Ireland day 0029. Wednesday 27 October 2021- Moved!

Ireland day 0029. Wednesday 27 October 2021- Moved!
Today’s summary Packed up the last of our belongings from the Crows Hermitage and left Ardcath by 10am.   Drove down to Malahide via Tesco at Swords and then spent the afternoon getting Internet etc working.   Short walk in the evening to join the library
Today’s weather Grey, mild and wet pretty much all day.  Appx 16C
image1 image0
Today’s overview location
(the red cross in a circle shows where Val and I are at the moment)
Close-up location
(Click button below to download a gpx of this evening’s short walk to the library):
Malahide library
Commentary

When I was thinking what to write in today’s blog, I thought I could introduce it with a reference to the weather.   Today was mild, wet and cloudy, with no sun and lots of rain all day.   I was going to say this was a “typical” Irish day but, thinking back, it actually isn’t.   In the four and a bit weeks we have been here, this is pretty much the first time it’s been like this.   Almost every day, we have had a glimpse of the sun, and when it has rained, it has usually only lasted an hour or two.   So if the coming months are like the one just passed, I think we shall definitely have to recalibrate what we consider to be “normal” Irish weather.

But the greater significance of today was that it marked the end of our first four weeks in Ireland, and our departure from our temporary home at the Crow’s Hermitage in Ardcath.  We have now moved into a flat which is different in every possible way from our much loved cottage.   It’s a lot bigger – probably twice the floor space – and it was completely refurbished just before we moved in.   It’s two minutes walk from a railway station, three from a supermarket, and five from the beach.   On the other had it’s noisier and for obvious reasons there isn’t a woodburning stove here.   And sadly Bennett’s is no longer just across the road (though our livers will probably thank us for that).   Only time will tell whether we prefer the rural or urban living but the beauty of being somewhat footloose as we are now, is that we can try out lots of different options.   Perhaps a windswept clifftop cottage on the west coast next?

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.   We’ve only just arrived so spent the afternoon getting settled in.   The first thing we discovered was that the nearest Tesco – at Swords – doesn’t have a homewares section.   So we couldn’t get a kettle or teapot which means we are having to resort to boiling teabags in a pan.   Just like being at Scout Camp.

The second thing we discovered was that the dishwasher door didn’t work properly but fortunately I had my trusty Leatherman to hand and was able to fix it with one of those attachments that you normally think is for removing things from horses’ feet.

And finally we discovered that the process of getting Internet installed is actually quite painless.   The engineer turned up when he said he would, and we had high speed fibre internet in a matter of minutes.   I had to do some fiddling with the ethernet cables after he left , but the trusty Leatherman came to the rescue once again and now we are properly up and running.

We are still missing a window blind but the blind man is supposed to be coming tomorrow to sort it out.   I suspect there is a joke in there somewhere but the more practical consequence is that we have to stay in all day tomorrow as apparently he (or she) could turn up any time between 9 am and 5 pm.   I’m sure it will be worth it in the end, though.

Our final task of the day was to try and get a bit of fresh air- having been cooped up indoors all day.   It’s a real treat to be able to walk straight out of the flat to the beach, and to pass buzzy cafes and shops on the way, still doing a roaring trade even at 7:30 on a wet Wednesday evening.   But the biggest surprise was to discover that the local library was still open – and the helpful librarian was able to sign us up and issue us with membership cards – all free – there and then.   It’s a lovely, tranquil sort of place, with earnest looking students working quietly in their booths, and with that lovely booky smell.   A real oasis.

Well, now it’s time to sign off and open that bottle of Tesco special we have been saving for an occasion just such as this.   Sláinte!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

IMG_5568 image0
So glad I brought these.   Vital for fixing the dishwasher Probably the most important piece of home equipment these days.  Now we are connected to the outside world!
IMG_5573 IMG_5575
St Sylvester’s Church, practically next door to our apartment A bit further down the road is the Public Library.   Open till 8pm and we were able to enrol there and then.   An amazing find on a dark wet October evening!
IMG_5577 IMG_5576
Upstairs in the library.   Seems practically brand new, and lots of young people studiously working in the study booths tonight.   Very cerebral Discovered in Malahide Library this evening.   Possibly a future destination?   Though we do have the Wicklow Way to deal with first
IMG_5560a
Final departure from the Crows Hermitage this morning.   We’ve been really happy here and were actually very sorry to leave.   But we do need a bit more space.
You can read earlier and later days’ blogs below

Previous day’s blog
Next day’s blog
Ireland home page

 Save as PDF