We've been to San Diego before, for Comic Con, but never got a chance to see anywhere outside the Gaslamp Quarter. So last week we decided to go - booked a hotel (motel?) on Tuesday and drove to it on Friday. I did my first stint of long driving on the interstate. It was really fun. I was way more excited than lordkilljoy who's all "I've done this a million times." Anyway - I didn't crash, which is good. I'm very indecisive, though. I'd come up behind a car going a little slower than me and be all "should I overtake them?" Eventually I got sick of it and just slowed down so that all the cars were going faster than me. Except for some and then they'd speed up when I'd go to overtake and it was all very annoying. I even overtook a truck on a normal road (ie, no divide to keep cars on their own side of things). You have to go well out of your way to find one of them around here - a normal road, not a truck.
So we got in and went for dinner in Little Italy (which was just up the hill). Dinner was amazing. I've never been disappointed going out in San Diego. All the restaurants we've been to (this trip and the last) have been top class. We strolled around a bit, me dithering between wanting to live in San Diego because it's beautiful and the weather is perfect and not wanting to live there because it's a bit intimidating at night.
Saturday we went around the USS Midway (an aircraft carrier museum) which was incredible. Huge and full of metal and cool things and stuff you could touch. I spent the whole trip dreaming about being an engineer driving the ship, an enlisted naval person, an officer and a fighter pilot. I don't know if I've ever mentioned that I wanted (along with twenty billion other things (every time we passed a train on the road I'd express my desire to be a train diver)) to be a fighter pilot... I could say when I was younger, but I still daydream about it. Living on a ship, getting catapulted into the air and flying around. I don't think I could deal with the actual killing people part, though. So, we spent 4 hours wandering around and listening to the audio tour - it was a really cool morning.
That afternoon we went to the zoo, which we spent another 4 hours wandering around. It's amazing how you fit stuff in when you only have a short amount of time. The zoo was lovely, though. I'm so impressionable. Every time we go to a zoo, or park or something I wander around going: I want my garden to look like this. And as we sat in the aviary watching the birds flit around, was was like: I could totally build an aviary in my back garden. I don't even have a garden :/ Ah, imagination - I suppose I can have everything I want through you.
So anyway, the zoo was cool. There's a cable car that goes from one end to the other and takes you up above everything for a pretty unique view of the animals. And there were loads of acrobatics and shows on the evening we went (not sure if this is what it's like all the time). That night we went out again, for another amazing meal. Even though we were both exhausted, we still enjoyed it.
And on Sunday morning we went off to the beach for an hour or so. It was packed. We drove up to La Jolla and spent ages looking for parking. The beach was beautiful, though. White sand, blue-green sea, half metre waves. I tried to resist and only dip my feet in, but I couldn't. The water was warm (compared to Irish sea water) and the waves were inviting and with only a little encouragement from lordkilljoy I'd changed into my swimming things and was jumping around in the surf. It was brilliant.
And then we drove home - again I didn't crash. Go me!
I made crackers today. They are delicious - not dry at all. I've eaten about 10 (probably more) since they came out of the oven. And they're so crackery. They snap when you bite into them. And they are lovely with cheese. I'd say they are very successful. I used my new pasta maker to roll out the dough thin enough. Only I'm not very good at it yet, so some of my crackers are more thin and snappy than others.
I think that's it. I'm still playing Skyrim. I've clocked up a rather frightening number of hours at this stage. Still not as many as Oblivion, though and no where near as much as Morrowind or Daggerfall.
I crocheted a doily-coaster for the glass of water that sits on my desk. I was getting a bit fed up of having a water ring where it sits, so I did something about it. Now that I'm done with that I'm making a cute crochet robot.
I definitely think that's that.
P.S. Hey, Lj, what's going on with line breaks not auto-formatting?
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
26 June 2012
24 May 2011
Texas
Day 1: Houston
This wasn't really a day - we got in lateish, went for food (which involved stealing crab-eating implements from joe's crab shack - how could we not, it was plastic and said, "stolen from joe's crab shack" on it), and turned in for the night.
Day 2: Galveston
Johnson Space Centre sits right between Houston and Galveston :) We spent the whole day wandering around the exhibits, taking a tour through NASA mission control and training areas, looking at moon rocks, and marvelling at all the cool space stuff. I wish penelope_stone could have been there. You would have loved it.
Late in the afternoon, we moved on and headed for the beach. Apparently, Galveston island is a sink hole for sat navs, because Lady had the hardest time getting us to our hotel. Three wrong turns, four u-turns and eventually we spotted the place.
Galveston was nice... a bit odd, because rich, high class resorts sit right next to washed out, abandoned shacks. It's a bit weird to walk down the strip and see the difference. It's like going from rough area to up-market all in one block.
Day 3: Galveston
I got to swim in the sea today :) Woooo. And it was warm, and lovely. It reminded me of the sea in Wellington - it had that same kind of cold when you stepped in, but warm once you got used to it. It's the kind of water you can stay in all day. Wonderful.
Not so wonderful was the flies the marauded up and down the beach - tiny black ones. I think they were harmless (not 100% sure, though) but they crawled all over your skin, and face, and were horrendous. So we didn't spend long at the beach. Awh, but oh well.
We went out for food in a place called Casey's tonight and it was amazing. The best meal so far on the trip.
Day 4: Port Aransas
Port Aransas could have been better. The weather was stormy, the clouds a dark shade of grey. I really wanted to go swimming, but a gale was blowing and the waves, while small, were frequent and frothy. I probably would have gone in, but I'm not sure what lordkilljoy and lainey316 would have been. So I settled for dipping my feet.
After a long stroll of the beach and the town, we headed out for dinner. Dinner tonight was the second best of the trip. Mahi-mahi, cooked to perfection, with the most lovely crab sauce over it. It was the most yummy thing ever - well, maybe not ever - we'll get to that later.
Day 5: Port Aransas / San Antonio
I'd hoped the weather might have improved by today, but it didn't. Still, I headed for the beach first thing with swimming togs on and towel in hand. I got wet up to my thighs, and standing there with the waves breaking over my knees, the sky a dark, ragged shade of grey, mist rolling off the waves reminded me of Ireland. It was beautiful, in a rugged way - a desolate beach, a gale blowing, frothy waves and a pale strand, littered with foam and seaweed, definitely very Irish (but for the fact that the gale was hot and the sea was warm).
The drive to San Antonio was uneventful. The most thrilling thing was that we got to follow the evacuation route all the way. It's cool - they have a specific route for people fleeing a hurricane to go. We wandered around San Antonio when we got there, browsed a few shops and strolled the river walk. The river walk is so pretty - paths wander along the river bordered by pretty shrubs and huge trees. The bank is steep and walled, keeping out the noise and bustle of the city. Restaurants and food stalls line the path - all kind of boutique style with lovely, themed decor.
Day 6: San Antonio
The Alamo sits in the very centre of San Antonio. People are funny. The story of the Alamo is not a good one - a bunch of Americans lost a battle there, and still it is lauded as a symbol of patriotism. I can see why - holding out when all hope was lost and all, but still.
It was pretty, though. Small buildings surrounded by lush trees. Actually - that was what surprised me most about Texas. It wasn't dry and desert like you see in the westerns, it was lush, humid, green and full of trees.
That afternoon we went to the botanical gardens, because coming from somewhere as dry as Albuquerque, you just can't get enough of green trees and colourful flowers.
From there we went shopping, and at this stage the day felt like it had been a week.
Day 7: San Marco / Austin
We left San Antonio early and heading for outlet malls about an hour up the road. It was boiling - 34C and humid. My feet were killing me from too much flip-flop wearing and there were few shops I was interested in. Still lainey316 got loads she wanted, so I was okay with that.
Back on the road again, heading for Austin and we were all a bit tired. We stopped off in barbecue town (aka Lockhart) for food. It was all right, but not what I'd been expecting. We didn't stay long - just ate and moved on. Approaching Austin, the sky ahead of us looked ominous, all dark ragged clouds and strong winds.
We were almost to the outskirts of Austin when the radio cut out. It started beeping and then a voice came on: "This is an emergency broadcast. Severe thunderstorms in [town names I don't remember] with hail the size of a quarter. Seek shelter and stay indoors." We were heading right for the storm. As the emergency broadcast ended, we saw the first fork of lightning hit the ground way off to our right. A few seconds later the clouds lit up with more lightning, and again a few second later. It didn't stop. The wind tugged at the car (and not just a little car - we were in an SUV). As we hit Austin, the rain started. It pelted the windscreen in sheets. It crashed into the road, creating a layer of water droplets about an inch thick. It was so bad we couldn't see the road markings and just had to hope the guy on front knew the road better than we did. It was a scary 10 minutes, but eventually the rain eased off. We made it to the hotel safe and got to watch the lightning from the safety of our room.
That night we went to a rooftop bar and enjoyed the lightening from there. Yea - the lightning went on for hours - flashes every few seconds or so. It was amazing.
Day 8: Austin
Austin was boiling today. It was 35C and humid. We had a lovely breakfast (which may have included a glass of bucksfizz), then tried to walk around for a bit but were defeated by the heat. We rallied with ice-cream, and headed to South Austin to browse the vintage and curiosity stores. I could definitely live in Austin. It's a cool place with loads of off the wall stuff. I don't think I could deal with the heat and humidity, though. This was only May, I can't even imagine what it's like in July.
Tonight was party night. We started with a divine meal in Haddingtons (a very stylish restaurant and cocktail bar). This was the best meal of the holiday. I had rabbit for the first time in my life and it was delicious. It was cooked to perfection and the sauce with it was the most gorgeous thing ever. Nom nom nom.
From there we moved to Red River, which is the live gig area of Austin. It was fine - the gig we went to wasn't very good, though. So we moved on after a bit. We made our way down 6th street (Austin's main party street). It reminded me of Khao San Road in Bangkok - packed with people out to get drunk. We settled in an Irish bar (of all places) to enjoy the Louisiana blues band that was playing there. They were quite good - entertaining and lively.
As all nights did - it ended with food off a street truck, lively debate about how Cork is like Texas and a ride up the glass lift in the hotel.
Day 9: Back to Albuquerque
We woke late and packed up, only to realise that lordkilljoy had lost the car keys for our car in Abq. He figured he'd taken them out of his bag in Galveston and must have left them in the hotel. So the drive to Houston was a little stressful, the keys and diversions because of roadworks outside of Austin setting us a little on edge. But it wasn't too bad once we got on the highway.
We got to the airport and did one last search through the bags - no joy. We checked in, got some food, then made our way to the gate. We had some time, so we played our DSs, and when lordkilljoy opened his headphone case the car keys fell out. :)
So it all ended well. We were excited getting on the plane, and on the bus to the long-term car park, and in the car on the way home and when we got home - exclaiming "you found your keys" every few minutes.
So that was our trip to Texas. It was good.
This wasn't really a day - we got in lateish, went for food (which involved stealing crab-eating implements from joe's crab shack - how could we not, it was plastic and said, "stolen from joe's crab shack" on it), and turned in for the night.
Day 2: Galveston
Johnson Space Centre sits right between Houston and Galveston :) We spent the whole day wandering around the exhibits, taking a tour through NASA mission control and training areas, looking at moon rocks, and marvelling at all the cool space stuff. I wish penelope_stone could have been there. You would have loved it.
Late in the afternoon, we moved on and headed for the beach. Apparently, Galveston island is a sink hole for sat navs, because Lady had the hardest time getting us to our hotel. Three wrong turns, four u-turns and eventually we spotted the place.
Galveston was nice... a bit odd, because rich, high class resorts sit right next to washed out, abandoned shacks. It's a bit weird to walk down the strip and see the difference. It's like going from rough area to up-market all in one block.
Day 3: Galveston
I got to swim in the sea today :) Woooo. And it was warm, and lovely. It reminded me of the sea in Wellington - it had that same kind of cold when you stepped in, but warm once you got used to it. It's the kind of water you can stay in all day. Wonderful.
Not so wonderful was the flies the marauded up and down the beach - tiny black ones. I think they were harmless (not 100% sure, though) but they crawled all over your skin, and face, and were horrendous. So we didn't spend long at the beach. Awh, but oh well.
We went out for food in a place called Casey's tonight and it was amazing. The best meal so far on the trip.
Day 4: Port Aransas
Port Aransas could have been better. The weather was stormy, the clouds a dark shade of grey. I really wanted to go swimming, but a gale was blowing and the waves, while small, were frequent and frothy. I probably would have gone in, but I'm not sure what lordkilljoy and lainey316 would have been. So I settled for dipping my feet.
After a long stroll of the beach and the town, we headed out for dinner. Dinner tonight was the second best of the trip. Mahi-mahi, cooked to perfection, with the most lovely crab sauce over it. It was the most yummy thing ever - well, maybe not ever - we'll get to that later.
Day 5: Port Aransas / San Antonio
I'd hoped the weather might have improved by today, but it didn't. Still, I headed for the beach first thing with swimming togs on and towel in hand. I got wet up to my thighs, and standing there with the waves breaking over my knees, the sky a dark, ragged shade of grey, mist rolling off the waves reminded me of Ireland. It was beautiful, in a rugged way - a desolate beach, a gale blowing, frothy waves and a pale strand, littered with foam and seaweed, definitely very Irish (but for the fact that the gale was hot and the sea was warm).
The drive to San Antonio was uneventful. The most thrilling thing was that we got to follow the evacuation route all the way. It's cool - they have a specific route for people fleeing a hurricane to go. We wandered around San Antonio when we got there, browsed a few shops and strolled the river walk. The river walk is so pretty - paths wander along the river bordered by pretty shrubs and huge trees. The bank is steep and walled, keeping out the noise and bustle of the city. Restaurants and food stalls line the path - all kind of boutique style with lovely, themed decor.
Day 6: San Antonio
The Alamo sits in the very centre of San Antonio. People are funny. The story of the Alamo is not a good one - a bunch of Americans lost a battle there, and still it is lauded as a symbol of patriotism. I can see why - holding out when all hope was lost and all, but still.
It was pretty, though. Small buildings surrounded by lush trees. Actually - that was what surprised me most about Texas. It wasn't dry and desert like you see in the westerns, it was lush, humid, green and full of trees.
That afternoon we went to the botanical gardens, because coming from somewhere as dry as Albuquerque, you just can't get enough of green trees and colourful flowers.
From there we went shopping, and at this stage the day felt like it had been a week.
Day 7: San Marco / Austin
We left San Antonio early and heading for outlet malls about an hour up the road. It was boiling - 34C and humid. My feet were killing me from too much flip-flop wearing and there were few shops I was interested in. Still lainey316 got loads she wanted, so I was okay with that.
Back on the road again, heading for Austin and we were all a bit tired. We stopped off in barbecue town (aka Lockhart) for food. It was all right, but not what I'd been expecting. We didn't stay long - just ate and moved on. Approaching Austin, the sky ahead of us looked ominous, all dark ragged clouds and strong winds.
We were almost to the outskirts of Austin when the radio cut out. It started beeping and then a voice came on: "This is an emergency broadcast. Severe thunderstorms in [town names I don't remember] with hail the size of a quarter. Seek shelter and stay indoors." We were heading right for the storm. As the emergency broadcast ended, we saw the first fork of lightning hit the ground way off to our right. A few seconds later the clouds lit up with more lightning, and again a few second later. It didn't stop. The wind tugged at the car (and not just a little car - we were in an SUV). As we hit Austin, the rain started. It pelted the windscreen in sheets. It crashed into the road, creating a layer of water droplets about an inch thick. It was so bad we couldn't see the road markings and just had to hope the guy on front knew the road better than we did. It was a scary 10 minutes, but eventually the rain eased off. We made it to the hotel safe and got to watch the lightning from the safety of our room.
That night we went to a rooftop bar and enjoyed the lightening from there. Yea - the lightning went on for hours - flashes every few seconds or so. It was amazing.
Day 8: Austin
Austin was boiling today. It was 35C and humid. We had a lovely breakfast (which may have included a glass of bucksfizz), then tried to walk around for a bit but were defeated by the heat. We rallied with ice-cream, and headed to South Austin to browse the vintage and curiosity stores. I could definitely live in Austin. It's a cool place with loads of off the wall stuff. I don't think I could deal with the heat and humidity, though. This was only May, I can't even imagine what it's like in July.
Tonight was party night. We started with a divine meal in Haddingtons (a very stylish restaurant and cocktail bar). This was the best meal of the holiday. I had rabbit for the first time in my life and it was delicious. It was cooked to perfection and the sauce with it was the most gorgeous thing ever. Nom nom nom.
From there we moved to Red River, which is the live gig area of Austin. It was fine - the gig we went to wasn't very good, though. So we moved on after a bit. We made our way down 6th street (Austin's main party street). It reminded me of Khao San Road in Bangkok - packed with people out to get drunk. We settled in an Irish bar (of all places) to enjoy the Louisiana blues band that was playing there. They were quite good - entertaining and lively.
As all nights did - it ended with food off a street truck, lively debate about how Cork is like Texas and a ride up the glass lift in the hotel.
Day 9: Back to Albuquerque
We woke late and packed up, only to realise that lordkilljoy had lost the car keys for our car in Abq. He figured he'd taken them out of his bag in Galveston and must have left them in the hotel. So the drive to Houston was a little stressful, the keys and diversions because of roadworks outside of Austin setting us a little on edge. But it wasn't too bad once we got on the highway.
We got to the airport and did one last search through the bags - no joy. We checked in, got some food, then made our way to the gate. We had some time, so we played our DSs, and when lordkilljoy opened his headphone case the car keys fell out. :)
So it all ended well. We were excited getting on the plane, and on the bus to the long-term car park, and in the car on the way home and when we got home - exclaiming "you found your keys" every few minutes.
So that was our trip to Texas. It was good.
16 September 2009
back from lanzarote
ahh, warmth - how lovely you are when i don't have to expend any energy to keep myself warm. lying on a beach, or by the pool, or just walking around - all the time being heated by the warm air. bliss.
the photographs are many, the adventures great, and the sights awesome - too much for one poor journalist to put into words, so i will sum up.
monday - rain! amazing. there is nothing quite like rain in a hot country, unexpected, light, exciting. spent the day getting acclimatized to the heat, the area and the cool water of the pool and the sea. walked about 5km in the middle of the day. did not get burned, surprisingly. i wonder if the clouds helped with that.
tuesday - hung out by the pool for most of the day - wandered to the beach for a swim. badly mixed long island ice teas caused the loss of the guide book - booo! painted my toe-nails for the second time in my life - 5 different colours used :)
wednesday - spent recovering, hung out by the pool, went to the sea. went to arricife, it is very spanish and not very tourist friendly (this may have happened on thursday - we had sushi while here, yummy). didn't get up to much.
thursday - walked along the beach (it's really nice to walk along - a bit rocky, a bit sandy, quiet, little waves). didn't really get up to much.
friday - sunbathed on the beach - rented a parasol and attempted to fall asleep in its shade. not tired enough for sleeping, so played beach tennis instead. me and lordkilljoy are the worst people at beach tennis i have ever seen. it was a struggle to get 6 hits without one of us dropping the ball.
saturday - rent-a-car day. the best day of the holiday. cesar manrique is a genius - architect artist who does these amazing things with lava structures. visited about 6 or 7 (ok, 11) different places (flea market, manrique's house, restaurante lagodar, lunch stop, haria, mirador del rio, cueava del verde, white-sand-beach south of orzola, yaiza, playa blanca, random sunset beach) and caught the sunset over the atlantic. it was so amazing - the island is so small you can see nearly all of it in one day.
sunday - the only really sunny day of our holiday, spent the day packing and getting bits and pieces and messing in the pool. then had to go home :(
and that was it, really. came home and have been wearing three layers. i was wrapped up in a blanket for the whole day yesterday. heading down to cork tomorrow - the health fair is on. that should be fun.
the photographs are many, the adventures great, and the sights awesome - too much for one poor journalist to put into words, so i will sum up.
monday - rain! amazing. there is nothing quite like rain in a hot country, unexpected, light, exciting. spent the day getting acclimatized to the heat, the area and the cool water of the pool and the sea. walked about 5km in the middle of the day. did not get burned, surprisingly. i wonder if the clouds helped with that.
tuesday - hung out by the pool for most of the day - wandered to the beach for a swim. badly mixed long island ice teas caused the loss of the guide book - booo! painted my toe-nails for the second time in my life - 5 different colours used :)
wednesday - spent recovering, hung out by the pool, went to the sea. went to arricife, it is very spanish and not very tourist friendly (this may have happened on thursday - we had sushi while here, yummy). didn't get up to much.
thursday - walked along the beach (it's really nice to walk along - a bit rocky, a bit sandy, quiet, little waves). didn't really get up to much.
friday - sunbathed on the beach - rented a parasol and attempted to fall asleep in its shade. not tired enough for sleeping, so played beach tennis instead. me and lordkilljoy are the worst people at beach tennis i have ever seen. it was a struggle to get 6 hits without one of us dropping the ball.
saturday - rent-a-car day. the best day of the holiday. cesar manrique is a genius - architect artist who does these amazing things with lava structures. visited about 6 or 7 (ok, 11) different places (flea market, manrique's house, restaurante lagodar, lunch stop, haria, mirador del rio, cueava del verde, white-sand-beach south of orzola, yaiza, playa blanca, random sunset beach) and caught the sunset over the atlantic. it was so amazing - the island is so small you can see nearly all of it in one day.
sunday - the only really sunny day of our holiday, spent the day packing and getting bits and pieces and messing in the pool. then had to go home :(
and that was it, really. came home and have been wearing three layers. i was wrapped up in a blanket for the whole day yesterday. heading down to cork tomorrow - the health fair is on. that should be fun.
25 June 2009
lighthouses and sandy shores
i left the house yesterday with the intention of getting sand everywhere and that's exactly what i did :)
well, maybe it didn't go everywhere, but i did my best to get it all over the blanket and in my bag, stuck to my skin (sun cream is sticky and sand sticks to it) and in the fold ups on my jeans. and how did i carry out my plan? i went to howth for the afternoon.
it's a nice enough place, touristy, and reminded me a lot of kinsale. i walked along the harbour, out to the lighthouse and back, then out the other side of the village looking for a way down onto the beach. it's like secret beach entrance... took me ages to find it.
the beach itself was kind of disappointing. small, no waves, too many cigarette butts... but it was warm and the sand was soft and the blue sky was perfect. i ate lunch, dibbled my feet in the sea (it was freezing), read a bit of a comic and then went home. i need to find a better beach, i think.
i don't really have a whole lot of other news. nymph's tank has an algae infestation. this is good because it means the water quality is high, but bad because the tank is going green.
i finished drakes fortune the other day (monday, i think). i enjoyed it. kinda wanted to play more after i had finished it. i'm almost to the end of assassin's creed as well. might finish that tonight if lordkilljoy doesn't have any plans.
right, going to go now.
well, maybe it didn't go everywhere, but i did my best to get it all over the blanket and in my bag, stuck to my skin (sun cream is sticky and sand sticks to it) and in the fold ups on my jeans. and how did i carry out my plan? i went to howth for the afternoon.
it's a nice enough place, touristy, and reminded me a lot of kinsale. i walked along the harbour, out to the lighthouse and back, then out the other side of the village looking for a way down onto the beach. it's like secret beach entrance... took me ages to find it.
the beach itself was kind of disappointing. small, no waves, too many cigarette butts... but it was warm and the sand was soft and the blue sky was perfect. i ate lunch, dibbled my feet in the sea (it was freezing), read a bit of a comic and then went home. i need to find a better beach, i think.
i don't really have a whole lot of other news. nymph's tank has an algae infestation. this is good because it means the water quality is high, but bad because the tank is going green.
i finished drakes fortune the other day (monday, i think). i enjoyed it. kinda wanted to play more after i had finished it. i'm almost to the end of assassin's creed as well. might finish that tonight if lordkilljoy doesn't have any plans.
right, going to go now.
21 August 2008
2 days by the sea :)
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My parents are in Castlegregory for the week, on holidays and penelope_stone and i went down to visit them on tuesday, just for one night. The crazy thing about going away in ireland is that, even if it's just for 2 days, you have to bring 3 jackets, a change of pants, warm clothes and summery clothes. It's kind of a nightmare for packing because you just have to bring so much stuff because you have no idea what the weather is going to be like. So anyway, we got up early tuesday morning (6:55 for penelope_stone, 7:45 for me), packed up the car with our way-too-much stuff, and headed off at quarter past 8. We got down in good time, got our parents out of bed and went out for a walk. the peninsula has four beaches, all of them excellent for walking along: you have a choice of wading (no thanks - just a bit too miserable), walking on sand, clambering over the rocks or just walking on the grass or road beside the beach. diversity is always good to keep spirits up. |
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we did a five hour walk the first day, along two of the beaches. |
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we stopped off for lunch in spillanes (it's kind of an institution by now - you can't stay in castlegregory without going for lunch / dinner in spillanes). |
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we headed back to the house after lunch, |
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to take a break and watch some olympics. (ahhh, being on holiday in kerry while the olympics are on - how traditional!) |
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we went for a walk into castegregory village afterwards - to get biscuits and juice and i got bread because i was hungry, but more importantly - penelope_stone and i got to fly our kites along the beach on the way there. yeay :) |
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i've not been kite-flying in ages - we just don't get the right kind of wind where i live. that was good fun, |
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but my eyes were fried by the light of the clouds by the time we reached the end of the beach. |
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by the time we got back to the house it was almost time for dinner. |
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back up to spillanes ( i told you it was an institution) for dinner. we arrived early and there was a little confusion with our table (which we'd reserved) but that was ok. dinner was amazing. i got shank of lamb. i was having trouble deciding between a burger and chips (traditional, fun for a change while you're on holidays), cod with spuds and veg with hollandaise sauce (fish at the sea - it's kind of the done thing, and i wanted to do it, but it just didn't appeal completely) or shank of lamb with mash, veg and gravy (now this sounded really good, but doesn't enter into the beachside holiday feel). anyway - i went with the lamb and i was so glad i did. it was the most delicious thing i've eaten in ages and ages. the meat was perfect, the mash was yummy and the veg were veg, but that was ok. all the next day i kep saying "dinner last night was so good." so dinner ended and we went back to the house and then me and penelope_stone went out for another short walk. it was getting dark, and a little cold, but it was still a nice walk. |
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wednesday: more walks - on a different beach this time, |
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and across the peninsula. |
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we brought a picnic along and ate in in the dunes of the west beach. i got really comfortable lying on coats with a sand bank propping up my head and back. it was lovely - out of the breeze, the sun shining on me - wonderful. |
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but we headed on eventually |
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back towards the house, overshooting the way off the beach. |
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so we got to tramp through some dunes on the way back. that was so much fun. |
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penelope_stone and i found a really big one. |
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we climbed up and ran back down and laughed and didn't fall and got sand in our shoes, |
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but that was ok because it was great. |
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after that we got dinner and then we got on the road home. we stopped in at manor west in tralee. just for a look and a pit stop. we stopped again in kilarney, for tesco petrol. yea. then it was back to life as usual. ah well. it was a fun two days. it was a whole week's worth of fun squished into two days and that totally made it worth it. |
14 August 2008
books, beaches and bad music
i finished ender's game last night. it felt very short - i read it in 2 days. it seems books these days take me at least 3 weeks to read and even at that i don't get them finished. ah well.
so - i enjoyed it, but i did feel that he slipped during the second half. it stopped being so much about ender's emotions and struggles and became a bit more general, more about the setting and the people around him. actually, i got the impression that card stopped showing us the story and started telling it to us. so the second half was more like a recap on events than events actually taking place. but i still thought it was excellent. i really empathized with ender. he reminds me of me a lot, and not just the hard time i had in school, but the way i fear that if i accept help off people i'll never be able to do anything for myself again. and obviously his loneliness and the way he holds himself away from people resonated - but perhaps not quite as strongly as it would have a few years ago. (what's this - is ria possibly coming out of her extreme enforced lonership?! shock, horror. yea, now i just have to get over a lifetime of avoiding people. sometimes it's hard.)
penelope_stone and i went to the beach today. her car only has a radio or a tape-player, so i got to bring some of my old mix tapes along. one was from 1997. woah - that's 11 years ago. seriously - i should be a DJ. i love making playlists and putting songs into an order where every song blends well with the next one and they coast along through different emotions. it's fun. anyway. we listened to one from 2000 (i think it was my last mix tape - i got iTunes after that, when i went to college). but god - there were some dodgy songs on there. a lot of good stuff that i still listen to, but some seriously bad chart music that i cringed to hear. penelope_stone was greatly amused by it all.
the beach was good - sunny, a bit warm and we bounced along the coast - jumping across the rocks and testing the grippyness of our trail shoes.
i applied for a job as a meteorological officer today. it seems like interesting work and you get to work outside. i would endure quite a lot to not be stuck in some dull office all day every week. so yea - i'm so hoping i get called for an interview. maybe i shouldn't though, because then i just get to be even more disappointed when they tell me i wasn't suitable.
so - i enjoyed it, but i did feel that he slipped during the second half. it stopped being so much about ender's emotions and struggles and became a bit more general, more about the setting and the people around him. actually, i got the impression that card stopped showing us the story and started telling it to us. so the second half was more like a recap on events than events actually taking place. but i still thought it was excellent. i really empathized with ender. he reminds me of me a lot, and not just the hard time i had in school, but the way i fear that if i accept help off people i'll never be able to do anything for myself again. and obviously his loneliness and the way he holds himself away from people resonated - but perhaps not quite as strongly as it would have a few years ago. (what's this - is ria possibly coming out of her extreme enforced lonership?! shock, horror. yea, now i just have to get over a lifetime of avoiding people. sometimes it's hard.)
penelope_stone and i went to the beach today. her car only has a radio or a tape-player, so i got to bring some of my old mix tapes along. one was from 1997. woah - that's 11 years ago. seriously - i should be a DJ. i love making playlists and putting songs into an order where every song blends well with the next one and they coast along through different emotions. it's fun. anyway. we listened to one from 2000 (i think it was my last mix tape - i got iTunes after that, when i went to college). but god - there were some dodgy songs on there. a lot of good stuff that i still listen to, but some seriously bad chart music that i cringed to hear. penelope_stone was greatly amused by it all.
the beach was good - sunny, a bit warm and we bounced along the coast - jumping across the rocks and testing the grippyness of our trail shoes.
i applied for a job as a meteorological officer today. it seems like interesting work and you get to work outside. i would endure quite a lot to not be stuck in some dull office all day every week. so yea - i'm so hoping i get called for an interview. maybe i shouldn't though, because then i just get to be even more disappointed when they tell me i wasn't suitable.
24 May 2008
ooh, so much news
gosh, i just don't even know where to start. the week since thursday has been so good and action-packed. lordkilljoy and i went to see indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull on thursday, to kinsale and garretstown on friday, followed by mulkabu's party (his birthday is next week) and we went to the park today. wonderful stuff.
i quite enjoyed indy, while different to the last 3, it had all the elements of a good movie, fun capers, good action, a slew of entertaining characters. and while there were one or two bits that annoyed me for their utter stupidity (can anyone say tarzan??) and the ending was a bit of a surprise (not in the way it unfolded, but in what appeared on screen), i enjoyed it tremendously.
we went for mexican (yummy) and watched grosse pointe blank. i hadn't seen it in ages. that is one of my favourite films, and i don't own it. shocking! and what was great was the fact that i remembered it as being the coolest movie, and sometimes your memory can warp things into being better than they really are, but it lived up to my expectations.
friday, we went to the beach for a walk. always a brilliant thing to do. we went all the way out to the blowhole in garretstown. i think lordkilljoy was pretty tired by the time we got back to the car (sorry!!). friday night was a laugh too. the guys are so amusing to just sit back and watch. it was good to talk to jaarius again too. we ended up in the everyman (funk disco, yea :/) at that stage i ran to the bar in desperation and had a swift drink and all of a sudden everything was so much better. the music didn't sound quite as frightening! some dancing ensued, then long island ice teas (which were way too bitter) and then we ran away from a strange woman who invaded our personal space and wouldn't go away.
then this morning, lordkilljoy asked if i'd like to go see radiohead in dublin in 2 weeks. do you even need to ask the question? i kinda had a girly spas-out-excitement moment. radiohead. live. wooooooo! i had kind of random moments of excitement today, expressed by saying "radiohead" and smiling. it should be really good. radiohead :)
i listened to in rainbows for the first time today and all but 2 songs have gone to 3 stars (in itunes) already and nude has gone to 4 stars. i love radiohead.
yeay.
i quite enjoyed indy, while different to the last 3, it had all the elements of a good movie, fun capers, good action, a slew of entertaining characters. and while there were one or two bits that annoyed me for their utter stupidity (can anyone say tarzan??) and the ending was a bit of a surprise (not in the way it unfolded, but in what appeared on screen), i enjoyed it tremendously.
we went for mexican (yummy) and watched grosse pointe blank. i hadn't seen it in ages. that is one of my favourite films, and i don't own it. shocking! and what was great was the fact that i remembered it as being the coolest movie, and sometimes your memory can warp things into being better than they really are, but it lived up to my expectations.
friday, we went to the beach for a walk. always a brilliant thing to do. we went all the way out to the blowhole in garretstown. i think lordkilljoy was pretty tired by the time we got back to the car (sorry!!). friday night was a laugh too. the guys are so amusing to just sit back and watch. it was good to talk to jaarius again too. we ended up in the everyman (funk disco, yea :/) at that stage i ran to the bar in desperation and had a swift drink and all of a sudden everything was so much better. the music didn't sound quite as frightening! some dancing ensued, then long island ice teas (which were way too bitter) and then we ran away from a strange woman who invaded our personal space and wouldn't go away.
then this morning, lordkilljoy asked if i'd like to go see radiohead in dublin in 2 weeks. do you even need to ask the question? i kinda had a girly spas-out-excitement moment. radiohead. live. wooooooo! i had kind of random moments of excitement today, expressed by saying "radiohead" and smiling. it should be really good. radiohead :)
i listened to in rainbows for the first time today and all but 2 songs have gone to 3 stars (in itunes) already and nude has gone to 4 stars. i love radiohead.
yeay.
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