June 2023, Week Thirty Two.

 Hello my lovelies! I feel like I'm on a roll with posting and catching up with myself, so let's see how long I can keep the momentum going, haha!
The week after Gareth left was another beautiful one, weather-wise. However, I was so busy unpacking my entire life that I'm afraid to say I didn't get out exploring at all. All my energy was devoted to unpacking boxes and finding places for all my things. I have a lot of stuff, but you might be surprised to know I downsized a LOT before I left America. I even purged my book collection by a third, which is one of the most difficult things I've ever done in my life!
Nothing I own is of great monetary value, but it was all sentimentally important enough to me to pay for it to be shipped over from America, and kept in storage until I had space for it. I wrapped and boxed everything up myself before the movers came to transport it. People mocked me for taking so long with my packing, but now that I've unpacked every box (and there were over 200) and only one single pint glass was broken, I think my care was justified.

Binnion Hill, view from the back of my house.

View of Binnion from my kitchen window.

Glashedy and Pollan Bay.

Closer view of Glashedy, with a boat on the Bay.

I was especially excited to unpack my books and set up my library/book nook again. My books were some of the first things I had packed up when I was still living in Virginia, and I had missed them! I read a lot, but I tend to read the same books over and over, so they feel like old friends. Having a space for my books, and a comfy chair to sit and read in, are priorities for me.

My Book Nook!

One of the days that week, I opened the curtains and was surprised that my usual view of Glashedy and Pollan Bay was completely occluded by a low cloud. Clouds are not a rarity in Ireland, but what made this unusual was that it was only cloudy lower down, closer to the coast. Up the hill where I live it was blue skies and sun! My aunt and uncle were staying at the family beach house that week, and confirmed what I expected. To them, it looked like a grey, wet day! That cloud lingered most of the day, in that area only. Interesting!

View of where Pollan Bay USUALLY is!

Crockaughrim covered in low cloud.

I may not have gone on any walks that week, but I definitely enjoyed the views from my house, which is full of light thanks to the many windows facing all the different views. And, as we got closer to the Summer Solstice, the evenings stayed lighter so much later. I was amazed at how light it could still be at midnight!

Taken at 22:40. Sunset over Pollan Bay.

Taken at 23:58. Still light!

Date Night.

The Sunday of that week marked one year since Gareth and I decided we were officially in a relationship. Happy Anniversary to us! We'd been talking for months, long distance, and kept saying that when I moved back from America, we would see how things go in person. Eventually, we realised that we were already IN a relationship, and neither of us had any desire to be with anyone else, so we made it official. Obviously, we weren't able to celebrate together in person on the day, but we arranged a long distance date night instead. It was nice to have an excuse to dress up, after a week spent in my scruffs while unpacking, and I love spending quality time with Gareth, even if it is long distance.