July and August 2023, Week Forty.

 Hello my lovelies, and happy Monday! I hope you all have a great week planned. I am pleased to say that I've now caught up with my Blog as far as August, woo hoo! Still months to go obviously, but I'm getting there. Maybe I can be up to date by 2024, haha.

A walk to the Standing Stone to show my family.

Clonmany River Walk.

Clonmany River Walk.

A bit blurry, taken from a moving car, but the colours were just incredible!

I talked about this in my last post, but the end of July marked one year since I left America! The official anniversary was 31st July, when I flew First Class overnight from Virginia to London. I arrived on the 1st August, and Gareth was there to meet me at Heathrow. After months of being long distance, it was so wonderful to meet up with him in person. I was terrified that the spark wouldn't be there when we met in real life, but clearly it was, and the past year with him has been the absolute best and healthiest relationship of my life. So again, lots to celebrate!

Celebrating!

At the Castle Inn, Greencastle.

The size of these crab claws!! Castle Inn, Greencastle.

My family were still staying at the beach this week, so I got to see them quite a bit, as well as several of my cousins that I hadn't seen in decades. It was a full week, with trips to Nancy's Barn with family, walks in Clonmany and along the shore, and late night drinking sessions. Gareth left on the Wednesday morning, but we got to celebrate together before that, and you know I love an excuse to dress up!

View of Binnion from my house. I am in love with the different colours here!

Glashedy Island and Pollan Bay.

Blue skies over Pollan Bay.

July 2023, Week Thirty Nine.

 Hello my lovelies, happy Sunday! I hope you've all had a good week? I have been busy with lots of different things, but still making time to catch up with this Blog when I can. There are still so many beautiful photos to share with you all!

Fox spotted near the beach house.

Another day, another glorious view of Pollan Bay.

Glashedy Island and Green Fields.

The last week in July was a great one. I spent the first few days finishing some unpacking, then frantically cleaning and tidying the house in anticipation of guests. My Mum, sister, and niece all flew over from England to stay at the beach house for a while. The day they arrived, I walked down to the shore in advance, bringing some supplies, and opened up the house for them and made a meal, so they wouldn't have to worry about it after traveling. We had a lovely evening together, and then I had Gareth arriving early the next morning to look forward to as well. As always, it was wonderful to see him, and he helped me to finish cleaning the house and getting things ready for the big party on Saturday.

My "Crow's Nest," where I keep my art reference books, and treasures from around the world.

Art Studio is coming together!

I had arranged this Housewarming Party months in advance, needing a goal to have everything unpacked by, and I invited all my relatives that live nearby. Many of them had seen the house by that time, in varying stages of mess, so I wanted to be officially unpacked and moved in by then. And, I left America on the 31st July 2022, so it was almost one year since then, and I had so much to celebrate!

Housewarming party!

In the past year, I have lived in three different countries and four different houses, all the while getting closer to my dream home. I moved from Virginia, to Shrewsbury, to Clonmany, to Ballyliffin, where I have always wanted to live. Every day I wake up to incredible views of my favourite places, and I can't begin to explain how healing that is. I took evening classes (evening EST, which meant I was taking classes that began at 01:00 GMT!) learning how to be a Voice Over Artist, passed all my tests with flying colours, set up a home recording studio, and started a new business, which is slowly growing.  I set up my art studio, facing my favourite view, and I am inspired to create every day. I have been able to catch up with family and friends that I haven't seen in years, and some of whom I haven't seen in decades. I have been in the best relationship  of my life. And, on top of all that, my health has improved greatly since I left America, and I have never been happier. Like I said, lots to celebrate!

Family.

Happy Smiles!

More Happy Smiles!

My Marmie.

The party was a success, and it felt wonderful to be able to host gatherings again. I look forward to having more in the near future! On the Sunday, Gareth and I went down to the shore house to spend the evening with my Mum, sister and niece. We had another lovely meal, (mostly consisting of party leftovers, yay!) and played card games until late. What a great week!

July 2023, Weeks Thirty Seven and Thirty Eight.

 Well hello again my lovelies, how are you all doing? I have so much to do today, but I have a massive headache which is refusing to shift. So instead of tackling my To Do List, I am going through old photos. On the plus side, that means you get to enjoy some more beautiful pictures of Ireland, so yay!

Weeks 37 and 38 were busy. I hosted two sets of aunts and uncles, went out with friends a couple of times, hung out with cousins, and had a bunch of work done on my house, as well as my usual work, and volunteering for the Disappear Here Film Festival. However, I didn't take many photos, so I'm combining both weeks into one post here, with my favourite pics of the sunsets, landscapes, food plates, and selfies that I took, haha!

I promise I am not vain. Quite the opposite in fact. I have struggled with body dysmorphia and low self esteem my whole life, and these things have impacted my mental health and relationships greatly. These days I am really trying to love myself, if only a little, and the selfies I post are part of that process. Social media can be a wonderful tool for many things, but it can also be a scary place. It can take a lot of courage to put yourself out there for people to pick apart. In the past, I would never leave the house without putting makeup on, even if I was just popping to the shops. These days I go bare-faced, without my "armour" quite often, and sometimes even post selfies sans makeup. It may seem like nothing to most people, but to me it's a huge step, and I'm proud of myself.

Sunset over Pollan Bay. Taken at 22:09.

Sunset over Pollan Bay. Taken at 23:12.

Sunset over Pollan Bay and Glashedy. Taken at 22:01.

Moonrise over Binnion, and sunset over Pollan Bay. Taken at 22:03.

Another beautiful day in Ballyliffin.

Dinner at the Rusty Nail, Crossconnell.

Pre-dinner Selfie.

Cheers!

Off out-out.

Taking a sofa day after a busy couple of weeks.

July 2023, Week Thirty Six.

 Hello again my lovelies, how are you all doing? I hope you're having a good week. The weather here is pretty miserable today, but I am enjoying going through my older photos and being reminded of the warmth of the Summer days, and the light of the long evenings.

This week in July I had a visit from an old school friend, who was in Donegal with her husband and children. It was so good to see her after so many years, and we had a lovely afternoon together. Of course, I took them to Nancy's Barn, and afterwards we went for a long walk on the beach all the way to the Castles and back. They have promised to come back again, and I hope it's soon!

Another aunt and uncle were staying at the beach house at this time, so I got to see them a couple of times during the week, as well as some cousins that I hadn't see in over 20 years. It is so wonderful to be living here and be able to see family more often. I feel like I missed out on so much while I was living in America! All of the older generation have passed on, and I missed my younger cousins growing up, and there is always an inherent sadness involved with missed opportunities.

There are faces I will never see again, voices I never got to hear enough, and stories that are now lost forever. So, I am making sure I make up for lost time and opportunities these days, and making every effort to live in the moment and enjoy this fleeting life while I can. And yes, that involves taking lots of walks and admiring the sunsets, and breathing in the salt air. I have lived in big cities. I have worked all the hours. I have put my body and mind through hell, barely surviving day to day in a world where I never felt at home. This is why I enjoy my quiet little life so much here. I feel like I've returned to my roots, as well as to a simpler time. I take pleasure in the little things, and I have never been happier. Instead of just surviving, I am thriving!

Glashedy looking ominous.

Took my friends to Nancy's Barn, of course!

Walk along Pollan Strand to the Castles.

Sunset over Pollan Bay, taken at 22:50.

Sunset over Pollan Bay. Taken at 21:57.

Walk over the cliffs. Taken at 21:02.

Golden Hour! Taken at 21:05.

The light made the rocks and water look painted on! Taken at 21:26.

Another sunset over Pollan Bay, taken at 22:07.

Taken at 02:40. Sunrise over Pollan Bay.

June and July 2023, Week Thirty Five.

Hello my lovelies, and happy new week! The last week in June and the beginning of July this year I was in Shrewsbury visiting family and friends, so I thought I'd share a few photos from there as well as my Irish ones. As usual, it was a busy week in England, with lots of meet ups with friends, meals out, shopping, and exploring. I had a great time! Here are some of my favourite photos:

At the The Olive Tree/Bevans, Shrewsbury, celebrating.

At Kanu Poke, Shrewsbury.

In the secret garden Blue Bar, Wyle Blue World, Shrewsbury.

At Erddig, Wrexham, Wales.

Gardens at Erddig.

Erddig House.

Erddig House.

Obligatory airport drink and selfie.

Rainbow over the Isle of Doagh, Ballyliffin.

Beautiful view of Glashedy and Pollan Bay to welcome me back.