Week 9 saw me travel back to Ireland. I have somewhat fallen in love with Ireland. Besides being able to spend time with relatives the scenery is spectacular – when you can see it and in general the people are very welcoming and nice.

It was great being able to catch up with Brian again, seeing as last time we were together it was my very first week and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Nine weeks on and I feel as though I have fitted it well with the team here at Campey’s and I wasn’t so shy on the return visit to Brian.

First up was meeting up with Dave who had travelled across with the wagon overnight on the ferry. Even though we were all travelling to the same final destination for the day, Dave and I went separately to Brian. On the way across to County Sligo Golf Club we made a couple of stops to deliver some machinery.

County Sligo Golf Club is a links course and with the beautiful summer weather, the coastal views were breath-taking. County Sligo is on the upper west coast of Ireland and by far the least windswept links course I have been too.

We were there to demonstrate the Koro Recycling Dresser, a Vredo Super Compact seeder, a Campey Soil Screener and the Air2G2.

The Vredo Seeder is another product I would like to see more of in Australia. I think the design and idea behind the product is brilliant. Vredo have done well and there is basically a seeder model available for all aspects of turf maintenance including sporting fields, tennis courts, fairways, tee boxes and greens.  By doing this they have allowed a wider variety of budgets access to their product. I also like that through testing they have established that there is a 96% germination success rate.

It was a long day topped off with a lengthy drive back across the country to Wicklow as the next day we were to be at Bray Golf Club. Last time I was in Ireland we visited Bray G.C. but due to the heavy fog and poor weather I was unable to see anything further than 10 feet in front of me.

This time around the weather was cracking, the sun was out, the skies were clear and the view was unimaginable. I definitely did not expect the view that we got, that is for sure.

For the first half of the day I was kitted out in a dusk mask and ski goggles and I would guess I was covered head to toe in about half inch of dust by the end of it.  Dave was having a grand time in his cab protected tractor and Brian was well clear of the dust zone. I clearly unknowingly pulled the short straw somewhere. This was all happening as we were Koro-ing off the driving range tee box with the FTM.

By the end of the day we had Koro’d the area, shockwaved the ground, hand spread some seed, a quick roll before crossing the area with the Vredo seeder, finishing with a bit of water.

Dave and I were on the last ferry out of the docks that night to be back at the Campey yard by Friday morning.

For the weekend I drove a lot of miles down to St. Albans looking for somewhere to live as I prepare to leave Campey’s and start the journey at Arsenal FC. I spent the night in London, I didn’t think it was wise to waste a good drive and not see the Capital. Even though London is substantially more expensive than the rest of the UK I am looking forward to being able to spend some time there. The highlight was being able to walk along the Thames River, seeing London Eye, Big Ben and the Secret Intelligence Service building – Yes, I am a big James Bond fan, don’t hold it against me.

The weather over the last couple of weeks has been great with decent temperatures, though some would complain that 25 degrees is starting to get a little too hot.  Next week I head down south with Poggy and Dave.