Ireland day 0821. Thursday 28 December 2023- Moonrise *

Ireland day 0821. Thursday 28 December 2023- Moonrise

Today’s summary	Almost an exact repeat of yesterday. Got up, had a leisurely morning and while Val went for a massage I started work (from home). We had Shepherd’s Pie from Kerrigan’s for lunch then Val headed for the castle for the evening shift and I carried on work. Went on a walk later in the afternoon when I’d finished then when Val was back we watched some more of the Sopranos together
Today’s weather	Mostly dry breezy and bright during the day but a shower in the evening. Strong to gale force south westerly wind. Appx 9c

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): Moonrise walk

Commentary

(Summary blog only. Last full blog was Day 0368).

In may ways, today was a carbon copy of yesterday. After we had got up and had breakfast, and as she didn’t have to be at the castle till mid afternoon, Val decided to go into Malahide and get a top-to-toe massage. Quite a radical departure from the norm but she came back very relaxed and seems to have enjoyed it. Perhaps even I might give it a go one day.

While she was out, she picked up a ready-made shepherd’s pie from Kerrigans – the local butcher (I don’t think it’s part of a chain, and it’s very good). We headed it in the oven then once it was suitable frazzled, we enjoyed it for lunch.

While all this was going on, I’d resumed my desk-bound duties. I am running a workshop the week after next and as the say, prior planning and proper preparation prevent p*ss poor performance. So before and after lunch I did perhaps four hours’ work and managed to get the first draft of my workshop materials completely finished. I was very pleased with the progress I’d managed to make.

Once that was out of the way, I decided to do as yesterday and go out for a walk, just before it got fully dark. I really do enjoy getting out and being in the fresh air while stretching my legs. When I’m stuck behind the desk, it’s something I look forward to all day. I followed a similar route to yesterday, though extended it to drop down from Paddy’s Hill to Portmarnock, which gave me a longer walk back along the coast.

The main highlight of the walk was undoubtedly the moon. It was rising like a giant yellow orb from directly behind Lambay Island, and it really did look pretty spectacular. The tide was out (which is unsurprising, if you think about it) so the moonlight caught the wet sand and made it shine like burnished steel. I hardly noticed the walk along the coast as I was so fascinated by the moon, but I was soon back at the flat and ready to start the next round of chores – dishwasher to be emptied, laundry to be dried, and dinner to be made (turkey sandwiches, of course). As soon as all that’s all done, I’ll probably watch some more hiking videos then once Val is back, we have more of the Sopranos to look forward to. Lots to keep us busy!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Taking a look at Dewberry Park, on the outskirts of Portmarnock. Never been there before	By the steps leading down from the promenade at Portmarnock onto the Velvet Strand. Most of the bright lights in the sky are not in fact stars but aircraft stacking for the approach to Dublin Airport

The moon was spectacularly orange this evening. Mainly I think due to the low angle in the sky	Moon, Lambay and Martello

From the beach near High Rock

A spectacular moonrise over Lambay island, with the wet sand left by the receding tide shimmering like a silver pathway. Although it looks dazzling, in reality moonlight is only 1/625,000th as bright as sunlight