Pass the Sunblock

Tax boy got a sunburn this weekend. Yea!! Sunday dawned with headaches (didn't think we'd had that much to drink) but clear, bright and positively balmy outside. So we hopped in the car and drove with the windows down to Dun Lougherie. Good thing I didn't move there; I'd never learn to spell that. This was the first day I've been here when I didn't need a coat. It was glorious!! People all over, walking the dogs, kids playing, bikes all over, people crashed out on blankets in the park, picnics at the beach, swimming. One thing I can say about Ireland, it encourages spontaneity. We'd planned on going to an interiors trade show, but the weather was just too beautiful to spend the day inside. So we hiked down to the beach and out on to the boulders where we basked in the sun like lizards. Amazingly comfortable those rocks. Makes the Flintstones look viable. We listened to the sea, watched the gulls and ducks; it was the most relaxing thing I've done in a long, long time. I collected some rocks for my grandfather's grave. He always wanted to visit here. I guess Ireland will have to visit him instead. I'm fascinated with their rocks. (that sounds dumb) I've never seen anything like it before. Every rock is a single color. Red, green, black, pink, with no marbling. And the whites are so stark white they look fake. The white has a bit of color in it, some yellow, some mica gray, some green, but the stone retains the crisp white. And they're all smooth, round and roughly the same size. It's almost like someone cultivated them and lined the beaches with fake stones made for TV. Curious. So we lounged on the big rocks and watched the tides break gently around us. I can't even tell you how long we were there. But when we got home, Flatemate Suzie noticed a difference in me. We were having tea and I mentioned how relaxed I was and she just started laughing, saying it was almost as if I were stoned. It was a beautiful day I must say.

Absolutely nothing else happened this weekend. I spent Saturday on the sofa, watching bad American TV and writing. The sun was pretty strong, streaming in thru the windows. Gives our flat warm golden light. Very nice day. Friday night I took myself to a wine bar that FS found. It's called Ely and they have 80 wines by the glass, most of which I don't recognize. I was in hog heaven. I had 2 Spanish wines, the first was ok, but the second, Mauro was AMAZING... I spoke with a group of people waiting for a table, Canadian, Irish, and Italian. I told them I was studying Italian and they spoke to me in Italian, albeit slowly. I got it all though, and was able to come up with a few sentences. Very proud of myself I must say. But it shows that Velma is right; at this stage it's better to concentrate on understanding the gist of the conversation than on the little nit picky details of the grammar. I'll have to remember to tell her tomorrow.

So all in all, a good weekend for me of doing absolutely nothing. Sigh... And now it's Monday. Typical Dublin day. Soft as they call it. The rain is misting so you really can't feel it, but you can see it. I like these days. Everything is quieter than normal, like that first night it snows. It layers everything in a crisp white blanket that smolders the noise to a hush. It's so soft you can almost hear the silence. The mist here is like that. Not as dramatic, but it still has a gentle quality to it.