Be in with a chance to win a Pigsy Mug!

Want to be in with a chance to win a Pigsy mug?!

To enter the competition, email pigsy.art@gmail.com with the answer to the following question:

"What was the name of Pigsy's solo exhibition in The Kemp Gallery from 6th Oct to 12th Nov 2016?

Head on over to this page before March 4th for further information and the answer to the question also!!

Ireland v. France:6 Nations

Kick off for yesterday's Ireland versus France rugby game was at 4.50pm. At about 10am Ciaran received a text offering him two tickets which we gratefully accepted.

The Aviva stadium is within walking distance of where we live so went down there with enough time to get a burger and beer and soak up the atmosphere.

It was a great game. Ireland won!!

I look forward to the next game in the competition.

Saturday Brunch in Mayfield

We had planned to drive to Belfast this morning to view some Smart Cars for sale.  Our plans fell through so we decided to go for brunch instead. 

Ciaran suggested Mayfield as he used to work close by and always enjoyed eating lunch there.

I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived. At the entrance, is a small gift shop which sells jewellery, scarves, candles and very funky cards.  I will be back at some point to buy some cards as I have a few weddings coming up that will need some special cards.

The style of the place is quite unique - I would describe it as a mammy meets hipster crossover. All of the furniture is mismatched and my seat was a church pew bench seat!

The food was very keenly priced and very tasty. I didn't order a coffee as Ciaran said it was only "ok" But he ordered it and drank it without another word so that is probably a good sign.  I had a diet coke on this occasion but will probably try the coffee on our next visit.

I had salmon and poached eggs.It really hit the spot! 

I really liked these cute cow milk jugs that were on each table.

All in all, it was a lovely brunch - great food in a nice restaurant with a great atmosphere.  I shall be back!!

Saturday night at the movies....

After work on Saturday we made plans to go see a film in Rathmines Omniplex that night.  I'm not really a fan of late night cinema but the only options were John Wick or The Founder on after 9pm.  We chose The Founder.

I rang Dillingers and got us a seat at the counter at 7.15pm that needed to be given up at 8.30pm.

We were originally going to drive but then Ciaran decided to have a beer so we decided to walk to the cinema (it's only about 15/20 mins away).

So we finished dinner about 8.20pm and set off walking to Rathmines. The portions were huge in Dillingers (I had ribs, Ciaran has Surf n'Turf Chilli Nachos) so I was glad to walk off the dinner.

We both really enjoyed "The Founder" and thoroughly recommend it.

Speaking of films I thoroughly recommend.  Guess where I was this morning?!

I went to see La La Land a second time with my twin sister!!!  And I honestly think it was better second time round! Have you seen it yet?!

Georgia in Dublin - bring on the rain!

I adore this Rain Gear!!

I need it in my life.



My twin sister told me about the Georgia in Dublin range of "cycle wear" a little while ago and since then I have been in love with it.  

I was reminded of it yesterday when I saw a lady in the library looking amazing in a red bustle jacket.

When we were at a knitwear launch before Christmas in The Design House we saw that they stock Georgia in Dublin. I may have to have a little meander in to The Design House and try one of these fabulous jackets on.

Isn't this the most super stylish rain gear you have ever seen??!!

I think Georgia in Dublin rainwear would complement my bike perfectly - click here to read about my Dutch Bike.

Their rain skirt and leggits (water proof over shoes) are quite innovative and look like they would really protect against the Irish weather. Personally I think there is nothing worse than arriving wet somewhere after cycling in the rain and having to then put up with wet and cold legs and feet.

Let me know what you think or how you currently defeat the weather when cycling!

Mr Selfridge

As I mentioned yesterday the weather is awful here in Dublin. I felt like hibernating for the day.  So after brunch in The Farm on Leeson Street, I lit the stove and opened up Netflix to choose something to watch all day.

I happened upon Mr Selfridge and hunkered down for an afternoon binge watch.

It's a really enjoyable show and Jeremy Piven is excellent as the lead character.

As afternoon moved in to evening, I continued watching and poured myself a Baileys over ice. Most enjoyable!

My plans for the weekend....

It's a cold one here in Ireland, this weekend. My plans for the weekend consist of sitting in front of this stove

And listening to my new record. It's The Visitors by Abba. I got it in Tiger for €15 after seeing it for €22 in Tower Records.

This was a record that my twin sister and our best friend all enjoyed when we should have been studying but instead were listening to Alice's older sister's records.

Sitting in our living room is an interesting piece of Ciaran's work. It is the painting that was in the entrance way to his exhibition in The Kemp Gallery in October. Look at the top you can see the Kemp Gallery is written on the painting.  It's a unique piece to say the least!!

Click here to check out Ciaran's new website.

Sunday Brunch in M&S

On Saturday, Ciaran picked up a parcel for me that I had delivered through Parcel Motel.  There is a new Parcel Motel in the Esso Station on Sandford Road which is very convenient.

A few weeks ago I found Duck crackling in TK Maxx of all places. It is made by Wilding Snacks and I enjoyed it so much that I ordered two boxes online.

Here they are. The crackling is seriously tasty and I like the packaging!

Brunch on Sunday started with a breakfast cocktail in the best bar in town - in my sister's city centre pied a terre!

An espresso martini sets you up for the day!

 We then moved on to the M&S cafe.  The food options are fairly limited - it's all mainly carbs. But the ambience is nice and we enjoy sitting in a booth and whiling the time away.

When I got home Ciaran had a surprise. He had bought a piece of sculpture and he had collected it. Read all about it here!

Venice Trip!

We had been considering a big trip to the USA for holidays this year taking in Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water and some other architectural gems on both the east and west coast of the States. However, with me taking a trip to Key West with my friends (for a big birthday celebration) at the end of the year and the bad dollar rate we made the decision to go somewhere else this year and put the big USA trip on hold.

So then came the question of where to go.  We decided upon doing small city breaks instead of one big holiday. 

Ciaran has always wanted to go to Venice and even more so when he heard about the Peggy Guggenheim museum with its amazing collection of art.

My work colleague had been to Venice recently so I asked did they have a recommendation of where to stay. They recommended a small boutique hotel in a quiet area of Venice near to St. Mark's square. It's the Hotel Al Codega and I booked it through the hotel website as I got the best rate on their site as opposed to some of the hotel booking sites that I price checked.

In regards to flights, I chose to fly with Aer Lingus even though it would have been about 25% cheaper to fly with Ryanair.  The flight times are definitely better with Aer Lingus - the arrival time is mid day on our first day, while with Ryanair it would be a 6pm arrival. We are not going for a long time so this time is important.  With the Aer Lingus flight we will have got to our hotel by 2pm and will be straight out exploring Venice.  While the Ryanair flight would mean you'd just have time for dinner on your first day. It's definitely worth paying the extra cost on this occasion!  And to be honest I way prefer travelling with Aer Lingus than Ryanair.

The trip doesn't take place until the beginning of April so I have a bit of time to do a little research on what to visit and to also book tickets for certain attractions. Watch this space for a trip report on our return!

Click here to read Ciaran's blog about our architectural tour of Carlo Scarpa sites.