Tag Archives: Rain

Moving Around

12 Nov

Car rental in Dublin is so easy, unlike in the US. There is less paperwork required. Our spanking Ironman red hybrid SUV is comfortable, spacious, and easy to handle. With a built-in navigation system, finding our way out of the city was easy. The weather was good, and hubby drove along the non-toll roads toward Galway.

I am Ironman (hahaha) with this car!

When it drizzled, we stopped at a pub for lunch. I think we ordered too much. But then again, with the cold, we were famished. The portions always have a lot of chips (or mash) that we cannot finish, unfortunately, famish or not.

Lunch at this pub

We arrived at Galway by 3.30 pm, and just nice to check into our hotel. After a short rest, we headed into the town center. We were delighted to discover a Christmas fair at Eyre Square with things to see, buy, and food to savor.

Heading towards the Christmas fair

We had a good time browsing despite the large crowd and weather. For a change, dinner was at a tapas bar, with drinks, of course, to celebrate M2’s graduation.

The streets of Galway
We tried the Chimney Cake
Christmas atmosphere at the fair
Satisfying dinner

It was a long day, and we decided to call it a night earlier than usual.

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Hello Dublin!

8 Nov

It was gloomy when we arrived in Dublin. Our RyanAir flight was delayed a bit due to the weather. But no further delay in clearing immigration and getting the bags. Our prearranged transport was right there waiting for us.

The chatty, friendly driver kept us entertained with his Irish hospitality during the ride. Before we knew it, we were at the doorsteps of our hotel!

This city center hotel is much more comfortable than the one in London. More spacious and thoughtful in terms of essentials like USB ports and plug points at each bedside!

Thoughtful touch at each bedside

After settling down, we went out in search for food and ended up at a pub. I am not a Guinness drinker, so I opted for an Irish lager. I have never had a beer that had such a big beerhead. My Rockshore lager was divine! Our pub grub was very satisfying. Lots of potatoes, which should not be a surprise as Ireland is the land of potatoes!

Our pub grub: seafood chowder, cottage beef pie, braised beef and Galic chicken

It was drizzling but windy, with gusts up to 34km/hour! Our driver had advised us earlier not to bring out the umbrella because I would end up fighting for the umbrella’s life. It was certainly good advice to follow.

Both hubby and I also changed our berets to beanies because the berets will fly off in the wind! So different from London. With rainy, windy, and chilly conditions ahead, our plans may change to suit the weather. We shall see.

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Bye London!

8 Nov

Time passes when one is having fun, despite the rain and cold! We could not get to see all and do all. We left London this morning for Dublin, Ireland. And it will be colder. Shudder.

Well, got to take it in stride and bundle up to keep warm!

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A Wet Sunday

7 Nov

The weather ramped up the wet condition on Sunday. Rain was more frequent and heavier! Ugh. So we had to improvise our plans.

We started the day a little later than usual, as the toasty warmth of the bed over the wet conditions outside was much better. But we had to get going; we are not in London to stay in bed!

Royal Borough of Kensington
Breakfast

We walked over to the Royal Borough of Kensington for brunch before making our way to the Diana Memorial. Then it rained.

The Diana Memorial

So we took cover in Fortnum & Mason. And since we were there, we bought tea and more tea! Hehe, why not? When the rain let up a little, we trodded on to Buckingham Palace to do some touristy picture shots.

At the Buckingham Palace

Although the rain derailed our plans, it did not upset us. We walked, we saw, and we discovered new things. My only regret is we missed out on The National Art Gallery. Oh well.

Hyde Park
The Apple Store and around the city

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Unfazed by the Weather, Part 2

7 Nov
Borough Market

The Borough Market was a pleasant discovery! The myriad of fresh produce colors was a delight to the eyes, a nice change from the dull gray skies. I was amazed that a simple staple like cheese had so many vendors showcasing their variety of cheeses. The fresh vegetables were very colorful and made great photography.

All kinds of cheese!

By then, we were tired because of the weather. However, by five, we decided to head back to our hotel to freshen up because, at nine, we had a Candle Performance, Tribute to Hans Zimmer, to attend in Central Hall Westminster.

Candlelight Performance

We had great Kodak moments, taking pictures of landmarks nearby before going for the live music performance. The soothing string quartet lulled me to nap and have a good rest, I have to admit because I was so tired then.

After the performance, there was worry that the Tube service may be disrupted because of some impending strike. So we hurried as best as we could in the rain and cold. When we reached our hotel, I wished I could swap my overused legs for new ones! Even my Blundstones could not help me with the 22,071 steps and 14.44km adventure!

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Unfazed by the Weather

6 Nov

Sometimes weather plays a role in determining the outcome of a holiday outing is a success or not. It drizzled yesterday morning, but we were unfazed by it. I was clever enough to pack an umbrella, and it came in handy!

Tempting displays caught our eye!

We had another pastry breakfast to start our day. Luckily, the rain was light, and I did not need to open the umbrella. But when I had to, it was cold. Brr. I had to wear my gloves.

Pastries and sandwich for breakfast

We passed St Paul’s Cathedral and headed towards the Millennium Bridge to check out Tate Museum. The timing was perfect as we spent two hours indoors, staying warm and out of the drizzling conditions.

St. Paul’s Cathedral
Uber Boat anyone?

There were many interesting art pieces on display. However, two works caught our eye, not so much for their visual impact but for the lack of it instead. What qualifies these two non-visuals as art, displayed at Tate Modern? The concept? The process? They were blank canvases, for goodness sake! It baffled us to no end.

This is art? Or is this art?
Two embossed circles and dots make this art?

After Tate, we headed to Starbucks for a quick bite and cold coffee to refuel our energy. We passed Amazon Fresh and trodded on toward the Shard for a picture opportunity and discovered the Borough Market in that area. What a pleasant discovery!

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Bird Feeder Fail

31 Oct

Last week, I had this brilliant idea to DIY a bird feeder instead of buying one from the pet store. I had this sudden urge to train the freeloaders that come daily for their bird seeds to eat from a feeder. With my being in and out most time these days, it’s hard to feed them at the expected time.

There are days when the birds would come into the garden porch, looking in through the glass door for me, and expect me to serve them! Well, sometimes I do so but not always.

I googled up ideas and found the easiest contraption, using recycled things that I found in the kitchen. And voila! I have a bird feeder that I thought was brilliant. But the birds do not think so.

Several days have gone by, and they are still wary of the thing, thinking it’s some weird new garden ornament. But I have stopped feeding the birds to train them on this new arrangement, and the feeder remains in the garden under rain and shine. However, being the rainy season, when it rains, the bird feeder gets drenched by rainwater. Sigh.

The only animal not cautious of it is the garden squirrel! I have spotted it a few times, running toward the feeder and having a quick bite. Well, when choices are limited, hunger precedes caution.

After several days of rain, one part of the feeder came out, but I did not fix it. My bad, for the next thing I knew, the wet seeds started sprouting! Hahahaha. My goodness. This DIY bird feeder does not quite work during the rainy season, so I have to go back to the drawing board on it.

Sprouts growing from bird seeds!

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It’s Raining Rats!

28 Oct

The rainy season has begun, causing headaches, not just for humans but for four-legged furries too. It has been raining daily, and we suspect the rain has flooded some underground homes of the furry pests within our housing estate.

In a spate of one week, we encountered four rats! First, it was the mama rat, a rather plump but angry one. I think it was upset for getting trapped. Then, two days later, a baby appeared. And the next day, another baby appeared.

If we didn’t look properly, both the babies could be mistaken for being Roborovski Dwarf hamsters! Don’t be fooled by their cuteness and size. They escaped the water and ended up in our kitchen. We found them snuggled comfortably in the warmth of two separate kitchen rugs on both days. Ugh.

The fourth rat was not so cute and found itself inside the trap set out by hubby. I don’t feel sorry for it, though, as these critters can be a nuisance. I shall not elaborate on how we got rid of all of them. And yes, I threw away both the rugs as well. I hope this is the last of the furry lot.

Although these are not pleasant encounters, I find it funny that the idiom of raining cats and dogs during this rainy season is raining rats for us instead! Hahahahaha.

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Relish the Break, Part 2

24 Oct

Sometimes we lose track of time, having forgotten today is a public holiday. It rained in the early hours of the morning and woke me up. But I was thankful I did not have an early morning golf game in this situation and went back to sleep. It’s nice to relish the break.

Tomorrow will be a busy day being a short four-day work week. And before we know it, the weekend is here! One could get used to a four-day work schedule and a three-day weekend. Wishful thinking, ha ha ha!

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Battle of the Weeds, Part 3

14 Oct

I have not ventured out to the garden lately. There is just too much to do inside the house besides my being out for golf. Separately, the monsoon season has started, and it has been raining quite a bit, so there’s no reason to go to the garden.

Yesterday morning, I went out to the garden because it was nice and cloudy. To my horror, the place was a mess with leaves scattered everywhere caused by strong gusts of winds. Leaves aside, I see the Creeping Charlie growing everywhere too! It has sprouted in places that they’re not supposed to be.

Be gone you creepies!

So I had a field day, battling with the weeds. When we were under the MCO (Movement Control Order) last year, external helpers like gardeners and domestic cleaners were not allowed to come into the estate. But now, with no more lockdowns in place and our gardener coming regularly, I don’t understand why we still have the Creeping Charlie growing in abundance. Sigh.

It will be quite a chore to get rid of them because I cannot wait for the gardener to sort this out. I hope I will win this round of the battle.

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