Goodbye snowy weather, can't say I'm sorry to see you on your way.

Thankfully the big thaw is on here in Ireland the country can get back to normal and also back to work. Most parts of Dublin are fine but other parts of the country are in a bad way - my friend in Kildare sent me a picture of car which is completely hidden by snow.

I was glad to have done some snow prepping last week before it arrived and I was well set when it started. We visited Homebase for Rock Salt, logs and a regular shovel. 

I also bought a snow shovel!! I've never owned one before but it is certainly the tool for the job of clearing pathways. I got my snow shovel in Argos but plan to buy another one with a longer handle in Homebase.

I was also happy to have a good set of snow boots which have been sitting unused for years in my wardrobe. They made walking in the snow so much easier and kept my feet warm and dry.

My boots helped me get to Butlers for a coffee on Thursday (before they closed up at 3pm) and then when they reopened up on Saturday morning.

Bones will be glad to see the back of the snow too. He was not a fan and he missed his daily walks. We will go out walking now and hopefully most of the snow is gone.

All in all, the bad weather was ok for us. We are young(ish) and fit(ish!) and we live close to the city. Our work was shut down but we were able to clear a path on our driveway and walk up to the main street. The shops were closed but we had bought extra food so we had plenty to eat. Also we had logs for the stove and good underfloor heating (as I mentioned in a past blog the electricity went out on Thursday night but we didn't even notice). On the Friday night, friends who live close by invited us for dinner so we walked through the snow to them and had a lovely evening. So as you can see, it was all good really but I am glad it is over and we will be back to work tomorrow.

A big thank you to the National Emergency Coordination Unit who tirelessly kept a handle on the situation and updated us regularly with information bulletins on the television and online. The army were also called upon to deal with particular situations along with Civil Defence providing help throughout the country.

Pictured below is Taoiseach of Ireland Leo Varadkar at one of the updates over the past few days.

It's all over "The Wire" - Ireland is shut down by snow......

Government advice was to be home and inside by 4pm yesterday due to the arrival of Storm Emma.

Luckily it wasn't as bad as expected but we did lose power in the middle of the night but we slept through that!

In certain parts of Ireland it snowed quite heavily with lots of drifts in areas. We didn't experience anything too bad here in Ranelagh and today we went out for a walk to see if anything was open (Gammells was open with a sign on Lidl saying it will open at 4pm).

Today it seems to have snowed since about 11am without stopping. The snow underfoot is thawing however so I don't think this new snow will be sticking around for too long.

The airport cancelled lots of flights and many people in different circumstances were affected including rapper and actor (The Wire) Fredro Starr.

The "Beast from the East" meets Emma

We are having a once in 10 years weather event here in Ireland. It's snowing and it is coming down heavy.

Two weather events are occurring together. Polar air (Beast from the East) came followed by Storm Emma (named by the Portuguese Weather Service).

The government has issued a Red Alert weather warning with all people to be inside by 4pm today when blizzard like conditions are expected.

It was bitterly cold as I left work yesterday. I was glad I had my full "skin" balaclava that fits all over my head under my hat.

Buses are not running today. Trains are finished at 2pm. Schools are closed along with most workplaces.

The worst is yet to come.

Here are screen grabs from Met Éireann the Irish Meterological Service.

 

Yesterday before work I cleared my pathway and my neighbours along with my newly purchased snow shovel(!) Today I will do the same and then try walk to Ranelagh for a coffee in Butlers - that's if it is open (Edit - just checked their Facebook page - looks like they are open for a few hours in the morning).

To all my Irish readers - stay safe and warm. Look in on elderly neighbours and take care when out walking. If it is safe to clear paths near you the government advice is to do so. Hope you stocked up on the Brennan's Bread!
To all my other readers watch out for further blogs tomorrow about this weather event with lots of snow pics.

Catch you on the flip side!

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.