Ireland day 0030. Thursday 28 October 2021- Consolidation

Ireland day 0030. Thursday 28 October 2021- Consolidation
Today’s summary Got the blind fixed and a few other bits and pieces sorted this morning, then walked over to the castle once the rain had stopped  bit to purchase annual membership and have a look around.
Today’s weather Heavy rain all night and all morning.   Stopped about 2pm and a little sunshine broke though.   Mild, about 17C.
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Today’s overview location
(the red cross in a circle shows where Val and I are at the moment)
Close-up location
Commentary

First thing this morning, I had a video chat with a friend, and Val went on a run.   This seems to be developing as a bit of a theme for our morning routines – and something that marks our current journey out as being a bit different from just going away on holiday.

Thereafter, though, a large part of the rest of the day was spent on sorting out the various loose ends that inevitably crop up when you move into somewhere new.   Spending the time in the flat actually suited us quite well, as it was pouring down outside and neither of us felt any particular desire to go out and get soaked to the skin.  As a result, the printer got sorted, a work-station was constructed, and the missing blind was installed (and remarkably, the blind man found his way here without any mishaps).

By the time these tasks were out of the way, the rain had pretty much stopped so we packed up our lunches and headed back to Malahide castle park.   There’s a small botanic garden, some greenhouses and a butterfly house there which you can visit for a modest fee – though as  it is all practically on our doorstep, we elected to buy annual membership for €50 each.   The good thing is that these gardens stay open whatever the lockdown level is so if covid does its worst over the winter, at least we will have somewhere to go.

While we were over there sorting out membership, we took the opportunity to have a quick look round the gardens.   They are attractive in a mini-Kew sort of way, with a couple of nice greenhouses which I can see will be even more appealing on a cold winter’s day.  The butterfly house was buzzing with insect life (well it would be except butterflies are pretty much silent) and the flashes of colour they inspired contrasted starkly with the gathering gloom outside.

Dodging the showers, we ate lunch outside in the park, concluded our exploration, and headed down to the library to make use of our new-found membership.   I have been told I need to read Joyce’s Ulysses while I am here, so I sought out a copy from the shelves fully intending to borrow it.   But having found just the precis on the dust cover extremely hard going, I decided to put it back and come back when I’m feeling a bit more robust.

Tomorrow we don’t have any commitments and hopefully no more flat related duties to attend to, so we’re keeping fingers crossed for a clear day so we can head out a bit further afield and do some more exploring.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

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We bought membership of the castle then headed off to have a look round its small botanic garden.   It also features a butterfly house wit beautiful specimens such as this darting from branch to branch.   A lepidopterist’s paradise. Here we are, looking round
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Interesting lithostrontian fossils in the pavement around the greenhouse.    The boulders along the foreshore at Malahide also feature this fossil (a coral) so I guessed these paving slabs must have been locally quarried A map in the exhibition centre showing that Malahide actually lies in one of the driest parts of Ireland.  That seemed ironic today, given the deluge outside
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The Victorian Greenhouse.   Originally it was a lean-too but it was skilfully converted to the free-standing structure which decorates the castle gardens today Well – what can I say.   The Belfast Express I think.
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Amazingly flat calm sea down at the beach tonight.   Barely a ripple to disrupt the high tide, and an excellent mirror for the rapidly decaying post-rain stormclouds
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