Last weekend I went for a walk along the river Clodiagh in the Curraghmore estate to take pictures for this blog dedicated to the last butler of Curraghmore and his lovely wife who finally retired and left for Portugal this summer.
Who says you cannot change your career and your whole life at the age of 50+? “Born and raised” in Transvaal, South Africa”, Basil Croeser moved to Ireland in 1998 and got a job as butler to 8th Marquess of Waterford. Good old times when the notorious “work experience” was not required: there were no butlers in South Africa, not at that time anyway.
Basil served as butler for 12 years. Some of his duties included “seeing to His Lordship’s general well being; preparing and serving light meals; maintaining stock and equipment; maintaining and winding 17 antique clocks”. When His Lordship’s health started to deteriorate, Basil retired from his butler’s duties, and a new, younger butler was hired. Basil was offered the role of a tour guide in the Curraghmore estate.
Old Lord Waterford passed away in 2015, and is remembered as a good and kindly neighbor. Current Lord Waterford doesn’t have a butler. That era is gone.
I have been in the House before, and I know the script, but that was a special day, and sadness was in the air as the last butler took us on his farewell tour.
Basil’s tours and his unique knowledge will be missed.
The bags were already packed, as well as twenty years of memories. I wish them both a long and happy retirement!
These photographs I took for Basil and Colleen with a huge thank you for all they have done! 🙂 I came there early, less than an hour after the sunrise last Sunday, and parked outside the gate. The air was crisp and the sun just showed up from behind the forest.
Suddenly the mist started to rise, first from the river, then from just about everything!
In front of my eyes, the rippling steam rose from the grass. It was so thick that the sun rays couldn’t get through it.
The tree branches covered with moss started steaming too!
The sun rose higher and lit the tree tops.
What a magnificent morning!
I crossed the bridge and walked along the river. A strange object caught my eye. It’s a tail! I quickly checked my settings.
Red squirrel run too far and too high from me, but I noticed a big sweet chestnut in his mouth. I only know one such tree nearby, but it is on the other side of the river. What a brave little fella.
Young pheasants are having a double date. There are hundreds of them in the woods.
This one started to walk towards me – for a treat or for a fight?
He stood just a few steps away, looking at me with one eye then the other before slowly walking away across the road.
I walked across the bridge again to see the sweet chestnut tree ( and may be another squirrel) and visit the House. The other side of the river looked warm and welcoming.
The pale yellow Ferns seem so fragile.
The sweet chestnut tree provided me with a lot of entertainment and some fifty pictures of its cute fruits. No squirrels though.
The House is closed for public tours until the Easter 2019, but you can try to make an appointment.
I turn to the road that would take me to the King John’s bridge. I still don’t give up hope to get a picture of Kingfisher, but apparently not today as a young couple with an off-leash dog turns into the same road. I let them pass, and dive into the dark side path that takes me in the opposite direction. A natural arrangement of sun-lit leaves in the puddle draws my attention. When I look at the picture, I am very pleased to see a hovering tiny bonus Syrphid fly and its shadow.
The path is quite dark, and I am not surprised that the only sunny spot is occupied. Young pheasant female doesn’t consider me a threat and makes herself cozy in the sun.
No Kingfisher in sight, but a plump Dipper with a bright white bib looks over his shoulder at me with disapproval. Sorry, pal, my camera does make loud noises.
The next stretch is a bamboo ‘forest’. After I finally emerge from the greenery, I step on my favorite ‘fairy path’ 🙂 It is all for today.
Hope you all enjoyed the morning in Curraghmore as much as I did.
Here are more links to the Curraghmore stories : The Stag and the Dragon I ; The Stag and the Dragon II ; The Tower ; Lady Florence ; Clonegam There are many other related stories in this blog.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Making memories 
This is quite captivating for me …I too live in the Transvaal (well it’s Johannesburg, Gauteng now: names have changed since our new democracy as of 1994). Also aged 50+ and going through significant work changes. I am fixated by your beautiful photography on this and other posts..I think partly because the landscape you depict is close to my roots. I have spent most of my life in South Africa but was born in England. Happy to have found your blog ☺🍃
Thank you so much, Amanda! Glad you can relate. There is another blogger who got married and moved to a different country at the age of 50+. Big changes happen at any age 🙂
I am sure you will like your new work soon – changes become routine in no time. I hope a trip to England is in your bucket list 🙂
Beautiful images and a touching tribute. I’m sure the pheasant wanted to have a good picture taken… Thanks Inese, for sharing another great place…
Thank you for your lovely comment, Olga! Pheasants are always welcome 🙂
What a lovely tribute, Inese, to the the last butler of Curraghmore and his lovely wife 🙂 He looks a lovely gentle soul. Those photos are so wonderful. By my age, which isn’t that young, I’ve still not seen a red squirrel with my own eyes. Apparently, when I was on the Isle of Wight in August there was one in a tree above me (according to my daughter) but I was looking at a shrub at the time and missed it! I love the shine on that chestnut. And I adore pheasants so much that I’ve a picture of a plump cock pheasant and three of his hens as my sign-in screen on my PC. I took the picture at Wakehurst Place, Sussex, which is full of very tame pheasants that are happy to eat out of your hands.
Thank you Sarah! The Butler’s family enjoy their retirement. I just got a photograph from them – they both look so happy.
Most of these pheasants are the free range poultry… They have a feeding place, and don’t walk around much, which is customary for the wild birds and animals. The gorgeous cock pheasant didn’t look totally wild to me either.
Breathtaking shots of the mist lifting, Inese! It’s as if the final curtains on the Butler’s time at Curraghmore has opened. You’ve captured delightful details throughout the grounds!
I believe the pheasant walked up to you to greet you. The animals can sense your generous heart.
Thank you for your beautiful comment, Rose! I have never witnessed the birth of the mist before. Worry for the pheasant – the hunting season has started… Hope he stays safe.
My pleasure, Inese. It’s always grand to take these “walks” with you! Poor pheasants… if only the shots they ever experience are ones from your camera. 📸 xoxo
I hope too xxxxxx
How wonderful you can share this amazing place with us, and could hear beautiful stories of the estate before the guide moves on to his next adventure. That mist…oh, that mist is heavenly! 🙂 xxxxxxxxxx
Jean, I have never seen a mist forming in front of my eyes before. Every time I come it is already there. I didn’t know it could be so magic xxxxxxxxxx
That’s just so amazing. There’ve been times when I’m driving the kids to school, and there’s pockets of mist in the farm valleys like terrific spider webs. I wish I could stop and take a photo, but, you know, kids screaming about school takes the fun out of it. Grrrrrrrr….
Oh I know! 😀 And I always have somebody driving behind me which makes it impossible to stop on our narrow roads. This time was different – it was actually the birth of mist! I recon it is best seen when the sun suddenly rises from behind of a mountain or hill. The moment it happens all the wet, soaked things start steaming. It was my very first experience, and it was beautiul.
Just adorable story and images to it!
Thank you Inese.
Hallo Inese, Ich bin heute das erste mal auf Ihre Foto Seite (praktisch reingestolpert). Wollte nur sehen, was das mit dem Haus auf sich hat, und ich muss sagen: bin total überrascht, wie Sie Ihre Eindrücke darlegen.Ich werde mich jetzt des öfteren mal sehen lassen.
Danke fürs Lesen Tamara! Suchen Sie nach “curraghmore” und Sie werden mehr finden. Ich habe schon früher über das Haus geschrieben. Dort lebt eine Familie, die im Sommer für die Öffentlichkeit zugänglich ist.
Gorgeous! Great pics. I loved them all but especially the one of the two people walking and the hint of mist all around them.
Thank you! 🙂 It was a gorgeous morning full of light.
Oh how I enjoyed this morning in Curraghmore, Inese. Loved seeing the rising of the morning mist, how lovely that must’ve been to see in person. Also enjoyed the pheasant, squirrel, and chestnut photos. Your photos were such a treat here. And yes, really special to see the syrphid fly and its shadow. The dipper was superb.
Thank you so much for your visit! I am still in the process of returning to blogging, and I have a lot of catching up to do. Thank you again for your lovely comment!