Thursday 7 June 2012

What I did on my holiday





Remember me?  Am home at last after a wonderful time walking the Dingle Way, on the west coast of Ireland, where we only wore our waterproofs for about two hours over ten days!  We were so lucky with the weather and the first three days in particular ended up looking for shade which is not something I think happens  an awful lot on the Dingle Way … 


I love these holidays.  All you have to do is get up, have a delicious breakfast (entirely justifiable since you’re going to be walking all day) and then walk to where you’re staying that night.  No deadlines, no connections, no waiting for someone else to turn up.  Just one foot in front of the other. 



My mind empties when I’m walking, in spite of my best intentions to think about the next book, but I think that’s why it’s so relaxing.  The moment I got home yesterday evening I started scribbling lists of things I mustn’t forget to do, but when I was sitting high on the shoulder of Brandon Mountain looking at the Atlantic, none of it seemed to matter very much … sigh!




Unforgettable moments:

Having coffee on these boulders beneath Minard Castle








and being my usual elegant self ... 









A boat trip from Dingle around the strange Blasket Islands (next parish New York)






Climbing Brandon Mountain, walking along Ireland's longest (deserted) beach, lamb cutlets at the South Pole Inn, the farmer we met on the road to Annascaul, prehistoric walls between Dingle and Dunquin ... nope, far too many photos to include here.  I'll put up a full selection on my Facebook page later.


The only downside was forgetting to take a book with me so that I could add another photo to my Books Around The World collection.  I tried taking Ordinary Girl in a Tiara in front of the Jubilee River Pageant instead, but the weather was so foul, it didn’t really come out.  The atmosphere in London was terrific that day, though - it's not often you get good craic on the tube! 

I was lucky enough to be able to watch the pageant from a balcony in Chelsea Harbour, and it was an amazing spectacle in spite of the weather.



Never mind, will just have to have another holiday one day to get that photo.  Not for a while, though.  I have a book to write now, and no excuses not to get on with it …












3 comments:

  1. LOL at the "usual elegant self" photo! :) That would be me, too, without a doubt! I'm so glad you had such a nice vacation (oops, holiday!). Maybe someday I'll go to Ireland; that long flight from Los Angeles tends to put me off a bit!

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  2. I'm from Ireland and my parents had their honeymoon around Dingle. Thanks for sharing, they're lovely.

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  3. Lovely place for a honeymoon, Maria! Although, as you can tell, we were just having a good time, so it wasn't that romantic for us. But I can definitely see how it could be!

    And Sandy, yes, that's a long trip ... if you're doing it, you'll have to come to the UK, too. We also have lots of lovely places to see! (now, where's my bung from the British Tourist Board???)

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