October 2024, Autumn Skies.

 Hello again my lovelies, how are you all doing this week? I hope you are well and happy and enjoying the Autumn weather? Autumn has always been my favourite time of year, so I'm sad to say that I was ill again all last week, and wasn't really able to get out and enjoy it. Still, as I have told you before, I am very lucky to live in a beautiful house with beautiful views, and I spent a lot of time curled up by a window reading or watching the changing weather.
I did get out at the beginning of the week for a walk to the village, and treated myself to the spectacular "small" seafood platter at Nancy's Barn. I cannot recommend this highly enough! I barely managed to eat a corner of it, so took the rest home, which fed me for a few more meals! This worked out well, because I was too weak to cook over the next few days. I considered it a serendipitous meal prep, haha!

Taken at 00:23. Night sky over Pollan Bay.

Taken at 02:53. Night sky over Pollan Bay.

Taken at 01:43. Night sky over Pollan Bay.

Moonlight over Trawbreaga Bay.

Actually got dressed to leave the house Selfie.

Cheers. Treating myself to a meal at Nancy's Barn.

The "small" Seafood Platter at Nancy's Barn. Incredible!

Morning light over Pollan Bay.

Moody afternoon light over Pollan Bay.

Morning fog occluding Pollan Bay.

October 2024, Lights and Music.

 Hello my loves, how are you all doing this week? I hope everything is going well for you. I have some lovely photos from last week to share with you all. I'm still very proud of myself for being all caught up with this Blog, haha! It means I only need to bombard you with photos about once a week instead of more frequently.
After getting back from England, I wasn't very well. It's always so good to see everyone, but the hectic schedule usually triggers a flare up of my autoimmune issues. I know to expect it, but it's still difficult to deal with. It meant that I was in full hermit mode for most of last week, trying to catch up on sleep and move around as little as possible due to tremendous pain levels. As much as I hate the necessity of them, I consider myself very lucky to be able to take these breaks when I need to.
I am also incredibly lucky to live where I do, with such incredible views. Even though I didn't leave the house until the weekend, I was still able to enjoy some beautiful rainbows, and some spectacular Northern Lights, which were on display several times last week. I'm happy to be able to share the best photos with you here.
On Saturday I finally felt well enough to get out of the house, and luckily that coincided with the Seamus Grant Weekend, (you can find out more HERE.) an annual traditional music festival held here in Ballyliffin and Clonmany. A cousin and I went out and got to enjoy a few drinks and some beautiful music at the Ballyliffin Hotel. One of the things I really love about Ireland is the amount of talented musicians here, and their genuine love of music. You never know when you might walk into a bar and be greeted with an impromptu session. It's not planned in advance, not advertised, not filmed for social media algorithms, just a gathering of musicians who play purely for the love of it, and it's a beautiful thing to witness.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

Clouds and rainbow over Pollan Bay.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

Aurora Borealis over the Green.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

Sunshine and rainbows over Pollan Bay.

Sunshine and rainbows over Pollan Bay.

Seamus Grant Weekend, traditional music session at the Ballyliffin Hotel.

September to October 2024, Shrewsbury Sights and Northern Lights.

Hello again my lovelies, I hope you're having a good week so far? I am pleased to say that with this post I'm all caught up with my Blog again after my trip, so I'm feeling somewhat productive! I also have lots of future trips in mind, including our holiday to Sweden and Norway, so it's difficult to focus on work and other more pressing needs, haha. I always like to have something to look forward to, and then get distracted by planning everything in advance.
Last week was a pretty hectic one, as I was in Shrewsbury for most of it, and very busy catching up with family and friends. It's always so good to see people, but with so many coffee dates, lunch dates, movie dates, and pub dates, as well as getting a new tattoo, I didn't get much sleep! Still, I'm not complaining, though I did take two naps yesterday, haha!
I am absolutely in love with my new tattoo, courtesy of the very talented Kahm of OGK Tattoos in Shrewsbury. (You can see some more of his work HERE and HERE.) It is also a cover up of a 24+ year old tattoo, so there was a lot of work involved getting the right design and position. I'm very much looking forward to getting it finished during my next session!
I got back to Ireland and my beautiful Ballyliffin on Sunday, and was greeted by another stunning Aurora display that night! My sister joked that we could cancel our Christmas trip, since I've seen the Northern Lights so many times now, right on my doorstep, haha. Of course, there is no guarantee that we will see the Lights while there, but I hope we do, and even if we don't, spending Christmas there will be magical. In the meantime, I will keep an eye on the skies, and do what I can to take some good photos to share with you all.

Pint of Butty Bach at the Woodman.

Relaxed and sleepy getting new ink!

Amazing new tattoo in progress!

Laura's Tower, Shrewsbury.

Walking through the Quarry, Shrewsbury.

The Bandstand, the Quarry, Shrewsbury.

Porthill Suspension Bridge and the Boathouse on the River Severn.

Autumn walk Selfie.

Betton Strange Hall, Shrewsbury.

Moody skies over Glashedy.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

Aurora Borealis over Pollan Bay.

September 2024, NW Ireland to NE England.

Hello my lovelies! How are you all doing? I've been away to England for a while, but I have lots of lovely photos to share with you again, even if they're not from Inishowen. As beautiful as Inishowen is, I'm sure you enjoy a glimpse of some other places once in a while, right? Well, I do, and it's my Blog, so I'm sharing them anyway, haha!

Double rainbow over Glashedy.

Rainbow over Binnion.

The last week in September I was busy with work and getting ready for my next trip to England, so I didn't take many photos of home anyway. However, the morning I was getting ready to leave, there was an absolutely spectacular rainbow very close by, so I'm glad I was up early enough to capture it! Later I was busy traveling to Derry, and then dealing with a delayed flight to Manchester, which is always annoying. I was very much looking forward to seeing Gareth at the airport after a month apart, so any delay is especially frustrating! Thankfully we were *only* delayed two hours, and I was reunited with my love soon after. Gareth then drove us all the way up to South Shields in Tyne And Wear, where we checked into the Marsden Grotto hotel for the weekend.

Cave Bar at Marsden Grotto.

Cave Bar at Marsden Grotto.

A number of years ago, my Great Aunt, who was also my Godmother, took me to the Grotto, knowing that I would love visiting a pub in a cave, as well as the interesting history behind it. She was right, and you can learn all about the Grotto and some of it's dark history HERE. My Dad's side of the family is from that area, and I have many happy memories of school holidays spent up with my Grandparents and Great Aunts and Uncle. My Godmother was the last of all that generation, and she passed in 2021, while I was stuck in America during Covid times, and unable to travel back to her funeral. I have always felt terrible that I was away for 18 years, and that I missed out on the last years with so many of the older generation of my family. After my Godmother died, I promised myself I would go back to that area one day and say my own goodbyes. My Grandparents were buried, so I knew I could visit their grave, but my Great Aunts and Great Uncle were all cremated. So instead of visiting their graves, I wanted to just go back to the areas where they lived and where we shared happy memories together. I had since learned that the Marsden Grotto was now a hotel, so I could think of no better place to stay while we went traveling around the surrounding area, exploring old and new places.

Together at Marsden Rock.

Marsden Beach.

Marsden Rock.

Marsden Rock and the Grotto.

Selfie with Marsden Rock.

With my love at the Cave Bar, Marsden Grotto.

We got to the hotel late on the Friday night due to the delays, so didn't have time to explore much other than the bar downstairs, but since it's carved out of the cliff face, and beautifully decorated, as well as being a place I visited with my Godmother, we didn't mind. We got up early the next day though to do some more exploring, and were blessed with a gloriously sunny day, which made it even better. Gareth drove us down to Whitby, a place I've always been interested in due to the Dracula connections, haha. Many years ago, my Great Uncle John and my Great Aunt Jean took us there for a visit. I was too young to remember it, but I always remember being told about it, which was part of the attraction for me. We went straight to the famous Abbey and got some great photos thanks to the clear blue skies and bright sun. You know that I love ancient ruins, and all things Gothic, so I was especially happy to be there. We also enjoyed the museum and gift shop, and I *may* have bought a few Christmas presents for myself as well as family members there. ;-)

Whitby Abbey.

Whitby Abbey.

Whitby Abbey.

Whitby Abbey.

After the Abbey we walked down the 199 Steps and went exploring around the town, which we both really enjoyed. Old buildings, cobbled streets, quirky shops, as well as great restaurants and pubs, what's not to love? Of course, I had to buy some of the local Jet jewelry for myself, as well as maybe one or two other fun, Gothic items. In fact, we both felt like we didn't have nearly enough time to explore Whitby, so we plan on making another trip there some day! We had some drinks and delicious tapas at a restaurant and cocktail bar called Macy Brown's, and then found our way to an awesome micro pub called the Quirky Den. We loved that place so much we bought matching tee shirts! They read "Fancy a Quicky in the Quirky?" so it had to be done, haha!

Whitby Abbey.

Whitby Abbey.

Whitby Abbey.

After a full day of exploring we drove back up to South Shields and spent the evening in the Cave Bar, which was so cool. The whole place is so atmospheric and I was happy to be back there. The next day we checked out of the hotel, and then went to visit the village of Haswell, in County Durham, where my family used to live. My Godmother was the last one left in that area, and we drove by her old house so I could see it again. There was a bench nearby and we sat in the sun while I told Gareth stories of all the fun times I could remember with my family in the area. It was emotional, and healing, and once again I am so grateful to him for being so loving and letting me process my emotions in a healthy manner. We went to the Blue House for a proper Sunday roast, (no photos, but the Yorkshire pudding was as big as my head!) which brought back more happy memories, as I had been there for a few meals over the years with my family. An amazing place to visit if you're in the area, but make sure to book ahead, they get very busy, and deservedly so!

Excellent Bloody Mary at Macy Brown's, Whitby.

Proper pint of Old Peculiar at the Quirky Den, Whitby.

At the 199 Steps, Whitby.

After lunch we went to visit the graveyard where my grandparents are buried, and I spent some time cleaning the headstones and chatting to them, before Gareth drove us the long journey back to Shrewsbury. I don't know when I'll be up in that area again, and I had planned this trip, not knowing if I ever would be back. Now that all my family that lived up there have passed, there is little reason to travel up that way. However, after an amazing weekend away with Gareth, exploring Whitby and driving through the beautiful countryside, as well as staying in a hotel in a cliff, we think we could make an effort to go back and explore some more. I would love that, it made me feel connected to my family, and I think that's an important thing to have. As I mentioned before, I felt terrible that I was away in America for so long, and missed out on their last years. Yes, there were short visits, and we used to write to each other, but it's not the same as quality time spent in each other's company. It's one of many regrets I have about my time in America, and one of many reasons why I wanted to live in Ireland and be so much closer to the family I still have.