Halloween Cycle in Dublin City

Friday brought the start of the Bank Holiday weekend (wahey!) 

After leaving work I headed to Dublin City to meet up with Ciaran at the start of the Critical Mass Halloween cycle. Unfortunately I had a bit of a false start after I realised that I left my phone in work, just as the train left Dun Laoghaire Station. I had to get off at Monkstown Station and cycle back to DL - in fairness it was a nice cycle on the protected cycle path of the DLR Coastal Mobility Route. After picking up my phone from my desk I returned to the station but unfortunately I just missed a train so that set me up to be late for the start of the cycle.  So I reassessed my plan and texted Ciaran to say that I would meet up with the cycle gang on Capel Street.  And that's what I did having got off at Tara Street and cycling down Abbey Street directly to Capel Street.

Many of the cycle crew were in full costume but we just wore masks - red dragon for me and werewolf for Ciarán.

Always fun to take part in this event and have a nice saunter on the bike around Dublin. But I particularly like the themed critical mass cycles depending on the time of year. I look forward to the Christmas one now that the Halloween one is over for the year.

And after the cycle it was back to Capel Street where we had wings & wine in All Bar Chicken......

....well I had wine, the werewolf had beer!

Click here to see my very first Critical Mass cycle - which coincidentally was a Halloween cycle too (and I dressed in full costume for this one)!

You can join Critical Mass if you like - just come along to the start at Parnell Square opposite the entrance to the Hugh Lane Gallery, at the side of the Garden of Remembrance. It is on the last Friday of every month and starts at 6pm. See you there!!

My new favourite thing!

Well look at this lovely surprize gift that arrived in a little envelope from my twin sister all the way in the USA - a fab ELVIS necklace!

I LOVE IT!!

It's my new favourite thing :-) 

Thanks Amy - I'll wear it to work tomorrow and hopefully I get a few comments on it! 

Before I start work tomorrow I'm getting my flu vaccine and then after work is the start of the Bank Holiday weekend. Woo hoo! 

Nyad: Never ever give up!

"Nyad" the movie about the amazing Diana Nyad's 100 mile swim from Cuba to Key West opened here in Ireland this weekend. It is a Netflix presentation so it seems like it was a limited cinema release with it then going live on Netflix in a month.

After searching around I saw that it was in Dundrum Centre Cinema on Sunday afternoon so we headed off on the Luas to see it there. 

Wow was it inspirational!

After being beaten by the cruel Florida Straits in the 1970's as a young lady, Diana made a plan to do it at the grand young age of 60. With her trainer and best friend Bonnie, she made attempt after attempt (4 times) until she finally succeeded on 2nd of Sept 2013, with a team of support around her. The film is so great and in particular the acting by both Annette Benning and Jodie Foster - they deserve Oscar nods, I think.

Diana's achievement was a serious feat and it made me feel like anything is possible. It also brought back memories to me of the Key West Swim that my sisters and I did, when we competed in the Key West Swim as a relay in the Island Swim - all 12.5 miles of it!

And speaking of sisters, look who my twin sister actually met in Key West this Saturday - only Diana Nyad who was in Key West to mark the 10 year anniversary of her epic swim.

Amy went to the movie also yesterday, and you can read her blog about it here.

And for us, after our trip to Dundrum, we stayed on the Luas until it got in to the city where we strolled down to Capel Street for wings in All Bar Chicken.

On the way to Capel Street we stopped off in Arnotts where Ciaran got a new Secrid wallet as well as getting his old one repaired by the fantastic counter assistant. So now he has two Secrid wallets. He plans to continue to use the old paint splattered one for a while more, before he switches to his new one!

New Coffee Machine

 L'Or coffee (which I love) had an offer recently for a bundle of coffee with a coffee machine for the princely sum of 70 euro.

I generally buy their coffee from Tesco on a weekly basis but it made sense to buy in bulk with this offer and pretty much get the coffee machine for free.

Here is the new machine on my bar pictured beside my old Nespresso machine.

The unique thing about this new machine is that you can make two coffees at once using the larger size capsule

Pictured above are the larger size capsules with the machine taking both sizes.

This is all the coffee I ordered. 

Along with some decaff that are the blue coloured ones

Both Ciaran and I are in agreement that the coffee is made nicer in this new machine and we both enjoy a single cup made with the larger size double cup capsule.

It also makes my takeaway cup coffee quicker which I make just before I head for the train to get to work. I make it in my Two Friends Key West Cup and it fits in the cupholder on my bike. It's so nice to get to the train station and enjoy a coffee on the platform while I wait for my train - one of the small pleasures in life!

Early morning wake up call - chirping!

Chirp!

It was about 5.30am when we were woken by the first chirp. And shortly thereafter, there was another chirp.

No, it was not the sound of early morning chirping birds, but instead the loud chirping sound of a wired smoke alarm detector with a dead back up battery. Ciaran got out of bed first and located which smoke detector was emitting the sound. He then went about unscrewing the detector and locating the battery that needed changing. He had difficulty removing the detector from the wiring fitting so I went online to find a user manual with instructions. In the heel of the hunt he was doing everything correctly but the chirping stopped anyway without the battery being changed.  So we went back to bed and tried to get back asleep quickly. He fell asleep straightaway but it took me about an hour.

And then when I woke up about 9am Ciaran had already left the house to meet a friend for coffee and about 30 minutes later guess what started up again?! Yup the chirping.

Well don't worry we got it sorted. When Ciaran returned home, in the light of day he was able to get the fitting down, the battery changed and the detector back on the ceiling. All good!

New cushion covers

So after all of that excitement(!) we went up to Nicks in Ranelagh for a coffee and to browse the two pop up shops. 

Both "Feel Good Cycle" and "Pilllows & Patterns" had lots of lovely merchandise on display in their pop up shops in the coffee store. I was so glad to see the lovely cushion covers from Pillows & Patterns as I had been meaning to buy some to replace the ones that are currently on the couch in my conversation pit. 

And so these are the ones I chose. They have a great mid century modern look to them and I think they are very unique and nothing like I had seen before. I'm very happy with them.......and always glad to support and buy local!

Pillows & Patterns will be back in Nick's Coffee in Ranelagh on Sunday, or you can order from their website.  You can also check them out on their instagram.  

I also hear that they will be popping up at Christmas time in Arnotts so look out for them there!

Edit - 

I returned on Sunday and bought the above cushion cover to add to my collection. What do you think of them all?!

A perfect Sunday!

We had a great day in Dublin on Sunday.

After a slow walk with the dog and then back to the house for a little bit work, we then went in to town for a spot of lunch. We headed over to Capel Street again and enjoyed wings in All Bar Chicken. It was actually warm enough to sit on the street so it was nice to enjoy the people watching on the car free street.

Blackberry at The Lighthouse Cinema

And then just as we finished lunch I checked out cinema times for the new "Blackberry" movie. We had just missed the start time of the film in Cineworld and the Savoy cinema but I saw that the film was starting at 3pm in The Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield. Given that it was 2.50pm, we knew we would make the film if we walked smartly to Smithfield.

When we got to the The Lighthouse Cinema, and bought our tickets, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the cinema had a full bar at the concession stand. It sure was nice to enjoy a prosecco and a beer while watching the film. This cinema is really nice and it felt like a far more special cinema date than when we visit the Omniplex in Rathmines. I'd be inclined to visit again as the seats were comfortable, the screen was great and the general atmosphere was very nice. It is also easy accessible from were I live by bus or by Luas with a short walk.

And after leaving the cinema, we headed out on to the Quays where we got a bus up to the Ha'Penny Bridge where we then headed through Temple Bar up to the Central Plaza at Dame Street. At this point we called in to the AAI at the Annex. It is a an exhibition of architectural boards from the 2022 and 2023 architectectural awards.

The annex is part of the Central Bank building designed by Sam Stephenson in probably the 1970's. It has been redeveloped recently with plans for a rooftop restaurant which is as yet to be opened.

This exhibition is on until October 18th and it is well worth a visit.

And then it was onwards on towards Stephens Green with a stop off in Grogans pub on South William Street. There are not many days in October where it is mild enough to sit out in Dublin City, so we took the opportunity. Again a great atmosphere on this street and a lot of people watching to be had.

And finally we were homeward bound with a small stop off in The Rolling Donut where I bought a Brownie Donut. Seriously good and I enjoyed it with a decaff coffee when we got home after taking the Luas from Stephens Green.

All in all a great day in Dublin.......but of course the weather made a big difference and unfortunately regular weather has resumed today with rain coming down. I'll be wearing my water proof gear for cycling to work later!

New Crocs

My croc search is over!

I may have mentioned that I bought a new pair of flip flops for my recent trip to Montenegro - they were a pair of pink croc flip flops and I found them to be so comfortable.

So I then decided on getting myself a regular pair of crocs clogs and began to look for a nice pair in Dublin.

I searched in Schuh, Size, Foot Locker and JD Sports to name just a few places that I visited. 

Well my search ended on Friday when Ciaran sent me a link to a pair in Lifestyle Sports. I bought them online and they were delivered to the Grafton Street Store on Saturday, with Ciaran picking them up for me while I was in work.

I am delighted with them!

I had previously chosen a gorgeous pair on the Crocs Europe website but they were not available in my size. They were kind of white with a marble effect but honestly I prefer these bright vibrant pair.

I have to also mention how impressed I was by Lifestyle's online service. Can you believe that I put the order in at 2pm on Friday and that DPD had delivered them to the store by 12pm the next day. Delivery was free to the store for pickup or 5 euro for delivery direct to your door. Given that we live about a 25 min walk from Grafton Street and Ciaran planned to be in the city anyway, it was a no brainer to pick up from the store. In some ways this is easier, than perhaps having to wait around for a delivery to the house.

Ciaran wore his grey crocs the whole time while we were sailing in Montenegro and in fairness they are a good shoe to wear when you are hoping on and off a boat as you can slip them off easily when you board. 

A funny story is how he ended up with a bright pink pair of crocs kind of by default. As I mentioned above, I was on the hunt for a pair of crocs for awhile and I actually ordered a pair online just before we went on holidays. They took about 6 days to arrive and when they got to my house they were the wrong size to what I had ordered. I contacted customer support to arrange to return them but it was not terribly convenient.....but I still planned on returning and exchanging despite the inconvenience.

But then when Ciaran arrived home and saw them, he said that they were his size and that he would keep them. Good for him and he now has 3 pairs - grey, black and now bright pink!

Here's a pic of the ctocs on my feet while in my garden. We are currently experiencing a mini "indian Summer" with temps in the twenties (but not a whole lot of sun as it is cloudy) so I am wearing my crocs with no socks. Unusual for me to not be wearing socks in Summer let alone in Autumn!!

What I'm watching: The Newsreader

The Newsreader, starring Anna Torv

Happened upon a trailer for an Australian show called "The Newreader" and then saw that series 2 is currently in the middle of being shown on RTE.

It's a TV show centred around a TV New Show in the 1980's and in particular it is focused on the personal story of main news anchor Helen Norville along with other key characters.

Big News Stories of the '80's

Woven in to the stories are true life news stories such as the Challenger Space Rocket explosion and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster as well as more Australian stories such as the release of Lindy Chamberlain whose baby was taken by a dingo. All fascinating stuff to see how a news desk reacted to these stories and put together a broadcast in times with no access to instant information through channels like the Internet.

The Newsreader on RTE

Anyway I found series 1 on the RTE player so I binge watched that before moving on to series 2.  I am now completely up to date and can continue watching it as it is broadcast on regular TV on Wednesday nights going forward. However, it is on too late for me as it starts at 10.30pm so is not over until well after 11pm (it's about an hour long) so I will just watch it the next day after recording it.

Is The Newreader available where you live? Let me know if you have seen it!

Sunday Funday!

Sunday was divine. 

The weather had flipped and it was fine fine fine!

More than fine even. We walked Bones in the morning and stopped off in Nick's for coffee. Obviously we both wore jackets because it was 1st of October but boy did we not need them. It was like a Summer's day.....well an Irish Summer day, so not quite hot but still very pleasant.#

Over coffee we made a plan for what we were going to do for the day (we had some PIGSY work to do) and then later we planned to go to All Bar Chicken on Capel street for dinner. 

We've been heading over to Capel Street fairly regularly these days. It's easy enough to get to by bus from our house and then we tend to get the Luas tram home. It's such an enjoyable part of Dublin since it became "car free" a little while ago and it's so peaceful to wander along the street and experience Dublin at its best.

It also has, among other great eateries, a restaurant that does what I think are the best wings in Dublin. The place is All Bar Chicken and aswell as having great food, it has a cool vibe with friendly staff and good sounds playing on the sound system. 

Pictured below is what we ordered. Cauliflower with satay sauce to share along with buffalo wings and bbq wings. All so good....

All I can say is, do go!

More from Montenegro....

As I promised, in a recent blog, here's another post about our sailing holiday in Montenegro.

Our last night on the boat ended in a place called Herceg-Novi. From here we intended to go back to Cavtat in Croatia the next day.

However, when we pulled up to the marina and docked in the very late afternoon we were met with the sight of lots of smaller fishing vessels bringing in their catches in a large fishing competition. Docked near to us was a boat that caught this beauty.

I had never seen a swordfish before and it was interesting to touch the sword part. Literally what it said on the can - it was so hard and sword like.

We asked the competition organisers which restaurant the swordfish was destined for and they said "Konoba Skver" which was about 200 meters away on the other side of the marina.

Ciaran and I had actually eaten here about 7 nights previously as Herceg-Novi was where we spent our first night on holiday before we set off to meet our crew in Tivat. 

We had asked a lady in a shop for a restaurant recommendation and this was the one that she said was the best. So we took her word and went there for dinner. We were not disappointed and ate tuna and swordfish on that visit.

Konoba Skver: Herceg-Novi

On our second visit we both had the swordfish - we would have been mad not to as you aren't going to get fresher than they were serving, given that it had just been caught that day!

While other dishes that were ordered included seafood pasta.  

The bread also needs a mention. It is baked in the restaurant and served with garlic oil. Quite divine.

Hemingway Cafe: Budva

Nestled in to the Majestic Hotel was a little bar/restaurant with a Hemingway theme. Of course being such Hemingway fans we had to stop off here.

We had a nice relaxing coffee at breakfast time and enjoyed people watching. All was perfect until a bird came along and pooped on my head and shoulder!!!  Seemingly good luck.....but it didn't feel lucky to me!

After cleaning myself off in the bathroom, it was back out on the terrace, steps away from the old town, to have another coffee with Ciaran.

Budva and Kotor were two of the places in Montenegro that we visited that had walled cities. We did guided walking tours in both of these places with a private guide and I highly recommend both places if you are visiting Montengro.

Rainy Day in Dublin - a day for the cinema

Wow was it wet in Dublin yesterday. 

It started heavily raining from about 9am and continued to do so most of the day. Even with the rain, however, we went for our usual morning walk to Nick's Coffee.  We had a large umbrella which kept us dry on the short walk. While we were in Nick's we made plans to go to the cinema to see the Talking Heads Concert Movie "Stop making sense" at 5pm as it was so rainy.

Although we had been considering getting the bus to the Rathmines Omniplex, we caught a break when we set off walking to Rathmines at about 3.30pm as it had stopped raining briefly. 

When we got to cinema we realised we were far to early for the film, so we sauntered across the road to Rathmines Library and had a browse for a little while. It is such a pleasant library so it was a nice thing to do of a Saturday afternoon.

Very quickly the time for the movie came upon us and so after Ciaran bought a Coke Zero and popcorn combo meal, we headed upstairs to cinema no. 9 which is the little 22 seat screening room. 

It was a great experience to watch the movie in this intimate setting (we were in the back row) and it brought me right back to 2018 when we saw David Byrne live in his American Utopia tour 

The music was awesome and it felt like you were actually at the concert - a few times after some songs both Ciaran and I gave a spontaneous little quiet clap and I saw a guy do the same a few rows ahead. It is such a unique concert as the additions to the stage are made. Quite mad really - but somehow makes sense.....

All in all a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon and we didn't even mind walking home in the rain either!