Ireland day 1152. Saturday 23 November 2024- Plan B

Today’s summary	Had planned to join the Walking Club for a trip to Slieve Bloom but it was cancelled because of Storm Bert. So Val and I went to the garden centre instead, then after salmon salad lunch, she went off to work and I went on a short walk over the hill. Video call to a friend in Scotland later and then some TV while waiting for Val to return at about 10pm
Today’s weather	Stormy, very mild and wet overnight and first thing in the morning. Strong to gale force southerly wind. Appx 15c

Today’s overview location (The green mark shows the location of my route)		Close-up location (The orange line shows where I walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Plan B

Commentary

A good friend of mine once told me that you should always have a plan B in your back pocket which was almost as good as your plan A, just in case plan A doesn’t work out.

We’ve had to pivot to Plan B on a number of occasions whilst living here in Ireland, and today was one of that number. My original idea had been to join the Walking Club for a hike in the Slieve Bloom mountains, while Val was working. But the walk got cancelled last night, in view of the poor weather forecast and dire warnings about the imminent onslaught courtesy of Storm Bert (a remarkable name I thought). So we had to quickly dream up alternative arrangements.

When we got up, Bert was still thrashing around outside so we decided to enjoy the enforced down time with an extra-long cup of tea in bed. Then once up and about, we concluded we should do what so many people of our generation do on wet days, and head over to the local garden centre.

Our existing balcony plants, acquired last February, had been joyful for many months but had eventually succumbed to the Irish weather and were looking a bit bedraggled. So down at the Garden House, we quickly found some alternatives – a selection of bulbs, and a couple of pre-planted plant troughs, full of primulas and cyclamen in full flower. So we piled up our trolley – and even managed to find time to fit in a cup of coffee in the on-site café too.

Once back in the flat, Val made us another delicious salmon salad lunch and I did the gardening (you can see the results of my efforts in the banner image at the top). Then before we settled down and became too comfortable, Val cycled off to work and I headed off for a short walk up the hill and down to the coast at Robswall. It was a very enjoyable circuit, made all the more interesting by the high tide and rough sea which was throwing breakers over the promenade, soaking anyone unfortunate enough to be walking by at the time (I was lucky and got my timing right).

After a quick stop at Tesco, I made it back to the flat before the threatened rain arrived and went more-or less straight into a video call with a friend in Scotland. Once I’d finished, I had a sandwich dinner and settled down to watch some TV. I watched a really good YouTube travel video about Austria last night (courtesy of vlogger Lucas T Jahn) so now I’m going to see I can find one in similar vein while I await Val’s return. She should be back at about 10pm.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


What all people our age are supposed to do – coffee at the garden centre. Note the cow shaped milk jug. Tasteful.	Christmas greenery all sorted!

Landmark on my walk this evening. It’s quite a nice estate	Sea at high tide breaking over the promenade catching unsuspecting passers-by unawares



I’m not sure how much longer the relatively insubstantial sea-wall at the end of Malahide beach will withstand the punishment of repeated winter storms