Hello Key West!

Finally made it to Key West after setting off from Dublin at 7.30am on Friday morning. Our travel woes started with me seeing a bus pass just as I got to the stop.  I then had a long wait for another bus (the longest I've ever waited) and then there was a lot of traffic so the bus was VERY slow getting to the airport.

Queues were long in the airport and it took over three hours to do bag drop, security, US security and then US customs & immigration in Dublin airport. 

Then when we got to our gate we discovered our flight was delayed due to the late arrival of the inbound plane. Beyond this our flight to Newark was diverted to Boston with hours to wait for a new crew to take us back to Newark and then on to KW with this flight time being pushed out and out which unfortunately meant we overnighted in the airport. On about the third flight change we could then see that we would miss our KW connection if we stayed on this flight so we then got rerouted to Washington with a different connection to Kew West, eventually arriving to KW at 4pm on Sat which is 9pm Irish time. So you can do the maths and see how long it took us to arrive to get to Florida - spoiler alert it's well over 30 hours.

So....when we arrived we were fairly tired but we perked up when we met Amy in the airport who sorted getting our luggage and loaded it up in her car and took us to her house in minutes. From there we went straight out to Thai Island for sushi and wine and then off to bed when we got back. I was in bed by 8pm and slept through til 5pm - the jet lag / sleep deficit had definitely got me.

As I was up early I went to my favourite coffee spot and got myself my longed for coffee from Cuban Coffee Queen.

It was super to cycle down Duval Street (thanks for the bike Amy!) and I even stopped and saw PIGSY art on view in Effusion Art Gallery!

After unpacking and getting acclimatised we spent the afternoon on Duval Street in Coach and Banana Republic.  Stormy weather came in so we abandoned plans to do happy hour in Alonzos and instead ran in the rain to Lost & Found which is next to the Green Parrot. After great food we headed home on the bikes with the rain having stopped.

And then yesterday, I cycled to new town with mam and Amy driving.  Mam and I had a browse in TJ Maxx but I had to stop myself buying clothes that could only be worn in Florida!! The heat does that do you!

And then after an afternoon of sunning myself by Amy's pool, it was off to Alonzo's for gorgeous food including oysters!

I'm still getting over the jet lag so again it was another early night to bed for me - asleep by 9pm and now awake at 6am, drinking coffee and writing this blog!

Keep an eye out for more blogs over the next few days where I will update on what I am getting up to on my Florida holiday.

Latest PIGSY video is now online!

Behind the scenes: PIGSY video

What a busy weekend spent working on the latest PIGSY art video. After Saturday morning on Capel Street we then spent the afternoon recording footage and then Ciaran got down to editing it. At about 6pm we went for a burger in Bunsen and then it was back to more editing. 

The next day it was all about, you guessed it, more editing!

Here's the finished result which Ciaran published to Youtube this morning:

PIGSY Art Video footage

I'm also happy to share some of the behind the scenes views - along with our special helper who doesn't do a whole lot except keep me company by sleeping by my side!!

You can see me recording video footage of me talking about PIGSY's art in these photos. And then the photo at the bottom is a photo of Ciaran editing the video on Sunday.  Great to have photos of the process and how we created this video. Always good to have a record for posterity!

Go here to see more PIGSY art

Capel Street is now Dublin's longest pedestrianised street

Capel Street is car free!

Capel Street has now joined Dublin streets like Grafton and Henry street when it was opened as a pedestrianised street on Friday morning. This morning, I set off from Ranelagh on my bike to check it out and visit some of the shops on this street. It was a timely cycle as this week is Bike Week in Ireland so it felt good to cycle a little bit further then my usual trek to Rathmines or Baggot Street on a Saturday.

I planned to two things on Capel Street. The first thing was to visit Lenhans hardware store to buy some multi-surface cleaner while the second thing was that I wanted to stop off for a cup of coffee in Camerino Bakery, which interestingly enough is taking part in a Dublin City Council subsidised cargo bike trial for businesses, and makes deliveries of cakes by electric cargo bike. Check out Bleeper Bikes for more info about this trial pilot scheme.

Ciaran however planned to visit Evans Art Supplies which is just off Capel Street.

So off we cycled with our plans to stop off at a few places on the newly pedestrianised street.

A Taste of Spain on Capel Street

So when we got on to the street we saw a shop that we didn't realise was on this street. It was "A Taste of Spain" so of course when we saw this we had to go in and have a little browse. It's a well stocked shop full of Spanish food products and also Spanish wine! When I went to pay for my purchase (Duck Pate) I spoke a little Spanish to the guy working on the til. He spoke Spanish but when he totted up at the til he said the total in both Spanish and English which I appreciated. He then picked up the card machine and in English said - Credit Card? And then I said, No......and after searching for the word said, "Effectivo" and then handed over my cash!

A great shop and it felt good to get a little Spanish speaking practise done on a Saturday morning.

 

Lenehans Hardware

Then it was on to Lenehans but unfortunately they didn't have what I was looking for (Tech 7 Multi-Cleaner) so I will buy it in my local hardware shop in Ranelagh

Evans Art Supplies

We stopped in to Evans and Ciaran got the few things that he needed. After that we decided we would go for a coffee. Evans is slightly off the beaten track and if you don't know it is in the area, you are unlikely to find it. They seem to do well with the people who know it is there as they don't seem to advertise. But all businesses should be seeking out new audiences so I think it would be prudent for them to promote that they are steps away from the pedestrianised Capel Street.

There are some other interesting shops and buildings on Capel Street including The Black Sheep pub, Dublin City Comics along with Musashi and other sushi restaurants. Pretty much something for everything with other stores like McQuillans tools and Charity Shops (Thrift Stores) too. 

Here's a few pics - I especially like the window detail above the nail salon.

Camerino Bakery

And then it was time for a coffee and a pastry. And no better a place to enjoy this than at Camerino Bakery where it was a brownie for me and a scone for Ciaran. So good - and for these pastries alone, I would recommend a visit to Capel Street!

Camerino Bakery is also on Merrion Square where I believe it has a sit in cafe, however, on Capel Street there is only a small outdoor seating area. It was a fine day so we were happy to sit outside and enjoy our coffee while people watching all that was going on in Capel Street.

Quiet Dublin - a liveable city

All in all it was a great morning spent on Dublin's newest pedestrianised street. I highly recommend a visit to this car free spot and I look foward to going back soon. It's chilled out and quiet, oh so quiet, with lots of interesting shops and also an interesting mix of places to get a bite to eat. There are probably improvements to be made (I'm not a fan of the white picket fences outside some eateries) but it's great to know the move to being car free has started and I look forward to seeing how it works out and progresses. It will be interesting to hear how the businesses find it. There have been reports from other countries that indicate that pedestrians and cyclists spend more than car drivers (which makes sense because car drivers are generally passing through rather than stopping and spending money) so hopefully they will see increased business and revenue.

Next up we need to get Parliment Street pedestrianised to really begin to make Dublin a truly liveable city!

And the dust settles on the Eurovision....

Ukraine is the winner!

Eurovision 2022 will be one that I will remember for a long time. 

Not only was it a hugely strong competition with so many brilliant songs but it was ultimately the year that all countries came together in solidarity with Ukraine and voted them as winner in a nailbiting final.

For me, I had selected Sweden as my favourite after hearing it in the semi-final. 

However, the minute I heard the UK entry I immediately changed my mind. Sam Ryder's Space Man was a winner to me.

Ultimately, the UK came 2nd, Sweden came 3rd after the 1st place Ukraine. I was very happy with that result.

And for your listening pleasure, the UK entry is below

New Video Series for PIGSY Art

Check it out!

Video no. 1 of the new PIGSY Art Series is out now

Found "Everything Bagel Seasoning" in Ireland!

"Everything Bagel Seasoning" in Supervalu Rathbourne

I'd seen mention of "Everything Bagel Seasoning" on different American forums and I really liked the sound of it. I considered trying to buy some online and also planned to buy some on my next trip to the States.

However, I was pleasantly surprized to find it on sale in Supervalu Rathbourne today. They have a whole shelf full of non-Irish food from different Eastern European countries along with some products from USA (Hello JIF peanut butter!). 

And there it was in the USA section - "Everything Bagel Seasoning"! 

I was also tempted to buy "Liquid Smoke" but left that for another day.

On the train home from Rathbourne (I was visiting my parents) I decided that I would bake some Keto Bread (recipe here) and would top with the seasoning.

OMG - it tastes so good!! 

And even better was when I smeared a big load of cream cheese on the bread and topped with more seasoning. So delicious!

"Everything Bagel Seasoning" gets a big thumbs up from me so do try and get your hands on some if you can.

What I'm doing...

So what am I doing?!

Why watching the Eurovision of course!

And at the same time I'm watching classic Aer Lingus ads on YouTube.....they don't make them like they used to.....

You've got to love everything about this ad. From the beautiful instrumental version of "True Colours" to all of the varied characters representative of life.

I had to smile to myself at the "runner". A long while ago, before I started my career as a librarian, I worked for Aer Lingus as a boarding agent. Whenever, we had a passenger who had a checked in late, we would receive a call from check in with an update for us. They would tell us that a passenger was on their way and to look out for them before we closed the gate - the passenger would have been told they might make the flight if they could RUN. We would then refer to this passenger as a "runner". As in we might say to the gate agent "we are all boarded, bar a runner who we are giving 1 more minute  to get here before we close". Of course a runner would generally not have checked in bags because the check in desk wouldn't let them check in if they had bags because they might make it if they ran but their bags would not. Given that it was over twenty years ago when I worked for this airline, the majority of people checked in bags because of course at that time baggage was not charged for. So it was a rarity for people not to have checked bags - except for, of course, business people heading over on an early flight to London with a return that evening. 

So I really related to the Cabin Crew member who gave a great big smile when she saw the runner. As a boarding agent, I would have given the passenger a great big smile like that when I saw them run up to the podium!

3-2-1 Blast off: Space Cadets

Well this is a blast from the past!

I went down a Youtube rabbit hole this evening and landed on a programme all about the biggest hoax on British TV which was "Space Cadets". 

I remember watching this show live and literally watched it through my fingers for a lot of it. It was a total cringe fest at times, literally I felt so bad for the contestants as the whole show evolved. I also felt that the TV company took advantage of the vulnerabilities of the participants.

Aside from feeling so bad for the contestants, I was wowed by the lengths that the production crew went to in order to make the hoax seem so real.  For example, I seem to recall that as well as feeding the participants real life actual Russian food, they placed pieces of litter on the site - and the litter was packaging from Russian products!

Have a look at this video which explains and shows the full concept of the show.

Thankfully when the "Space Cadets" show was broadcast there was not so much social media so the participants seem to have been forgotten and went back to their normal lives without much attention.....I hope!

Do you remember the show, did you watch it - let me know in the comments below.

Planting Wildflowers - an effort to be bee friendly!

Wildflowers for wildlife

I've been wanting to grow wildflowers for some time now and after our CE gave all staff a token gift of wildflower seeds at Christmas, I decided this was the year to do it.

I've only got a small border in my front garden so there is not much space to grow a lot.  However, there is a piece of wasteland at the end of our cul de sac with a large oak tree and some wild garlic growing, so I decided to put down some wildflowers there too.

Here's some pics including how my border looks currently.  I'll up date when some of the plants start to flower as it is early days yet. It will be interesting to see if the flowers bring bees or butterflies to my garden which is why I was interested in growing them.

I planted a few ready grown plants in order to give my garden an instant lift.  I then put wildflower seed around the plants.

Another ready grown plant in the border - I planted 5 in total and then surrounded them with wildflower seeds.

Here's the seed I am using along with the wildflower seeds gifted by my CE. I've never grown flowers from seed so am interested to see how it all turns out.

Early days - here's some green shoots.  Seemingly wildflower patches are not at their best the first year but get better year on year.  There is a mix of annual and perennial flowers in this patch.

I've moved away from the concept of perfectly manicured gardens and I really hope that my garden begins to look wild and natural as the flowers grow. I also reckon that a more "wild" garden will be easier to start and then maintain overall.

I also started some seedlings in little pots - these are annuals and are starting to shoot.  I'll plant them in the ground shortly.

You can find lots of videos of how to grow wildflowers on youtube if you are interesting in cultivating your own wildlife supporting patch or border. Do let me know if you start growing wildflowers!

Here's the wasteland at the end of the road where I live

And the white flower is the wild garlic growing in abundance - it smells amazing!

It's a nice piece of scrub with a gorgeous old tree in the centre and a newly planted one to the left. Let's see if the wildflowers grow here and what wildlife (bees and butterflies) it brings to the area.

I love reading your comments - let me know what you are up to in your garden these days!

Cena con amigos en Dublin

On Saturday evening we had our Spanish teacher for dinner with her boyfriend. A few weeks previously we had a lovely evening in their apartment and so we were happy to return the favour and have them over in our house.

When we visited them it was bucketing rain and although we planned to cycle (they live near the docks) it was far to wet so we went to get a taxi but struggled as it was so wet and everyone in Dublin was trying to get a taxi somewhere rather than getting wet! And then for them this Saturday, it was raining too! But they managed to get here by taking the Luas and then walking to our house with umbrellas.

So after getting up early and cycling to Rathmines to the Swan Centre to buy all of the food (we brought 2 biks bags and one backpack with us) for dinner, we served a Spanish - Irish mix up. For drinks, we had to go to Supervalu later in the day on a beer run as we had no room in our bags after shopping in Dunnes. On the beer run, we picked up Guinness, Heineken, Malbec wine (for me!) and some tonic for gin. 

For food, we started with a charcuteries of meats along with Spanish (Manchego) Cheese and Irish Cheese (Cheddar) and also some blue Stilton. Our Spanish teacher had given us some Membrillo (Quince) which was homemade in Spain by her boyfriend's mother and we served this with the cheese. So delicious!

We also had olives, hummus and sundried tomatoes which was just lovely with arrival drinks.

After these starter nibbles (which I named "Snibbles" in my head!) we moved in to the kitchen where I served a Wedge Salad with blue cheese dressing topped with bacon bits and tomato. I used the Serious Keto dressing recipe for the base and then added blue cheese to it and it worked out well. The first time I had this wedge salad was in Santiago's Bodega in Key West and it's a big favourite of mine.  Unfortunately I didn't take a phot this evening but it literally is a wedge (a quarter) of an ice berg lettuce, topped with dressing and extras. 

For main, we had Spanish meatballs with some sides.  Sides included Cous Cous and twice cooked hasselbeck potatoes which were divine. 

Postres / Desserts were a few small brownie bites, strawberries & cream and I also made an "Irish" version of tiramisu using choc chip brioche instead of ladyfingers (which were impossible to find) and Baileys instead of Marsala wine.

All in all it was a lovely evening with great company (and great to talk Spanish socially......or in our case, to try) and  a nice thing to do on a Bank Holiday rather than go do our usual of a dinner in Dillingers!

So that was my Saturday night, do let me know in the comment box below what you got up to :-)

Here's the direct link to the Serious Keto dressing video - it's super easy if you want to give it a go, and you can mix it up and add different flavourings if you don't want to do blue cheese.

Edit -

A week later I received a photo from my Spanish teacher of the Hasselbeck potatos that she cooked on Saturday night, with a note in Spanish to say she was making potatoes the way I did. I thought that was a great compliment!