Ireland day 0058. Thursday 25 November 2021- Chilly!

Ireland day 0058. Thursday 25 November 2021- Chilly!
Today’s summary Quick walk to the beach in the morning for a paddle then cold walk to Tesco Clare Hall for evening shopping while Val was at work.   No 42 back
Today’s weather Overcast but bright all day.  No rain, brisk wind in the morning.   Felt chilly at 6C
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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
(Click button to download GPX of this evening’s walk):
Clare Hall Tesco
Commentary

Logic would dictate that a cold evening walk in the gathering gloom down a road with long stretches of no pavement and only shopping in Tesco to look forward to at the end of it, should not be enjoyable.   But for reasons that I can’t quite put my finger on, I actually quite enjoyed my evening sojourn today.   Maybe it was the cold air on my face (and I hesitate to say cold “fresh” air, because it was far to fumy to be described as such), or maybe it was the surprise discovery of the rather attractive path through the Castle woods at the start, or perhaps even the chance discovery of the beautifully illuminated St Doulagh’s church at the halfway point.   Either way, I finished up at the supermarket at Clare Hall with a spring in my step and ready to attack the shopping.

But first – what of the rest of the day?   Well the morning was partly taken up with domestic duties – it’s amazing how quickly dirt accumulates in even a small flat like ours  – and some paperwork.   But then we decided to head out to pick up  lunch, but to have a stroll on the beach first.   I made a rookie error in assuming that because it was warm in the flat, it would also be warm outside.   So I set off with just a T-shirt under my down jacket.   I quickly discovered this was a mistake when we reached the beach, as a biting cold wind found its way down my neck and I was actually wondering if I might have to suffer the ignominy of going back to the flat for a warmer jacket.

But Val was better prepared than I was, so I bravely pressed on.   In fact she seemed to be all for emulating the amazingly robust, or extremely foolhardy, men who we came across a little further down the beach stripping off and jumping into the icy waves.   We spoke to a couple of them and they claimed to have enjoyed their swim though to be frank they did look pretty wrecked.   Fortunately Val thought better of it and compromised with a quick barefoot paddle.   Perhaps we will leave swimming for another day.   I honestly think it might kill me if I tried to go in on a day like today.

Watery excursions safely avoided, we got our lunch and headed back to the flat.  Then Val headed off to work but not without first furnishing me with an extensive shopping list and clear instructions  about not buying anything frivolous like a TV while I was out getting the essentials.

So that leads us back to where we started – at the shopping centre at Clare Hall this evening.   I successfully managed to find almost everything on the list – which is actually pretty rare for me as I am hopeless at finding things in supermarkets.   The only thing I struggled with was coconut milk but eventually as I was about to admit defeat and ask someone (a very un-manly thing to do, in my view), I stumbled on them by accident at the end of aisle 23.

With the burden of a week’s groceries, the appeal of the pathless road back to Malahide was somewhat diminished so I abandoned the idea of walking and crossed the road to catch the no. 42 back.   I picked up a free newspaper in the shops and while waiting for the bus I scanned through it.   I was particularly struck by the article encouraging readers to have 3 cosmetic procedures for the price of two, in time for the party season.   It did sound like quite a bargain but since human beings are mostly symmetrical and their body parts generally come in pairs, I did wonder you would actually do with the third treatment without renderingly yourself horribly deformed.   Anyway, after careful thought, I decided not to add this particular treat to my Christmas list.

As a footnote, by the way, we are managing OK without a car at the moment, though I have to say that although I have got the hang of public transport OK, and generally it’s pretty good, it is a bit inconvenient and I do feel our wings are a bit clipped in terms of exploring.   Hopefully the bargain Yaris will materialise soon, but if it doesn’t in the next few days, I think I might have to activate Plan B.

Tomorrow’s task is to work out what Plan B actually is.

 

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

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The benign appearance of the photo conceals a biting wind which made the walk on the beach feel very brisk indeed Undeterred by the wintry blast, there were several hardy swimmers out today, and Val was tempted to join them.   Well – a bit tempted, not very.
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I think there might have been a frost last night, but the last vestiges of the wildflower border in the castle grounds still seem to be soldiering on and were a cheery addition to the invidious grey of impending winter A new discovery for me – a lovely woodland path round the southern edge of the Castle demesne.   Popular with cyclists, dog walkers and me.
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The Gaelic football pitch in Malahide Castle grounds.   A visit to a big match is definitely on the list for Val and me, though someone will have to explain the rules to me first, as it looks pretty baffling to an outsider Goodness me – I have walked all the way to Dublin!   Mind you I was practically in Dublin when I started, so perhaps it wasn’t quite the achievement that it seems
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St Doulagh’s Church in Balgriffin.   There have been religious buildings on this site for 1,400 years although most of the current structure was built in 1864.   It is unusual in having a stone, rather than slate or wood, roof (you can see it in the photo).   It is fact the oldest such church in Ireland.

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