Rathmines/Ranelagh

A lot of people have asked about the area I live in and what it is like.  I live in the village of Ranelagh which is in between Donnybrook and Rathmines.  I went for a walk with the dog this morning and took some pictures of some of the stores and restaurants in Rathmines and the surrounding area.

Hope you enjoy looking at the pics!

"The Farm" Organic Restaurant in Donnybrook.  Ciaran ate breakfast here the weekend that I went to Belfast, he said the food was excellent.  They give you lovely purple blankets to wrap yourself in if you are cold when eating outside.

                      Flower Shop on Mespill Road, Dublin 4

                           
               The old Rathmines Town Hall - now houses a college

The Post Office in Rathmines, 1934

Roddy Boland Pub

Zen Chinese Restaurant

                         Connollys Fish - they sell scallops! Yum!  
I also like their sign on the street "Do you get it twice a week?" 

 Rathmines & Rathgar Musical Society (est. 1913) - in an old National School that has a girl's entrance to the left and a boy's entrance to the right.

The Swan Shopping Centre (or Mall if you are from USA!)

This is possibly the tiniest shopping centre I have ever been in.  It has a small 3 screen cinema, a Dunnes Stores, a Kylemore Cafe, House of Tea and a few little gift shops - and that is it!!!  Well maybe it has a hairdressers and a few boutiques also. 

I also found a "Fothergills" Deli up at the top of Rathmines (but I forgot to take a photo).  There was one of these close to our last house and I loved to buy their home made desserts and fresh pate and hummus.  I need to pay a visit there and see what lovely stock they have over this side of the city.  

Wardrobes!

Check out my new wardrobes!

Over 3 metres tall, floor to ceiling!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Raining very heavily here in Dublin at the moment.  The forecast is that it will clear up late on.  I always like if it stays dry when the little kids are out trick or treating and they stay nice and warm but then I love when it starts to pour rain after that - this obviously quenches the dangerous unofficial bonfires that are planned in different areas of the city.  Last year I read that clean up costs for Dublin South Parks was over €200,000 for the damage caused by bonfires :-( 

Have a safe Halloween folks and remember to take care when handling fireworks!!

Hot tub is open!

The hot tub is open for business!  

Finally!  

The Hot Tub company sent up two guys to replace some parts yesterday.  They drove 2 hours from Cork.  I thought they would be in and out in an hour but they were at it all day.  I think they had to practically rebuild the Hot Tub operator.  They left at 5pm and the hot tub began to heat.

This morning, I got a text from Ciaran who is in Belfast to check if it was warm.  I dipped my foot in and it was so nice that I promptly hopped in and sent him a text of the steam rising!

It was -1 degree celcus last night, so today is perfect weather for hot tubbing in the garden.

Here's my twin sister and I enjoying cocktails in the hot tub!

The view from the hot tub - what a beautiful sky!

Sweet treat!

Who doesn't love a good cupcake?!

My family certainly do. 

My mother and sister own a cupcake business called "Lydia B Cupcakes".  Due to this fact, there are always cupcakes in my parents house when I call.  It's cupcake heaven.  

I love nothing more a coffee cupcake with a nice cup of coffee.

Lydia B Cupcakes are freshly made with no added preservatives.  Cupcakes can be supplied for weddings, hen parties, christenings or any other occasion.  If you are having a celebration in Ireland and wish to order cupcakes, please use the contact details on the Lydia B Cupcakes Facebook page to contact Lydia about flavours and colours.  Cupcakes stands are also available for hire.  

Become a fan on Facebook in order to get updates about special offers and also see lots of lovely pictures of gorgeous cupcakes!

Here is a picture of a recent Cupcake display for a wedding.

Lydia B Cupcakes has lots of cupcake stands for hire including this fun record one!!

New wardrobes

We are getting our new wardrobes today!  They are being made by Dean Cooper who also did our kitchen.  Over the next few days the bar will be fitted along with screens to cover the television in the living room.    

Here is the current state of the makeshift bar:

Here are the wardrobes currently:

Day 1 

Pictures to follow of the completed wardrobes and bar.

Day 2

Historic house tours

One of the highlights of our annual visit to Key West, Florida at Christmas time is the Historic House tour.

The tour generally consists of 5 houses and is held over 2 days.  You can visit each of the houses at any time during the tour opening hours. 

The tour costs $25 and is held as a fundraiser for the restoration and care of the oldest house in Key West.

This years tour is on December the 27th.  Having partaken in this event for the past few years we have visited some really great Key West homes.  The houses on the tour tend to be varied in size with a mix of modest historical homes and also some high end luxury mansions.

It's quite a social event as you see the same people at different points along the tour.  Last year we bumped into two groups of people of that we knew on the tour.  

The houses will be announced closer to the tour date and we look forward to seeing the list!