The Sea, The Sea

 One taken a while back which I printed the other day - Portballintrae East Strand, on Foma 133 in lith developer:

The sea at Portballintrae.  Lith print, Foma 133 paper

The River Bush empties into the sea just behind where I was standing to take this shot.  That would be the River Bush of Bushmills Whiskey fame - the town of Bushmills is only a mile or so upstream from here.   Bushmills Whiskey's claim to fame is that it is the oldest licensed distillery in the world - with the emphasis on licensed, since whiskey, poteen and no doubt countless other spirits have probably been made since man learned to stand on two legs.  But still, 1608 is a fair number of years ago and there ain't many companies who have been trading that long.  It's a big tourist draw (being next door to the Giant's Causeway doesn't hinder, either).  I'm not a whiskey drinker but in my youth I would have taken the odd measure, although mostly in the form of a hot whiskey, which is a popular tipple here in the depths of winter.  My mother liked the odd hot whiskey if we happened to be out and about and I can remember her disappointment when in one hostelry, the barman didn't know how to make it.  Well, what can you expect - we were in England at the time.  Heathens, eh?!  But that didn't deter Mother, as she proceeded to tell the barman how to procced.  The classic version would have cloves in it, whiskey (obviously), perhaps a little sugar (optional) and boiling hot water.  The boiling part means you either need a good strong glass or you put a teaspoon in it to draw the heat and prevent the glass from cracking.  It's a very warming drink and slips down rather nicely, I recall - particularly when it's blowing a hooley outside and you're sitting in front of a roaring fire nicely protected from the elements.