Today has to be the hottest day of the year ~ and perhaps for many years ~ here in Tramore. I was fortunate enough be able to go for a walk in shady Newtown Wood this morning and to follow that with a luxurious swim at sun-kissed Garrarus Beach.The contrast between the two settings made me think of the evocative inscription on a family memorial in Mount Congreve Gardens.

While the words Light and shade by turn but love always are perfect words for a passionate plantsman like Ambrose Congreve, they also have a depth that emphasises the absolute importance of ‘love’ in human existence.
I wonder is anything more fundamental than love?