Back at Bikram!

Today was a good day!

I made it back to Bikram Yoga with my twin sister.

I had seen a sign for Bikram Yoga in Fairview the other day on my way home from work. I checked their website and saw that they did a special intro offer for a month (as most yoga studios do) so suggested to my twin sister that we go on Sunday.

Which we did!

And it was great :-)

We had thought about cycling to the studio (Amy will be cycling most days after work while I will be driving) but because I wasn't exactly sure of the specific location I thought it was better to drive on this first visit.

It was a great studio and we had a fantastic class with a super teacher.  I think we are going to enjoy our month of yoga!

What a Super Sunday!!!

Portobello Harbour Market

As I mentioned in my last blog we visited the Portobello Canal Market on Sunday.  It was a fabulously sunny day and there was a good vibe at the market with a DJ on the decks spinning the tunes.

We enjoyed a cup of coffee and a donut while sitting by the water.

Other than the coffee there wasn't a whole lot of anything else that interested us.  But I did manage to buy three handmade greeting cards which are very cute!

This is the stand where we got our coffees -which were really really good!!

We were there early so it wasn't really that busy.

Only a few food stalls were at the market - including this crepe maker. 

Here's the DJ

This was pretty much the extent of the market.

Pokemon hunting and biking around

Haven't been up to a whole lot over the past few days....just a bit of biking around and Pokemon hunting.  I became pretty bored of the whole Pokemon fairly quickly but it is was a worthwhile exercise to get out and experience it to see what it was all about first hand.

Rathmines Library is a Pokestop!

I've been scoping out good safe places to lock my bike.  I mentioned the under ground car park in the Swan Centre but another excellent place is in the Drury Street Car Park (the one closer to Stephens Green).  It's like Little Amsterdam with the amount of bikes there!

It's in from the weather and there was a sign up saying the area has a camera on it. Sounds safe to me!

Ciaran bought a bike yesterday. We went Northside to get it - you definitely get better value - and he picked up a secondhand bike for 150 euro that should do the job for him!

This morning we plan on cycling up to the Portobello Canal Market with Bones in the crate on the front of my bike. We will park up and then wander along the stalls and get some nibbles to eat and perhaps some nice little knick knacks.  I'll report later on how it was.

Have a great Sunday peeps!

Saturday Chores

Saturday morning was busy. We started in Fumbally which seemed even more hippy dippy then usual.  I didn't mind it but it bothered Ciaran who said he is never going back late on a Saturday morning again (we arrived about 11).  He said he is only going to go at 10am on a Saturday or only visit on a week day. 
Afterwards Ciaran needed to buy new canvas so we called to Evans on Capel Street for those. Then we went to Maplins on Jervis Street where I was looking for a voltage converter to work with a set of outdoor lights that I bought in the States on my recent trip. 

I didn't buy the converter because as the bulbs go they will have to be replaced with Irish bulbs which won't glow as well when used with the converter. It's probably a better idea to change out all the bulbs now and also change the plug to an Irish plug.  

This is turning in to more of a project then I anticipated when I bought them in Strunk Ace in Key West!!

Later on we put silicon sealant around the hot tub and fixed a press in the bathroom.  I felt like we deserved a good dinner later after the days work so we went to Edelwiss in Ranelagh.

I had a hankering for fondue but the owner explained that fondue for one was not advisable due to the size of their pots - an individual portion just covers the bottom and can over heat and is not very pleasant. So I went for the Raclette instead.

We had a cheese platter to start which I forgot to take a pic of. Let's just say I ate A LOT of cheese at dinner last night!!!

Can you see me?!

I got a new waterproof jacket for cycling around. I went for the less bright version but I reckon it is still very visible. Hopefully I will be safe cycling in Dublin traffic......might be a good idea to remember to wear my helmet though!!

Do you see who took a spin with me on the bike too?

It's Bones peeping out of the crate!

It was first time out for a trip with me - I think he enjoyed it a lot.

Updated soft furnishings - Funky fabric from Key West

Every time I visit Key West I call in to The Seam Shoppe which is a fabric shop on Truman Street. They have a fantastic selection of tropical print fabric which can be difficult to get here in Ireland.

On this trip, I bought a pink fabric with a martini glass print on it, as well as a kind of retro looking geometric print.

I was unsure what I was going to do with the fabric until I decided to cover some cushions I had on my couch. 

Look how they turned out! I'm very happy with them.....

It took me such a short time to complete and they are like brand new cushions. If you are looking to update your cushions I'd recommend buying a bit of fabric and sewing new covers. 

Do let me know if you think you would like to complete a small project like this after reading about how easy I found it!

Cycle Saturday!

I'm feeling very Dutch these days as I cycle around on my "Omafiet" (Grandma Bike!)

On Saturday, I cycled in to the city and then got on to the train with the bike out to Donabate.

Look at the amazing view of Malahide Estuary.  It really is stunning.

 Getting my big heavy bike on the train was quite the chore.  I had to lift it up in to the train and it barely fit in the lift down to the platform. But worth the effort!

Look at this video of women cycling in The Netherlands - they really cycle in all weather!!




Today before work, I cycled to my doctor in Ranelagh then came home and picked up a book and cycled to Rathmines for a coffee. If you are looking for a great spot to lock your bike in Rathmines go to the underground car park at the cinema - there is a great big bike lock up area there.  It sure felt safe and secure.

A great Saturday night in Dublin

Our best friend Alice arranged a super night out in this weekend. She had organised tickets for Bjorn Again who were playing in the Bord Gais Theatre and also booked a pre-theatre meal in "HQ".

Going to Bjorn Again brought back memories. The first concert we went to was Bjorn Again when we were about 14 years old with a chaperone who happened to be Alice's older sister.  Good times!

Dinner in HQ was fantastic. Here's a few pics.   I had Tuna Tartare to start and Featherblade beef for my main. Accompanied by a glass of Malbec it was a lovely start to the evening.

I do love the Bord Gais Theatre - I don't think there is a bad seat in the house.

By the way can you see who came straight from work and is in their librarian cardigan??!!!

The performance was #Abbatastic and we danced and sang our little hearts out.

And at the end of the night I hopped on my bike which I had left locked outside the restaurant and cycled the short ride home along the canal. It was a lovely mild Summer night and was still quite bright at 10.30pm. 
A brilliant night in Dublin with the best of friends!

My new Dutch Bike!

I picked up my new bike today!!

I'm in love with it!

It's a Dutch Heavy Duty Gazelle Bike with a carrier on the back and front of the bike.  On the front is a crate to cart around my dog or to carry shopping etc. 

You may also note that there are 3 locks on my bike - I don't think this is overkill - I'd hate for it to get stolen.  One of the locks comes fitted on the bike (the Dutch style back wheel clamp) and I spent a good percentage of the bike cost on the other two locks.

I decided to go for a black bike as I think it suits Dublin best. As you saw from the bike I had in Key West for my holiday I do like brightly coloured beautiful bikes but somehow I think they wouldn't look as nice if they were being ridden in dull Dublin.

My bike was fairly expensive (but is excellent quality so should last for years) but actually won't cost me the full price because I bought it under the Government "Bike to Work Scheme" where you are given tax relief on the cost of the bike.  It's a great scheme - you can read more about it here.

Tomorrow I will be cycling to the train station, getting on the train with the bike (allowable outside of peak hours), getting off and then cycling the rest of the short way to work. Hopefully it won't be raining as I haven't bought rain gear yet!!!

I purchased my bike in the Dutch Bike Shop and I highly recommend them.  They really know their stuff and have a fantastic selection of bikes.  Their after sales service is also very impressive - my bike is to go back to them for a tune up in 5 weeks and they then give a full guarantee for a year and I was advised that I should bring back the bike if there are any issues though they anticipate there will be none. These Dutch Bikes are seriously good quality.

Watch this space to see how I get on with my biking adventures!

Dublin Pride

A few years ago my twin sister and I cycled with a Dublin Cycling Group in Pride Parade and enjoyed it immensely. So I jumped at the opportunity to take part in it again this year with the Boomtown Roller Derby Team.

Here we all are at the end of the parade - thankfully no cuts, bruises or broken bones!!

Cousin Kasey came in to watch the parade -my sister took  this picture and said I looked like some kind of police officer on skates!

My skates are like a pair of runners with wheels attached - I bought them just before the parade on Done Deal for the bargain price of €30. 

Amy wears a One Human Family sticker from Key West on her helmet which looks great!

Do our smiles hide our petrification?! Skating in the parade was a lot of fun but I can't deny that I felt real fear as we free wheeled down from Parnell Square to O'Connell Street. Let's just say I'm not the best at stopping sharp so I "took a knee" - which is an actual way of coming to a stop but may or may not have looked like I was falling to the audience watching!

It was a great day, the rain held off and after the parade the three of us went in to Pride Village and chilled out and then went for wine and Mexican food in Xico's on Baggot Street.
What fun!

You can read Amy's account of the day here.