I'm from Silicon Valley - we have very high tech potatoes. But they still can't take a photo worth a darn.
Apologies for falling off Labratour duty - when the chips were down and I got sidetracked, I missed a few days! (Whew, I hope you appreciated my effort to shoehorn a mention of "chips" in there, @UncleBob ) All three of my Kinsale days started with a fun walk about town with Curly (full name: Curly Murphy) and his lovely human. She is a transplanted Aussie and is fascinating to talk to, giving me a whole new perspective on the Irish and modern life in Ireland. The second day I was able to ditch my potato camera for my regular camera and got a few more shots of Curly. Turns out fluffy dogs, while adorable, are a bit on the difficult side to photograph, so I still don't feel I've done poor Curly justice. Sunday turned out pretty wet and nasty (yep, that famous Irish weather) so it was mainly a cozy day having a chat next to a roaring fire at home and then an evening trip to the pub, which is basically just a chat in front of roaring fire in a different location. Yesterday it was a surprisingly gorgeous day (you need to hear that with an Irish accent as "gar-gee-us" ) so it was a nice long walk and then a sunny drive (with sunglasses!) from Kinsale down towards Baltimore. I'm in a little cottage on the very very very end of a long dirt track. Frankly, I was worried that the Tardis was going to get stuck in the mud, but my host assured me that if that were to happen, there are any number of local strapping farmers who would be THRILLED to come to my aid. They sure are friendly around here. The cottage is right on the headland with jaw-dropping views from every window. It also has spookily fast internet, which is a complete mystery as "fast internet" is not exactly Ireland's strong suit, especially in remote areas. Barring that, it's a bit like stepping back in time. Heating is by Aga and coal/wood burning stove only and it's strictly a tub situation in the bathroom. Thank goodness for the massive duvet, as let me tell you, it is COLD in here this morning. For my fellow Americans, I'll have to explain the Aga later. It's a rather fascinating multi-purpose appliance that brings a whole other ethos to the phrase "slow food". I'm here for four days and pretty much have planned to enjoy the view, the fire and local walks (weather permitting). I've been to this area in the past with Brogan and really loved it. Perfect place for wonderful smells for doggie noses. My theory on our passed pups is that they come around in spirit when we need them or when it suits them for another reason, and these last days I can practically see Brogan in his spot in the back of the Tardis with his big doggie grin as if to say, "This is the good stuff, mom...let's go explore!". He may have been a California doggie, but he sure had a connection to the only country we visited where "Brogan" was a normal name. Curly enjoying morning pets from the nice barista... Posing on the main street of his town... On the way to the Scilly Walk... Sunshine in Kinsale...yay! "Can I have your biscuit, please?" Meeting Skip, a beautiful and oh-so-polite choccy boy... The view from the cottage in the late-afternoon sunshine... Sunset from my bedroom window... Sunrise this morning from my bedroom window - no sunshine, but no horizontal rain either, so....yay!
Wow! The views are spectacular! I love that part of Ireland (where most of my family come from..) Skip looks gorgeous (what a tail....).and Curly what a character. Glad you had some sunshine...can be a bit grotty in that neck of the woods otherwise. And yes...Aga...mmm if you like to heat up a quick M&S special...forget it!
I'm idyllic-ing a bit out of my mind tonight, to be honest. It's been a very quiet, rainy day today. I was afraid to tackle the muddy dirt track in the Tardis, plus I had some work to catch up on, so I just stayed put. I went out for a walk when it brightened a bit, but couldn't find a path that wasn't either blocked by an electric fence or too muddy to negotiate. Still absolutely beautiful views, just a bit bereft of walking opportunities without getting in the car. So back to the house it was where I continued my day-long battle to keep the fire fed as it and the Aga are the only sources of heat. I've always treated fireplaces as sort of a very slow type of entertainment, so this whole keeping the fire going for survival thing is new to me. It's harder than it looks! Just when I thought I had the system figured out, I'd look back up from my computer screen and my block of peat would be extinguished and sadly accusatory-looking from inside the fireplace. Sigh. It's a good thing I have a lot of wool layers. For the moment though, life is good. I figured out how to bake a pizza in the Aga, my fire is roaring and my couch is comfy. The only thing I need now is a big drooly dog snoring next to me. Every cottage should have a big drooly dog to accompany the Aga and the fireplace.
I am full of admiration for you, I get scared of driving in our local town 7 miles away! What an adventurous life you live, am intrigued as to 'what you do' which enables you to travel so widely? I wish I had a a 1/32 of your courage and interest in life.
I'm not so keen on driving in cities/towns either, to be honest! I've gotten much better at it lately just through having to do it. Certainly without trusty Sean (my satnav) it would be impossible or at least very stressful on my own. Also having my own car vs. a rental helps enormously. I used to do a lot of "fly and rent" trips to Ireland and trying to get used to a new car plus the right hand drive thing was tough. The Tardis makes it easier. You know what is scary? I'm turning into my father. I was never a happy long-distance driver. Anything over two hours and I wanted to fly (US) or take the train (EU). I thought my father was a nutcase for driving from California to Missouri (halfway across the US). Now I'm just like him! I'd much rather drive than fly. I really like being able to stop when I want and have my podcasts loaded up and just kind of zen down the road for long stretches. I think a lot of it also has to do with not having had a car for my first six years in Europe and traveling everywhere with Brogan by rail, air or foot (and the occasional rental car). It is just such a joy to have that freedom of movement again that having your own car allows. Thanks for the lovely compliment but I don't think it's courage or interest in life - I think it's wilful ignorance and the inability to decide on where to stay put. To answer your other question, I'm a marketing freelancer and work from where ever I am as long as there's a decent internet connection. My main area is video production - so I do interviews with B2B clients onsite 1-2x a year and then remotely manage video post-production (writing, edits, approvals, postings) for the rest of the year. How's that for TMI on the job front? Are you asleep yet? Anyway, for the past eight years, that's meant full time work (more or less), so I'd travel just during the weekends and work during the week. Right at the moment the work is quite sparse, which is why I can flit all around the UK and Ireland as I've been doing the last few weeks without it interfering with my work duties. I'm treating it as a sort of mini (maxi?) holiday and trying not to panic about the work drying up!
Oh, I love driving long distances. It's so therapeutic. Flying I hate! Load me up with bloody Marys, bundle me on and let me sleep them off. Ugh, ugh, ugh!
I’m the opposite, I fly all over the place and am happy to lounge in airports. My favourite flying is in 4 seater aircraft. The flight over the Grand Canyon was one of the highlights of my life. Driving? No. On my own - worse! I am dropping OH in Bristol for another epic bike ride then driving home on my own in May - Not a happy bunny, good thing I love him or I wouldn’t do it. He’s busy earning brownie points. Which is good because I’ve got him to agree to a GR/GS cross for the next pup .
REALLY? That couldn't have been easy with him thinking GSDs are too big. Can you imagine a Keir crossed with a GSD? He'll be a GIANT!
Well, I'm a dinosaur - don't even have a passport and as far as a lot of 'official' types are concerned, that means a) I don't exist or b) I'm a terrorist !! Molly and Sam know better
So gorgeous, Emily! A cosy day by the fire while it’s raining sounds about perfect...and those views...
*sigh* that cottage, right by the sea! It must be wild experience in a storm, though...I'd love to try that I've seen talk about the Agas on here before and am absolutely clueless, I'll have to Google it later. Curly is such a dude, looks like a little ginger Hattie!
