Feliz Ano Nuevo

 

That's happy new year to you and me! This year I lucked out and spent it in Madrid along with Danny, his mum and sister and her boyfriend.

 

Weirdly all bars in Madrid close until after midnight but we managed to find a Cuban restaurant which served obscenely large rum cocktails in which to pass a few hours before the countdown.

 

I forced poor Danny to make the trek down to the Puerta del Sol where everyone traditionally sees in the new year but our tardiness and the crowds of 30,000 or more people meant that the square was full and we were squeezed into a side street for midnight.

 

As it turns out Dan's sister and her boyfriend had a better view of the countdown at the square from the warmth of their bar (and it is COLD in Madrid this time of year!) but it was cool to be part of all the excitement. Plus I have a slightly perverse love of being in big crowds.

 

 

I hope you all spent the new year somewhere lovely with someone you love.

 

shopping for twigs

 

Christmas is upon us once again. So Danny and I went out to the Cave Hill Forest near our house at the weekend to collect some branches, added a vase, some decorations and a random assortment of christmassy bits and bobs around it, including the obligatory animal skull. Merry Christmas y'all!

 

 

 

Five days in Krakow

I haven't been blogging much recently, in fact even checking my emails felt a big ask as Danny and I have both been lucky enough to have lots of time off this Christmas, and we fell in to a sort of hibernation from which we're only just emerging, back into the world of the living.

We were eased back into the real world by five days in Poland, along with Dan's sister Mary, and it was a lovely holiday. We stayed in an old apartment on the old market square and we visited Auschwitz and the stunning salt mines (more on both of those later). For now here are some pictures from our winter trip.

We woke up on our second last morning to a blanket of snow across the square and it was the perfect ending to a great holiday.

The next one had better be somewhere hot though!

New Year in Helen's Tower

Our good friends (and relatives) Fiona and Phillip had the bright idea to rent the amazing Helen's Tower in Clandeboye Estate outside for Bangor for this New Years.

Husband Danny and our lot went to the Palookaville carry-out disco for New Years again this year and then today Dan, his sister Lucy and I drove out to see them today. The path up to it is a bit of an off-roading experience but it's worth the effort - check this place out!

Helen's Tower was completed in 1861 in honour of the owner Lord Dufferin's mother who was herself the grand daughter of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the great Irish playwright, orator and politician.

It was built as an idyllic retreat and poems were written in its honour by Tennyson, Kipling, Argyll and other luminaries of the nineteenth century literary world, and I can see why. Huddled far away from the seething masses with a roaring fire, it was a very special afternoon, accompanied by an impressive bottle of Champagne. Okay, Cava.

There were views from the roof of the tower over Bangor and the metropolitan Newtownards as well as to Scrabo Tower on a far away hillside. I hate those foreign landlords who came in and stole our land, but they sure did leave some nice buildings behind.

This place can be rented out through http://www.irishlandmark.com/ (I'm not getting paid for this) and would be an amazing venue for a wedding or handfasting.

Christmas in Belfast

After Christmas morning in Portstewart Danny and I drove up to Belfast to join his sister Lucy and her husband Kenny (in matching jumpers) for dinner with the rest of the family.

There was a second round of present giving and general feelings of mirth.

Dan's mum bought me this amazing moving Santa who for some reason also takes photos. I love it!

Dinner ensued.

Lucy's newly decorated dining room had its first outing. Classy.

After dinner we went to Bangor to visit the niece and nephew. One of which we then put in a bag.

Lucy, her brother Michael and the first of the next generation, Lily.

Thanks everybody for a perfect Christmas.

Christmas in Portstewart

Christmas has been and gone but the festivities are still continuing in our house. My brother just got back from Wales last night so today is the only day we're all together before my big sister heads back to London. We'll be having a nice dinner tonight and even more presents. Speaking of which, here are some photos from Christmas day and the cool presents we gave each other.

Check out the AMAZING brooch I got from my parents, above. And the geek craft book was a present for my sister (she's the coolest geek around so there was no offence taken I don't think) and there are a few ideas in there I'll have to steal.

I have a feeling though that I shall have my work cut out attacking all of the crafts in the Martha Stewart encyclopedia of crafts that I got for myself just before Christmas. Me loves Martha.

I got a gorgeous origami crane necklace from my brother and sisters as a reminder of all the cranes we folded for my wedding. And it's actually made from a tiny folded piece of silver, amazeballs. The earrings are from Danny.

So once we were done in Portstewart it was up to Belfast for even more presents and dinner with the in-laws.