Back on the bike!

Monday was a great  day for a cycle to work. It was so mild at about 10c!

Yesterday was a bit cooler but I still cycled in. Today I probably need to wear my under skins to stay warm.

As I passed the bicycle counter on the Rock Road I noticed I was the 956 cyclist to pass that point.  On Monday I was only about the 600th which was a little odd as it was later in the evening then when I passed on Tuesday.  Maybe a lot of people don't cycle on a Monday.....

Litter by litter!

What a brilliant concept! Crowd sourcing of litter picking along with mining all the data about littering on one app.

I signed up for this app and logged my first piece of picked litter - a Mountain Dew bottle. That's one less piece of rubbish on the streets of Dublin this evening. 

Every little bit helps!

The Glass Castle

I read "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls a few years ago and found it very moving. I heard that was going to be made in to a film and was looking forward to seeing it.

I borrowed it from the library the other day and we watched it last night.

It was so sad. Way too say.  It was very upsetting and it made me so mad. It is one thing to want to have an alternative lifestyle but it is completely out of order to bring children along for the ride and then leave them starve while you pursue your artistic endeavours or even worse feed your addiction.

The Glass Castle stars the amazing Brie Larson but by god, it is a tough watch.

This morning we were minding Cleo so we took both dogs on a long walk. Ciaran brought them to the park first to run around and then I met them and we walked some more around the Ranelagh/Leeson Street area.  I brought along a litter picker and a plastic bag and in about 30 minutes I filled the bag.  Most of it was cans, plastic bottles, vodka bottles & fast food containers.

I feel like it is well worth picking up litter when I go out walking but I just wish people would use the public litter bins and stop dropping it on the ground. I can only hope that people will give up this dirty habit. And of course there are lots of groups who meet up regularly to clean areas. You can read about them here and here. It all helps!

Ireland's highest waterfall - Powerscourt

Saturday morning we were up early and off for a drive to the Powerscourt Waterfall.

As we drove to the waterfall, we chatted about the world famous waterfalls like Angel Falls and Niagara Falls. Both of us agreed that we probably needed to lower our expectations for what Powerscourt waterfall would be like. It is billed as Ireland's highest waterfall.....but I don't know if that is saying much!

As we approached the waterfall we were both very impressed. It is stunningly beautiful and is in a fabulous setting. 

This warning sign is kind of quaint looking - it seems quite retro to me. I'm sure there is always someone who goes off climbing in areas they shouldn't. But I would argue that a sign probably is not going to stop these people doing it!

There is lots of walks in the area and there is a playground for kids along with a snack bar. It was fairly cold there today but on a sunny day I think it would be the perfect picnic spot.

The area around the waterfall is gorgeous with beautiful views of the surrounding hills. We were lucky that it stopped raining when we arrived and it really brightened up.

Bones had a great time running around in the open and also kindly posed for a photo in front of the waterfall.

 Obligatory selfie!

I feel very lucky to have visited Powerscourt waterfall. It was a beautiful day considering it was a cold day in February. The waterfall was loud and vibrant and I imagine it might look and feel very different during the Summer when there hasn't been much rainfall in recent times. 
I'm sure it is very busy at different times of the year. While we were there this morning there was only a handful of people about so that was nice and chilled!
For more information about Powerscourt Waterfall, click here.

Lotto Fever and dream cars!

So the Euromillions is a big one tonight. Over 100 million euro. There was a bit of excitement in work with one my colleagues collecting €1 from anyone who wanted to be part of a syndicate for this draw. I entered my €1 knowing the chances of us all making it to work on Monday without a win behind of us is pretty high. Hey we can still dream though!

Speaking of dreaming of big lotto wins, my dream if I ever win is to buy a De Lorean Sports Car. 

I think everyone has given thoughts to what they would do if they won a big money prize.

So, go on tell me, what would you do if you won big on the lottery?!




When I told my husband of my lotto winning plans he was very unimpressed and replied that I could do this now if I wanted. But I don't think he realises that I would want to house it in a garage at all times so I would need to buy a unit for this purpose and I would also want to keep it immaculately and maintain it in the best condition ever. So of course this would all add to my costs so this is why I need a big lotto win for my De Lorean!

Recycle or reuse

2 million take away coffee cups go in to landfill every day here in Ireland.

That's a fairly shocking figure.

I think many of us are under the impression that coffee cups are recyclable but unfortunately that is not generally the case.

So the solution to this is of course to bring your own reusable cup with you.

I am making a concerted effort to bring a cup along with me when I go for coffee as every little helps.

Many cafes also give discounts if you bring your own cup which I think is a good incentive for people to change their habits. Here's a list of some of the places that give discounts.

I have lots of different cups and to be honest it is alot nicer drinking out of your own cup instead of some of the cardboard cups that cafes use.

As I say, every little helps. I also think there will probably be changes in the future - for example the government may start to put a tax on takeaway cups like the plastic bag levy. So I might as well change my habits before external factors force me to change my habits.

Today's the day!

I had one plan today which was to buy a frame in order to frame a shell that it was given to me by the lovely Jean T. as a gift for my 40th Birthday. The shell is so special - it was picked off the ocean floor by Jean when she was diving the Atocha wreck a few years ago with Mel Fisher off the Florida Keys.

 Amy, Alice and myself all received a shell which we were all beyond delighted with. What a thoughtful birthday present!

Well here is, the final result of what it looks like, now that I finally got round to framing it.

I had planned to put a Key West postcard in the frame but couldn't lay my hands on the one that I had bought specially for this project. Luckily, I had been clearing my bookshelves and had made the decision to throw away all of my travel guides as they are all about 15 years old and way out of date (if any of my Librarian friends saw them on my shelves they would be shocked!). Lol!

So I made the decision to frame a map of Florida from an old USA travel guide.  It looks perfect I think!

On the back I stuck a little paragraph of info about the Mel Fisher Museum.

I am considering buying stickers to add to the picture frame and perhaps writing out the famous Mel Fisher saying "Today's the Day!". But for now I am happy with how it looks.

A big thanks to Jean for this present and what is now a piece of artwork in my house.

And above is what Amy did with her shell. Fabulous!

Edit!!
I found the Key West postcards and switched it out.  Here is my shell pic now:

Taming the mane

I have fairly straight hair that generally is not that knotty. However, after years of getting my hair highlighted, I find that my hair can be difficult to brush when wet after a shower.

I decided to buy a Tangle Teezer brush as the last time I was in the hair salon the hairdresser used one and it seemed to get my hair brushed quickly and easily after washing.

This is what the Tangle Teezer looks like

It is €14.50 in Boots.

This morning after meeting friends for coffee I visited TK Maxx where I found the Kent Pebble Brush for sale for €5.99. It looked very similar to the Tangle Teezer so I decided to buy it.

I am just out of the shower now and I brushed my hair with the pebble. It is very ergonomic and I am pleased to say that I found it really good. All the knots in my hair were brushed out so easily with very little pulling of my hair. 

Job done!