June 2023, Week Thirty Three.

Well hello again my lovelies, I hope you're all doing well?  Here are some of my favourite photos from Week 33 here in Ireland. I didn't get out and about much as I was still very busy with unpacking, etc, but I was able to see some family and friends, which was very nice. I also had another meeting with Michael McLaughlin, regarding the upcoming Disappear Here Film Festival, and things were moving along well with that.

Pollan Bay. Yes, this is Ireland!

Pollan Bay.

On the Wednesday that week, I walked down to the shore to visit with an aunt and uncle, and we had a lovely lunch together before they dropped me home and came in to look at the new place. And on the Saturday I had a few friends round for drinks and nibbles. I'm looking forward to hosting more often! Everyone who has seen the house has been very impressed so far, especially with the views. And it will look even better when I have everything fully unpacked and put away, but given how much stuff I own, and the fact I'm doing this single-handedly, it could take a while!

My book nook is coming together!

Glashedy Island.

Taken at 22:08. Sunset over Pollan Bay.

Taken at 22:51. Sunset over Pollan Bay.

Taken at 23:10. Sunset over Pollan Bay.

As June went on, the evenings stayed light so much later, and I was amazed every day by the beautiful sunsets across the Bay. I would be sitting having a video call with Gareth in Shrewsbury, and it was full dark where he was, but still bright here in Ballyliffin. I live in the northernmost part of Ireland, and there is very little light pollution around me, so the views at night are just perfect. On clear nights, it barely got dark at all before you could see the sun coming up again. And since I'm a night owl and usually up very late, I got to enjoy that sight often.
Did you know, it is possible to see the Aurora Borealis here?! I have not been lucky yet, but I hope to see it this Winter. It is a lifelong dream of mine to see the Northern Lights, and I have traveled to Sweden, Iceland, and Alaska, with no luck yet. I think it will be quite funny if the first time I see them is in Ireland!

Taken at 01:30.Pollan Bay.

Taken at 01:34. Pollan Bay.

Girls Night In. Cheers!

I started settling into a routine of working on the house, as well as my Voiceover work and volunteering for the Film Fest. I was leaving my art studio to be unpacked last, but was already being constantly inspired by the incredible views from my new home. I kept having ideas for new art and having to note them down before I forgot. I often have my best ideas at around 03:00, but you can guarantee I'll forget by morning, so I have to get up and make notes while I still can!

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.

May and June 2023, Week Thirty One.

Well hello again my lovelies, here we are in another new week. And I am currently ONLY 23 weeks behind in my Blog... that's under six months, so I've made SOME progress, haha!
The end of May and the beginning of June marked my 31st Week here in Inishowen, and it was also the week that all my worldly possessions arrived from storage! My things had been in storage or transit for almost a year, since I sold my house in Virginia. They went from Portsmouth, VA, up to Baltimore, MD, back to Norfolk, VA, on to a container ship to London, UK, then to Shrewsbury, where they sat in storage for months, and then finally over to me in Ireland. And, since I had had most of my things packed up for months, if not years before I actually moved, being able to open all those boxes again was like every Christmas and birthday rolled into one. I was very happy to rediscover all my treasures, and find places for them in my new home.

Enjoying a beer and a beautiful view.

Gareth was here all week, and his help was greatly appreciated. It was another week of fantastic weather, and in between lifting, shifting, unpacking and organising, we went out for a couple of nice meals, saw some friends, and made sure to get some walks in.

Sunset over Pollan Bay. Taken at 23:22!

Sunset, Pollan Bay, 22:32. One of the best photos I've ever taken.

One evening was particularly beautiful, and we walked along the beach and were able to take some stunning photos. It was still mostly light at 10:30pm and the backdrop of Glashedy against the sunset was just spectacular. Again, I have to say how incredibly grateful I am to be able to live here!

Bloody Mary and a view!

Guinness and Nancy's World Famous Chowder!

Clear Waters at Carrickabraghy Castle.

Exploring Carrickabraghy Castle with my love.

Sea Thrift and Glashedy Island.

Clears Waters at Carrickabraghy Castle. A lot colder than it looks!

Carrickabraghy Castle.

The Saturday was a busy day. I needed to run some errands and we had social plans too. Good thing Gareth has a car and doesn't mind chauffeuring me around! He took me to Clonmany to go to the Post Office, we had a fabulous lunch at Nancy's Barn, sitting outside, then we went exploring at Carrickabraghy Castle, before heading to Carndonagh and getting a big food shop done, and buying some plants and pots for my new home. Later, we got all dressed up and went to dinner at the Ballyliffin Golf Club, before heading to the Ballyliffin Lodge Hotel and to celebrate a friends' birthday.
All told, it was a fantastic week. Gareth had to leave on the Sunday morning, but it was wonderful to have him here for so long, and I was so happy to have my things arrive safely from storage.

May 2023, Week Thirty.

Hello again my lovelies, happy Sunday. I hope you've all had a good week? I also hope you've been enjoying my recent posts and photo dumps, because there is plenty more where that came from!

Here are some of my favourite photos from Week Thirty here in beautiful Inishowen. It was an incredible week weather-wise, and waking up to my new views every day had me grinning non stop. I spent a lot of time out wandering and enjoying both the weather and the views, as well as getting important things like my internet sorted.

I am never going to get tired of waking up to this view!

On the Monday I had a meeting with Michael McLaughlin, Director of the local Disappear Here Film Festival. We discussed me helping with the social media for the event, and I was looking forward to being able to help out. Afterwards I went to the Ballyliffin Hotel and treated myself to a nice meal, before walking to Clonmany and going for a few drinks at McFeeleys. I knew I'd miss that place, but it  is still walking distance, which is good to know. (I always say everything is walking distance, it just depends how much time you have!)

Delicious meal at the Ballyliffin Hotel.

Gaddyduff, Clonmany.

One of my favourite walks in the area is to go "over the cliffs", as my family always called it. We'd walk down to the beach, and head West, climbing up onto the cliffs to enjoy the views there. There is a broad swathe of rock pools along that edge of the coast too, and as a child I never tired of exploring them. We would fish in the pools and study the creatures in a bucket of sea water before releasing them back where they came from. 
As I have previously mentioned, I had mostly only ever stayed here in August, so it was wonderful to explore this area at this time of year, seeing the different flora and fauna, and enjoying the late evenings. Living so far North, it stays light VERY late in the summer, and there is something truly magical about taking late walks and it still being full light. Of course, in the Winter, it will be that much darker, but personally I think it's worth it. I have absolutely loved seeing this beautiful landscape in every season over the past year.

Waves over the rocks, Pollan Bay.

Sea Thrift and Spray, over the cliffs, Pollan Bay.

Glashedy Island, Pollan Bay.

White Water and Salt Spray, Pollan Bay.

Sea Thrift and Salt Spray, Pollan Bay.

Gareth came to visit that Saturday and stay for a week, and it was so lovely to see him after a month apart. Saturday evening we went to the Ballyliffin Townhouse for a meal and some drinks, but otherwise we spent the weekend in and around my house, unpacking and organising. Most of my things would be arriving from storage the next week, so he was here to help me officially move in.

Taken at 21:33, sunset over Pollan Bay.

Taken at around 22:00, a sunset walk with my love.

Gareth couldn't get over how light it was in the evenings, and we went on a beautiful walk along the beach at sunset on Sunday. He was amazed when I pointed out that it would continue to get lighter until the Summer Solstice next month! I doubt I will ever get completely used to that, and look forward to enjoying midnight sunsets every summer from now on.

May 2023, Week Twenty Nine.

 Hello again my lovelies! I hope your week is going well? I have been feeling very productive, and I've been very much enjoying going through these photos from May when I first moved into my new house. As you might imagine, I spent a lot of time that first week admiring my new views, and taking walks around the area.

First morning cup of tea in my new house. This is the face of a very happy woman!

Pollan Strand with Binnion in the background. Almost all those houses belong to my family. This was my Great Granny's land!

I feel like I have come full circle. I always wanted to live here, I spent every summer here growing up, I learned to swim here, and I even took my first steps just up the road from my new house! My Great Granny, whom I sadly never met, lived on the shore here at Pollan Strand, and the land has passed down within the family ever since. There are a lot more of us these days, of course, but it seems like everyone in our family has such a strong connection to this place, even if they never lived here. Most of us came back to visit when we could, no matter how far away we ended up. I have cousins that live all over the world, as far as Australia, and I lived in America for eighteen years myself, yet Ballyliffin always called us back. Many of my family were married in one of the local hotels here, and have stunning wedding photos taken on this shore. It has always felt like home to me, and I cannot express how happy I am to finally be living here!

Pollan Strand with Glashedy in the background.

Glass of wine at Nancy's Barn. And why not?!

While I will miss the convenience of the Centra shop and several pubs that were all very close to where I lived in Clonmany, I was looking forward to living closer to Nancy's Barn and the hotels in Ballyliffin, since it's nice to go out for a meal every now and then. And since I didn't have any kitchen utensils yet, and was living off charcuterie style meals that week, I made a point to visit the Ballyliffin Hotel and Nancy's Barn as well. It's a healthy walk to the village and back from my new home, including a pretty steep hill, but I am so lucky to have found a place that is still within walking distance to places, since I don't have a car currently. I was looking forward to doing a lot more walking and building up some strength!

Carrickabraghy Castle, Isle of Doagh.

Carrickabraghy Castle, Isle of Doagh.

Carrickabraghy Castle, Isle of Doagh.

Me. At Carrickabraghy Castle, Isle of Doagh.

Blow Hole at Carrickabraghy Castle, Isle of Doagh.

On the Sunday that week, I took a long walk along the shore to Carrickabraghy Castle, known locally as "the Castles", for the first time since I moved to the area last November. When I stayed at the shore in the summer growing up it was a favourite walk of mine. When the tide is out you can cut some of the distance off, but when it's fully in it takes longer to walk around the curve of the bay. Either way, it's a fantastic walk, and then you get to explore the castle at the end of it! And if you manage to time it right, you can witness the blow hole in the cliffs behind the castle. I was so happy to see that I'd come at the right time that day, and spent a very happy time trying to capture the spectacle, while getting sprayed with salt water kisses. It felt like a welcome to the area, and I couldn't stop smiling.
The castle was built in the 16th Century, and you can read more about the history of the area HERE.

At Carrickabraghy Castle, looking across the Five Finger Strand, Isle of Doagh.

Since I usually visited Ballyliffin during the school summer holidays growing up, I had never seen the area at this time of year. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the swathes of pink sea thrift carpeting the grass beside the castle. I was used to seeing a few here and there in August, but nothing like the masses that were growing in what was obviously their peak season. A couple of weeks later, I bought some at the plant nursery in Carndonagh to grow on my porch, as it seemed only fitting to have local plants growing.

I have always considered myself very lucky to have this place in my life. To have grown up coming here is an incredible gift, but it did spoil me for other beaches, haha! This one had everything; soft sands, clear waters, rock pools, cliffs, and even a castle and a blow hole! There was always something to see and do here, and I spent so many happy hours exploring. Ever since, any time I have gone to a beach, no matter how beautiful and exotic a location it might be, I have always felt like it was distinctly lacking something. Having the family connection here of course only made me love it more.
I know I keep saying it, but I am SO happy to finally be living my dream here in Ballyliffin!