Tim & Anna 2017

Having been in the South West of Ireland for over a week, we are, without a doubt, in a land that speaks to us both. While we haven’t directly encountered the faeries yet, we are enchanted nevertheless. The warmth of the people, the startling varied greens of the land, the fantastic array of local foods to prepare, and, around every corner...truly every single corner, there is a surprise. Whether it is a cluster of sheep dotting the hills, at times hard to distinguish from the rocks lying about, or a craggy rock face jutting out over the sea, or the ruins of abbeys and stone circles and ancient standing stones, or the sailboats floating in every bay and harbour...it is a magic land for sure, and we are taking the time to explore it. Lots of it on foot, but often too in the car. After an amazing cliff side walk to what felt like the tip of the world today, we found ourselves heading home on a strangely abandoned road. Far more narrow than all the other narrow roads, grass growing up...

En route to Dublin we chose to take the train to Manchester, and spend a night there. We walked the city, tasting beer and enjoying the buildings and the sights. Tim was determined to have a Holt’s beer. The following morning we mistakenly got on the wrong train (at the right time, from the correct platform, on the advice of the railway staff who sorely needed a coffee!).Nevertheless, and with only a brief complaint (from the conductor!) and a more heated and irritated concern and argument (from us!) and the price of another ticket, so that we had to pay more than double the original ticket price, we were eventually on our way. I did wonder if we didn't pay, would he chuck us out the window, but as he was rather a thin and awkwardly uncomfortable young man, I suspected he'd have a difficult time with this. The trip across to Dublin from Holyhead was a windy and sea spray filled one, and we were definitely the lone two who stayed above board the entire voyage, save ...

After our month in Portugal, really a connecting and adventurous journey, and then almost 6 weeks apart, I wondered about (and yes was a tad concerned about) reconnecting in the UK. It's been a bit strange, admittedly, to find our way back together, but after a week we are finding our 'groove' again. Not without a false start wherein Tim recommended the right bus to take from Sheffield, was absolutely clear about where to alight, but did not take into account the bus driver's assertion that he couldn't promise letting me off there ("It gets terribly busy"), and couldn't even promise letting me off in the village at all! (note that there were about 5 people left on the bus by the time we left the city of Sheffield, so busy might have been a wee bit of an exaggeration). Nevertheless, reassured by a fellow passenger that he'd take care of telling me when to leave the bus, I relaxed into his conversational company. The village of Bradwell, tiny as ...