Hello my loves, and happy July. I hope that you have all been doing well? I know it's been a long time since I've written. Truthfully, I am just about hanging on by a thread. 2026 has been another tough year so far, and that has taken a toll on both my mental and physical health. I can say that I am still here, however, and I have some more photos and videos to share with you. I know that some of you have been missing my views! (All three of you that read my Blog anyway, haha!) These were all taken over the Christmas and New Year period, 2025.
Off to meet the girls.
Venison Steaks!
I got back from England on the 20th December, and my lovely friend Avril kindly gave me a lift back from the airport. Later we met up again for some drinks at the Ballyliffin Townhouse, along with Avril's sister and niece, whom I also know. I also bumped into one of my cousins and some of his friends, and was invited to a late dinner down at the shore. I had planned on going home and having an early night, having been up and on the go since 05:00 that morning... but they were serving venison steaks, and that seemed like too good an opportunity to miss. I was glad I went, it was great craic, and the meal was delicious!
Winter Solstice Sky.
Winter Solstice Sky.
Rain over Crockaughrim.
Pint at the Cruiskeen Lawn Bar, Buncrana.
On the 23rd of December I had to go to Buncrana to run some errands. It was nice to see the town all lit up for Christmas, and I got a few last things for my festive dinners. I was looking forward to some good meals, even though it was just me. To save time and effort, I had ordered turkey, ham, and stuffing from Nancy's Barn. They have been doing this for a number of years now, and it's a great option for those on their own, or who don't want to buy too much meat. Of course, I also bought lots of veggies for myself, and copious amounts of gravy. I prepped a few of the veggies in advance on Christmas Eve, and then settled in for a quiet evening.
Is this enough sprouts for one person?
Christmas Eve Sunset, 16:10.
In recent years, I had learned about the Icelandic tradition of Jólabókaflóð, or "Christmas Book Flood", where people give and receive new books, and spend a cozy night in on Christmas Eve, reading and sharing stories, new and old. As a book-nerd, of COURSE I loved the sound of this, and had celebrated it the last couple of years with my ex boyfriend. This year of course I was alone, and I didn't have a new book, but I still made a point to enjoy it. I re-read an old favourite, that comes out every Christmas, and basked in the glow of nostalgia and Christmas lights.
A must-read each Christmas!
A quiet Christmas Eve.
Christmas Day dawned bright and sunny and beautiful, which was perfect, as I had planned on taking a walk on the beach. I would have gone even in bad weather, but it was more enjoyable this way. I strolled along the shore, walked over the cliffs, and explored some rock pools. I also came home with a bag full of sea glass and pretty rocks and shells, which was like a wonderful Christmas gift to myself! Then I came home and had caviar for brunch. Who says you can't enjoy the holidays on your own?!
Christmas Day, Pollan Strand.
Christmas Day, Pollan Strand.
Christmas Day, Pollan Strand.
Christmas Day, Pollan Strand.
Having said that though... I did have a bit of a mishap later that day. I was going to start cooking dinner, and was very much looking forward to it. I got changed into a nice dress and heels, because again, even if I'm on my own, that doesn't mean I can't look nice! However... walking downstairs again, I managed to trip near the bottom. I tried to correct myself, but my heels caught on the edge of the step, and I fell straight down onto my knees on the tile floor, from three steps up. As you might imagine, this was a heavy landing, and very painful! My knees were badly bruised and swelled up significantly. I also managed to rip half a toenail off, though I did not even notice that until later, my knees hurt so much! And before you ask, no, I hadn't been drinking, other than one glass of mulled wine.
Christmas Dinner for one.
So. Instead of the big, elaborate meal I had planned on making, I had to rethink and downsize a bit, since standing to prep and cook was extremely painful from then on! I definitely drank some more mulled wine after that, but I think I deserved it! And to be fair, it was still a large meal for one person, since as usual, I had overestimated my stomach's capacity, haha. And there was plenty of food still, so I had different variations of a Christmas Dinner for a few days!
Boxing Day Bloody Mary, and Stranger Things!
All in all, other than my clumsiness, and banged up knees, it wasn't a bad way to spend Christmas. It wasn't the first time I'd spent it alone, and I'm sure it won't be the last. At least this time I was here, in Ballyliffin, with my beautiful views, and I got to walk on the beach and blow the cobwebs away. The next few days were more of the same, although I was struggling to walk a bit, so mostly stayed indoors and admired the views from my windows.
Boxing Day skies.
NYE Rainbow.
Rain over Glashedy.
New Year's Eve was another quiet night in. I like the old tradition of opening the back door of your house just before midnight, to let the old year out, and then on or just after midnight, opening the front door to let the new year in. I also meditated on the past year, which as you know, was a very difficult one for me. But there I was, at the end of it. I might not have survived unscathed, but I did survive.
Here's to 2026!
Here's to 2026. It has to be a better year, right? RIGHT?!
Well hello again my loves. I hope you are all doing well? How are we in May already? I'm not quite sure how that happened?? But here are some photos from December last year for you to enjoy. Clearly I am still behind with this Blog, but I've been enjoying reminiscing about this trip, and all the fun I had with family and friends.
As always when I'm back in Shrewsbury, I try to catch up with as many friends as possible. So, there were coffee meet-ups, brunches, lunches, dinners, festive frolics, and of course, lots of pints of cask ale to enjoy. It was lovely seeing so many good friends. I know that Christmas is often a difficult time to see people, as everyone is so busy, so I was grateful for everyone who made the time to see me.
AND! It was my Mum's 80th birthday mid December, so we had to do something special for that! My sister and I arranged a family meal for her, and my brother came up from London the evening before to surprise her, which she was absolutely delighted about. The next day, on her actual birthday, we went for the meal at the beautifully historic Henry Tudor Inn in Shrewsbury. My aunts and uncle traveled from Coventry and Ireland, and had arrived early to surprise her, and then spent the rest of the evening with us. It was tricky and stressful, negotiating all the different arrivals and keeping everything a secret for so long, but I'm happy to say that everything went according to plan, and Mum was completely surprised and delighted. Yay!
I had organised my friend's Hen Do at the Henry Tudor Inn a couple of years ago, and knew that it would be the perfect venue for my Mum's surprise party as well. The staff did an incredible job, the food was amazing, and the private room we were in could not have been more special for a small family function. You can see in the photos a glimpse of the beautiful timber framed building, stained glass windows, and stunning furniture. And since everything was all decorated for Christmas already, we didn't even need to bring our own decor. It was perfect, and everyone really enjoyed their food. Honestly, I can't recommend that place enough. It's now my go-to venue for any events I organise, and I told them we'd be back for my Mum's 90th, haha!
I have always loved the lead-up to Christmas, when the shops are all decorated, the town is lit up, and there are all sorts of fun, festive activities to do. In fact, I think I prefer the lead-up to the actual day, which can sometimes feel like a let down! This year, I got to go Christmas shopping with my sister, and decorate gingerbread houses and cookies with my niece, as well as go to her school Christmas concert. I also got to meet my best friend for the annual Carols In The Square, that is broadcast live on the radio. This has become quite a tradition for us, and if I'm around at that time, we always go together.
It was a very busy couple of weeks, as always, and I had a lot of fun, but I was glad to get home to Ireland, and was looking forward to a quiet Christmas, the first one spent in my new home.
Hello again my loves, how are you all doing? It has been a while since I've posted, obviously. All my good intentions failed, as I've been struggling with my mental and physical health again/still. But these photos span the time from the 10th of November to the 5th of December 2025, so theoretically I'm still catching up with myself.
During that time I mostly only left the house to go to appointments or run errands, so I don't have a lot of interesting photos to share. I did make it down to the shore for a walk one wild and windy afternoon though, so I do have a collection of photos and videos from that day. Being greeted by a bright rainbow next to Glashedy was a real treat!
On the 15th November I was selling at the Clonmany Christmas Craft Fair at the Clonmany Community Centre again. I have gotten a lot of good feedback from my newer "Peace of Pollan" brand pieces, and it feels good to be using things that I found on the beach, and to be doing my part to help keep our beautiful Inishowen cleaner.
I had some tests done earlier in the month, and was back at the Doctor to discuss the results by the end of November. And, I was officially diagnosed with Lupus here in Ireland. It was already suspected, from over a decade ago, when I was still in America, but due to further tests being "inconclusive", the official diagnosis at the time was UCTD, an "Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease". Now, the tests are conclusive, which was both validating and disturbing. It's good to have conclusive proof of something that was suspected for so long, but to know that I should have had this diagnosis a long time ago, and perhaps some help for my issues, is disheartening. So many people dismiss my health issues, since I "look fine"... and it's just another struggle to have to deal with, for anyone with an invisible illness.
Knowing that as I age, my health issues will only get worse, is not a good feeling. I had an aunt who died from complications from Lupus, and she was only in her 50s, which is a sobering thought. Between the Lupus, Fibromyalgia, PCOS, Arthritis, and Lymphocytic Colitis, I am in pain all day, every day. The fatigue that I experience is overwhelming, and impossible to explain to anyone who has no experience of these things. On top of all of this, I am now perimenopausal, and the hormone fluctuations make everything worse. So, my physical health has been poor, and my mental health has been no better. Trying to come to terms with all these diagnoses, knowing that my life will never be the same, is difficult. I mourn for everything I was once able to do, and the active life I used to lead.
All in all, 2025 was an extremely difficult year for me. If I didn't live where I do, and have these views, I don't think I would have survived. I may be able to go out and do things far less often, but at least I can sit and enjoy the views from my windows.
Oh, and yes, I put my Christmas Tree up in mid November. After the year I had, I felt I needed some sparkle in my life!
