 6) Antique Shop, Glaslough, County Monaghan, Ireland

I have looked into some of my old photo archives and decided to post some of my older photos. Hope you like this image of the lake located at the back of the hill. As you know I live in rural Ireland and our home is surrounded by beautiful lakes and rivers, there are three within one kilometre of our house.

Last Sunday myself and some family members went to Richard Corrigan's Virginia Park Lodge which is a beautiful old hunting lodge in Virginia, County Cavan owned by Michelin Star Chef Richard Corrigan. This was a Halloween themed dinner as part of Virginia Pumpkin Festival which is an annual Halloween festival run by the local community in Virginia.

Upon arrival at the Lodge, you enter through a splendid tree lined avenue which sweeps around to the front of the Lodge into the yard at the rear. There are plenty of stone outbuildings which I presume were originally the stables/mews of the lodge. These appear to be accommodation for the lodge guests. The rear entrance of the Lodge is through an archway with lots of neatly stacked logs  piled for the many open fires dotted throughout the building. There are plenty of  small rooms and alcoves with open fires, wood paneled walls, luxurious leather couches and ornate wooden furniture. You will find lots of wellingtons, fishing rods and a few guns too in the mudroom!

We had our meal in a marquee in the front lawn. With the name 'Pumpkins, Pigs & Pints' there was obviously a Halloween theme to the menu. We had plenty of pumpkin, pork and pints of local ale and lager.  I am not a drinker so I could of done without the pints- a nice cup of tea would have suited me better. Overall the food was  tasty with lots of flavours. It was an enjoyable experience. I am not a good cook or chef and definitely not a foodie so my visit here was all about the feel of the place, the heritage, history and the luxury of the old lodge. Richard has done a great job on conserving the heritage of the building while decorating it to feel homely and stylish. It was a wet afternoon so we didn't get time to explore the gardens, however, I have heard they are beautiful with lots of woodland walks. The walled gardens along with the poly-tunnels in the Lodge Gardens are supplying Richard's London Restaurants- Bentley's an oyster and seafood restaurant off Piccadilly and Corrigan's Mayfair. I would recommend that you visit the new website Virginia Park Lodge and keep a watch out for future events. In my opinion this is just the beginning of a great new luxury country retreat in rural County Cavan.

So I promised I'd do a new column Escape to the Country, you can see May's Escape to the Country here. For June I chose a National Trust Property in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland just a few mile from the Cavan Border.

Florence Court is located in County Fermanagh located close to the Cavan border. It is located in the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark which is designated by UNESCO. The Geopark covers large areas of Counties Fermanagh and Cavan due to the rich geological heritage in the area. Within the Geopark there are numerous sites, walks, trails and viewing points- this part of Ireland is truly a hidden gem! It is full of wonderful heritage- built and natural. The lakes and drumlins are everywhere and driving or cycling around the area is amazing as you don't know what is awaiting you around the next corner. The main attractions near Florencecourt are the Marble Arch Caves in County Fermanagh and just a few miles up the road near the pretty village of Blacklion in County Cavan you will find the Burren Forest Park with it's new interpretative centre nestled in the Cuilcagh Mountains (I hope to visit there very soon and will take some photos for you). There are numerous other sites to see and for a spot of lunch or dinner, visit McNean House in Blacklion, (owned & run by the famous chef Neven Maguire's who was winner of Chef of the Year Award 2014 in Ireland). Neven has also opened a lovely cookery school too in the village. Who doesn't know Neven at this stage! Another piece of knowledge which some of you may not be aware of is that Irleand's longest river- The Shannon also starts its journey at the Shannon Pot in the Cuilcagh Mountains, County Cavan .

So that is just a brief list of some of the wonderful places to visit in the area but today I will focus on Florence Court House and Gardens which is just a few miles down the road from the Marble Arch Caves.

Florence Court House and Gardens is an 18th Century house and estate now owned by the National Trust. It was built by John Cole and he named it after his wife Florence- how romantic! It was originally the seat of the Earls of Enniskillen up until the National Trust acquired the property. Unfortunately the properly had a fire in the 1950s before the National Trust took over but they have since done a tremendous job on restoring the property. As well as the house, in the estate you will find a sawmill, walled garden, ice house, spring well and beautiful gardener's cottage. Florence Court is said to be home of the Irish Yew Tree. There is also a National Trust Shop, Nelly's Book Shop along with tea rooms in the courtyard.

For a holiday with a different where you can unwind, escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, take in the beautiful natural environment, the rich heritage of Ireland, warm hospitality and good food, County Fermanagh and Cavan are the place to go!