Well hello again my lovelies, I hope you've had a good week? I have been dealing with a lot still, and am clearly very far behind in my Blog. I'd apologise, but I'm not actually sure that anyone reads this, so it doesn't really matter, does it? If there is actually someone out there reading this, then hi! Thank you for being here. I will share some nice photos and videos just for you.
These images are all from the first two full weeks in January this year. I still had lots of work to catch up on, as well as dealing with withdrawal symptoms because I had to come off one of my medications. Never fun. I did get out of the house a couple of times, to run errands and such. One day, I took a windy walk along the beach. I sat for a while just watching the waves and trying to heal my spirit, but I was filled with immense sadness. I am a very intuitive person, and there have been many times in my life when I just knew something was wrong. I started getting very strong feelings, or premonitions, regarding my relationship with Gareth. I second guessed everything, because I always do. We'd just had an incredible holiday to Sweden and Norway over Christmas, why should I doubt? I blamed the fact that I had had to come off my antidepressants, which is always going to upset your brain chemistry. And yet, I couldn't shake the feeling.
I like to take long walks on the beach and whisper my fears to the wind and waves. Not necessarily hoping for answers, but just as a release. Speaking the fears out loud can help me to process the emotional turmoil, help me to figure out where this pain is coming from. I'm not good at talking to people while I go through things. I've never really had a safe space where I could be vulnerable around people. My emotional needs were never recognised. I was not allowed to cry or express myself as a child. Everyone else's needs took priority, and I was supposed to put them first, always. I was told I was selfish, mean, greedy, even vicious, for trying to set healthy boundaries. When I did attempt to share any painful experiences or emotions, I was told it was my fault. That I deserved it. So. I had to be the strong one, and look after everyone else. I learned that my needs were not important and I should put everyone else first, always. Not at all conducive to healthy relationships in my future. I have spent so many years trying to heal and if not love, then maybe like myself, even a little. It's an ongoing battle.
So. I spoke my fears and doubts to the wind and waves. Sometimes when I do this, I recieve answers and reassurance. This time, they merely echoed my thoughts back to me. A confirmation. 2025 was off to a bad start.
Grey skies over Glashedy.
Sea foam and salt spray, Pollan Strand.
Sea foam and salt spray, Pollan Strand.
Sea foam and salt spray, Pollan Strand.
Sea foam and salt spray, Pollan Strand.
Sea foam and salt spray, Pollan Strand.
Sea foam and salt spray, Pollan Strand.
Searching for blue skies, Pollan Strand.
Rainbow over Pollan Bay.
Rain moving over Pollan Bay.
A sprinkle of snow over Pollan Bay.
These colours keep me going.
Moonset over Binnion.
Sunset over Pollan Bay.
Sunset over Pollan Bay.
Grey clouds over Pollan Bay.
Grey clouds over Pollan Bay.
Stars over Binnion.
And people told me it would be bleak in the winter!
Hello my lovelies, how are you all doing? I know it's been a long time since I've posted, so I hope you are all well and happy. I haven't been doing great lately, this year has been a real struggle for me. My last posts were so full of fun and festive cheer, but I warn you in advance, the next few are likely to be pretty dismal. 2025 has brought me fresh heartache, and I haven't felt up to writing about it all. Still, that will be in a future post. For now, let me catch up with things in order.
These photos are all from the first few days in January. I arrived back in Donegal on New Year's Eve, and spent the first few days of 2025 catching up with sleep and work, and mapping out my goals for the year. All of that meant that I had little energy, but I was fortunate enough to capture some beautiful views from my house, without needing to step outside. The Aurora was quite strong over the first few days, and I got some more colourful photos of that. Nothing like the impressive ribbons and curtains that I witnessed in Sweden of course, but still beautiful nonetheless. I also got some nice photos of rain clouds moving across Pollan Bay, and an impressive rainbow, as well as a perfect pink sunset.
I always feel so fortunate to live where I do, and to have these stunning views to enjoy, no matter how I feel. Some days, those views are all that has kept me going this year. I'm happy to be able to share them with you all too.
Well hello again my lovelies, and happy Hump Day! I hope that your week is going well so far? I have a few last photos and videos to share with you from our Arctic trip, and then I'll stop making you so jealous, I promise, haha! These were all taken on Boxing Day, 26th December 2024, as we travelled back from Norway to England. Since most of the day was spent in airports and on planes, there aren't as many photos to share with you, of course, but I thought you might like a few of these.
That day we were up too early to get breakfast at the hotel, but we still had some snacks in our room that we had bought on Christmas Eve, including some cake! That seemed like a fitting last breakfast, so we enjoyed that while we finished packing and tidying the room ready to leave. We got our pre-booked taxi outside the hotel at 07:30 and were driven the hour-long journey to the Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes. It was cold and dark and snowing again, and must have been a very quiet ride for our driver as Gareth and I were both dozing in the back, haha!
After checking in and dropping our bags off, we had some time to kill and took a wander around the terminal. Despite the fact this was a very small airport compared to others, it was another example of attractive architecture, cleanliness, and efficiency. I really loved that about both Sweden and Norway. Everywhere we went things just seemed to look and work better!
Rare Nacreous/Polar Stratospheric clouds.
Rare Nacreous/Polar Stratospheric clouds.
Rare Nacreous/Polar Stratospheric clouds.
We caught our 10:50 flight to Oslo, and were treated to another
atmospheric phenomenon not long after leaving Evenes airport. This time
we saw a small patch of rare Nacreous or Polar Stratospheric clouds,
which neither of us had seen before. It was so pretty, but of course,
once again, the camera doesn't do it justice. I felt that we really had
been so lucky during our trip; we saw the Pilot's Glory on the way over,
the Aurora Borealis three nights in a row while we were there, and then
the Nacreous clouds on the way back. Incredible! I was feeling very sad
that the trip was over, but this was almost like a last special goodbye
from the Arctic, which was lovely.
Sunrise!
Sunlight!
Snowy landscape as we descended towards Oslo.
We landed safely at Oslo Gardermoen airport, and had plenty of time
before our next flight to look around a bit and get some food. Once
again we were amazed by how beautiful the airport was! The emphasis was
on large open spaces, clean lines, and lots of wood, and there were some
impressive sculptures as well as everything being decorated for
Christmas. We wanted to get some lunch, and had a difficult choice
between all the healthy and tasty looking options on offer. I felt like I
could have spent a whole day just exploring the airport and trying
different dishes. In the end we decided to get some sashimi, and sat
overlooking the tarmac enjoying the last meal of the holiday.
Airport sashimi!
Enjoying the last meal of the holiday, Oslo Airport.
After our meal and a look around some of the shops, we went to catch our
connecting flight at 15:00, and then we were officially leaving
Scandinavia. We got back to London Heathrow on time, went to collect
Gareth's car, and he drove us safely back to Shrewsbury. It was along
day of travelling, and we were sad that our trip was over, but we had
our own gifts to exchange with each other to look forward to. So we sat
beside the Christmas tree with some music playing and got to open some
lovely things!
Last leg, Oslo to Heathrow.
Flying towards the sunset.
The whole trip was so magical, truly what you would call a trip of a
lifetime. Of course, now I can't wait to plan something else just as
exciting!
