Big news - we are a one car household!

For the past while, I've been considering whether we need to have two cars (albeit 2 teeny ones - namely a Smart Car and a Toyota IQ).

Well we took the leap.   The IQ is gone to a new home where it will be well looked after, appreciated and driven (I drove it 4 times in since the New Year).

Here's my blog post back when I got the car - about 5.5 years ago.

For the future, I plan to use either my bikes (regular Dutch and electric) or take the bus or train.  Or if I am really stuck for a car, I can borrow my husbands or alternatively I can use a Go Car. It will all work out.  I can even walk in to city if I want as I live approx 2km from the top of Grafton Street.....or I can get the Luas if I don't feel like walking!

Watch this space as I report how I am getting on without the car.

Happy International Women's Day!

I had a lovely International Women's Day starting with brunch in The Ivy Dublin with my mother. It was my first time in The Ivy and I was very impressed with it. The decor is stunning and I had a very tasty Eggs Benedict and a nice glass of prosecco.

And afterwards I went to TK Maxx and bought a new Bodum Coffee Press in a lovely cheery red colour.

I also got a little coffee "pour over" thingy that you put on top of a cup and let the coffee drip through a paper filter to quickly make a coffee.

I got a bag of nice coffee from a work colleague. I had given him some homemade soap and he gave me coffee which was really very thoughtful of him and made me very happy!  

Litter picking on the Grand Canal

I was thinking of going to Bikram on Saturday morning but then decided that if it wasn't raining I'd go to the canal clean up instead. It is only on once a month and sometimes I can't go because it clashes with work so because it didn't clash this month I felt I should go.

I only cleaned a small section of the canal but it was in a fairly bad state so my bag got full very quickly. Lots of beer bottles & cans as usual along with a bunch of hair bobbins(?!) and tons and tons of cigarette butts.

After the clean up I cycled on to Rathmines and look what I found in the window of the Vincents shop: a Paddington Bear!!

I couldn't resist and I bought him to add to my collection of PB's.

Later I made more soap. Peppermint flavour this time. 

It came out lovely and white and smells amazing! I look forward to using it in 4 weeks time.

Jameson 3 Things - Whiskey time!

JAMESON 3 Things  

When:

March 1 2019, 7pm

Where:

D-Light Studios

46 North Great Clarence Street

Dublin 1

Super night and I'm developing quite a taste for Jameson & Ginger!   

No work Thursday

Thursday was great. I took the day off work and made the most of it by getting up at 5.50am for an early morning Bikram yoga class. The class was brilliant (with Aileen, an excellent teacher) and I was so energised after it. When I left the studio I went to Rathmines for a coffee and a read of a trashy magazine (those of you who are close to me will know what magazine it was - trash of the highest order!!). 

Later that evening we went to see the new Felicity Jones film based on the life of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, "On the basis of sex". Really good film which had me gasping at times - incredible to think that it was only a short while ago in the seventies that women were being treated so unequally in comparison to men. It is thanks to people like RBG that we have seen positive change in this regard.

All in all, Thursday was a great day and I was glad that I took a days Annual Leave to have it off - I don't generally use my leave in this way as I prefer to take it off in blocks and go away on 2 week breaks from work but it worked to take the single day off.

Friday Funday

I was up early and out to meet my mother in the city as I had no work today. We had a nice catch up over a cup of coffee - next time we meet we plan to go for brunch which should be lovely.

So if you recall I made a batch of soap a few weeks ago. I had to leave it for 4-6 weeks to cure.  So after the drying and curing process had taken place the soaps were ready to be wrapped. After I got back from town in the afternoon I got out the brown paper and ribbons that I had bought for the very purpose.

Here are the soaps wrapped and ready to go to new homes.  I wrapped them in singles and doubles and they are all "Lemon, Lime & Grapefruit flavour"

Super Saturday & Sunday

I had a super weekend. I got up to loads of great things. Both days started well with 10am Bikram which I cycled to. I had a great practise on both days and it felt good being back in the hit room after a break of a couple of days.

We had made a plan to go for wings on Saturday afternoon but beforehand we called in to Campbell Jewellers in The Designyard on South Frederick Street to discuss ring design with master jeweller Ronan Campbell as I am in the market for a new wedding ring (more to follow on this in a future blog). After meeting Ronan we then went on the hunt for wings. We ended up in Wishbone where we had some great wings!

 So after Sunday Bikram we went to the charity shop to drop off more cast offs (yes we are still working our way through the Marie Kondo programme) And then on for brunch in Pot Bellied Pig. I had been dreaming of Shakshuka during yoga!

And then after brunch I went and got my nails done. It was lovely and relaxing and I'm happy to have my nails done for the week ahead.