Sunny evenings and beachy days

I appear to have woken up in an alternate universe where Ireland gets long sunny days and you can leave the house of a morning confident that you won't need a jumper later. Unheard of!

We spent a lazy evening at our friend's apartment down by the river Lagan, enjoying the views and lovely dappled light (and a few bevvies). I hope you've been out getting all the goodness from the sun's rays.

Then at the weekend we took our bikes on the train to Helen's Bay which is just outside Belfast. We found a private walled area just off the beach so that I could bask in the sunshine like a lizard while Danny lay in the shade.

I had great intentions to have my first swim of the season but in the end wasn't brave enough for anything more than a paddle. Even that was made difficult by the thousands of shell creatures everywhere.

Hoards of people swarmed the beach every half hour as the train from Belfast arrived so we made an early exit and went for a cycle in the blistering heat. Not that I'm complaining - This week has been heaven to me.

Long may it last.

Elise goes to Whiteabbey

There sits Elise in all her splendour on a recent cycle out to Whiteabbey, just a few miles outside of Belfast.

There's a great view back across Belfast Lough to the Samson and Goliath shipbuilding cranes.

And the park in Whiteaabey has not only my favourite of all the playground features - the roundabout, but also a freaking zipline!!

And the sun even made a brief appearance when we stopped on this little beach (followed by incessant drizzle on the 6 mile cycle back home)