I took a trip into the mournes with one ginga ninga yesterday. it's become somewhat of a regular fixture and is now almost always preceded by an all day breakfast in newcastle's cafe creme (best one around here for sure). It's great to connect with a kindred spirit up the hills (No references to brokeback please!) and having the opportunity to talk about life, faith, joys, struggles and a whole load of other things in between.

Yesterday we sauntered up through Annalong Wood into the Valley and up to Percy's Butress. Quite often as we moved through the valley i spotted bits of rusted metal on the ground. For a while I wondered what it had come from until i remembered a conversation with one of the staff at Ballynahinch High a few years ago. He had told me that during the second world war the american Navy had been stationed in Annalong and that they had reguarly practiced firing missiles from their ships into the Annalong Valley. What we were seeing up there was all the pieces of shrapnel from these shells. With our attention drawn to this we began to realise that the whole valley floor is covered with shrapnel. They must have pummelled the place!!