Ireland day 1120. Tuesday 22 October 2024- Packing
Commentary
This is going to be a pretty short blog, as somewhat remarkably, today was a rather quiet day.
First off, once we had enjoyed our statutory cups of tea, Val decided that she was going to head out into the demesne for a run. So while she was out, I made best use of the time to go and get my hair cut and do some shopping. Ended up with rubber bands, cut-price oatmilk and a new convict-style appearance. A pretty unique combination.
When I got back, I pulled together a light lunch for us of hummus, oatcakes and tomatoes and then we set about our next tasks for the day. In Val’s case, that meant converting a large vat of chicken stock that was filling up a quarter of the fridge, into a rather delicious-smelling chicken soup which hopefully we will be enjoying later this evening.
I, meanwhile, even more remarkably, decided to do some packing. We are going on a short holiday starting next weekend which would normally mean, in my case, getting everything I might possibly need, dumping it on the bed, and then shoving it all into a suitcase at about 9pm the night before setting off. But this time, I have been a bit more organised so I made a start on it this afternoon. Part of the challenge I faced is that we are going hand-baggage-only, which means compressing everything into a small carry-on bag. Anyway, by the end of the afternoon I seemed to have managed to get everything onboard but rather suspiciously I actually have some space left. So I worry what I might have left out, but at least I have four days to sort it out.
Now it’s time to down-tools and bone up on my Spanish again. I don’t want to be embarrassed in front of my compañeros de clase down at Portmarnock tonight!
Today’s photos (click to enlarge)
![]() |
![]() |
No. 2 + No. 4 = satisfied customer | Soup ahoy! |
![]() |
|
One of my favourite shops in Malahide – just needed to get some emergency rubber bands this afternoon to hold critical parts of my luggage together! |
Interactive map
(No map today)