Ireland day 1339. Thursday 29 May 2025- Unwinding

Today’s summary	We woke early due to the effects of jetlag so got up, had breakfast and walked over the hill to Portmarnock for coffee on the beach. Back in the flat by about 10 am. Made a phone call to a friend in Scotland and afterwards had a light lunch. In the afternoon did an online Spanish entrance assessment for a course I’m thinking of doing this summer, then went shopping, had lentil curry for dinner, and watched some TV in the evening. Another early night afterwards
Today’s weather	Overnight rain then cloudy but dry in the morning. Heavy rain at lunchtime and early afternoon. South westerly breeze. Appx 17c

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Early walk to Portmarnock

Commentary

Considering that our internal body-clocks must have been completely turned upside down by yesterday’s long travels and the sixteen hour time zone change, we actually slept reasonably well last night. We had vowed to try and stay awake until it started to get dark, but failed miserably. Val fell asleep on the sofa at about 4pm and I went for a little lie-down on the bed a few minutes later. Predictably, I fell asleep immediately. We both eventually woke at around midnight, and went to bed properly then slept reasonably soundly from then until about 4 am. So the best part of twelve much-needed hours, albeit in a rather disjointed fashion.

Once we were fully awake, we enjoyed a rather nice cup of Barry’s tea in bed, and had a piece of toast for breakfast. These simple delights came as a real delight after the culinary extravagances of Japan! Then when we had finished enjoying our snack, we got the first of many loads of post-travel washing on, and decided to get out into the fresh air to continue our body clock reprogramming.

Neither of us felt inclined to tackle anything too adventurous, so we just headed up over Paddy’s Hill and down into Portmarnock. It’s one of our favourite local walks, and doesn’t require too much brain power. Of course we treated ourselves to cups of coffee on the beach before walking back on the coast path to Malahide. Along the way, I noticed that the Portmarnock Martello tower, which had been converted into a dwelling many years ago but which was looking a bit “tired”, seemed to be undergoing a major restoration. Well something fairly significant was happening anyway, judging by the holes that had appeared in the walls, and the giant digger sitting outside, waiting ready to pounce on the derelict remains.

We completed our walk and were back in the flat by 10am. I took a few minutes later in the morning to have a phone call with a friend in Scotland, which was nice and very worthwhile.

Later, after a light lunch of oatcakes and cottage cheese, I decided to do an online Spanish assessment, in preparation for a “Cervantes” course I am thinking about doing in Dublin over the summer. Possibly not the best thing to try and do with a head full of jet-lag, but on the other hand I don’t want to appear any better than I actually am or else I might get assessed for a course level where I would be out of my depth. I have to have an oral interview next week, when they will reveal my results. I will decided whether or not to do the course after that.

The rest of the afternoon was spent finishing the laundry and doing some shopping. Then we had a curry for dinner and rounded off the evening with an episode of “Mad Men”. Much missed after an absence of nearly a month! Finally, I think another early night will beckon, as this body clock disorder will probably take a few nights to work itself through.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Bright wild roses are popping into flower up on Paddy’s Hill. I really like the brilliance they bring on cloudy days like today	Val with Lambay in the background. looking good!

White Valerian in bloom on the shore below the tennis club. It’s not uncommon but somewhat rarer than its pink cousin. Quite a large cluster of it seems to have taken up residence here, though	I saw this house for sale in a Malahide estate agent this morning. Three million euros for something that looks like a cross between a a garden shed and a caravan? The world has gone mad! The bubble must surely be about to burst



Yes – we’re back and it’s pouring down!