Vancouver, Canada >> Dublin, Ireland, Home.

We took the train from Portland to Vancouver and I think I spent the entire 8 hours in awe. The Oregon coat is no joke…with mountains out one window and the sea out the other it was truly breathtaking. I felt so overwhelmingly nostalgic and unbelievably lucky to be right there, right then…on the train, with my love, travelling to such stunningly beautiful places. 

We spent our last few days in Vancouver relaxing. We read by the beach, drank beer, ate and tried not to spend what little money we had left. 

We made sure to say our goodbyes to the Pacific. 

Gill took this photo of the two of us on the way to watch the fireworks from Kits. How handsome is my boyfriend? A few minutes before this photo was taken a guy stopped us on the street and gushed that Rich looked like a member of One Direction. Ha! Not sure if I like that or not buuut he sure meant it as a compliment!

We took this super awkward selfie before leaving to get the sky train to the airport. Our flights went off without a hitch and we BOTH slept almost the entire 9 hours home.
It was a miracle. 

a summer

I love the green. I can’t get enough of the green. I want to be in the green. I’d like to throw some clothes in a bag, pack up something to eat and escape to the forest or the mountains or the beach for endless days and nights of foraging, sunbathing, hiking and relaxing. It sounds nice, doesn’t it? It sounds calm, doesn’t it? Of course so long as the weather is warm and the flies are, well, non-existant. It sounds ridiculously unattainable like some American novel or something, doesn’t it? (It also sounds like I need a car and a license, doesn’t it? I’m working on that one, really)

I haven’t had any grand adventures yet this summer, I didn’t move to New York, or trek across Thailand or work in San Francisco or even spend endless time on a beach doing nothing at all. Instead I ran errands, went shopping, ate frozen yogurt with my friends, jumped into the icy Irish sea (just the once!), baked with my godchild, watched films, read books, played intense games of sibling scrabble, drank fancy ciders and ice white wine, rocked a baby to sleep (many, many, many times) and spent hours walking the dog. It might sound boring, and it probably is, but it has been pretty nice hanging out at home and having the time to do whatever I like. There will be an adventure, soon I hope. But even if it doesn’t work out, I will be happy. There won’t be many more summers like this—chilling out with not a care in the world. I am thankful for this.



What about you? How are you spending your summer? I’d love to know. 

Ellie

She was ‘drinking’ from a hole in the hose. It was hilarious. 

day dates are for oldies (but we don’t care)

 Before Richard left for scout camp (he’s home now! and still alive! yay!) we had, hands down, the best date we’ve gone on in ages. We drove towards the sea and headed up Killiney hill before wandering down to White Rock where we saw hundreds of jellyfish (the non-stinging kind) washed ashore and in the sea. It was crazy! Then as we walked back up over the hill the clouds started to creep in closer. They had gotten dark and looked fit to burst. We were minutes from the car when the heavens opened and set about drowning everyone out and about without a coat (or tights!). We ran through the mud and made it before we were drenched. We got to Richard’s house a few minutes later driving on dry roads; the shower, it turned out, had been very, very local. After hanging out for a little while watching the dog try and eat the hose we went down to Dun Laoghaire Market for falafel wraps, an impromptu classic car show and sweet crepes with a side of frozen yogurt for dessert. We were full and warm and happy. The best way to be if you ask me.

weekend

I hope you have a nice weekend friends, what are you plans? Tomorrow (as well as yesterday and today) I am bag packing to raise money for next year’s Habitat trip, and, let me tell you, it is exhaaaausting standing for hours on end asking people can you pack their bags for them. And, you also wouldn’t think it but all those little bits of change that people chuck in your bucket as thanks? They ADD up. A lot. There’s a whole bucket of cashola waiting to be counted in my kitchen—unless you are a thief, then of course there is no such thing at all.
I am looking forward to Sunday however, because on Sunday I shall relax. My dude doesn’t get home until Tuesday (he’s in Whales on Scout camp) so I will miss him…Sunday dates are some of my favourites. But it will be nice to chill out and not do any baby-minding or bag packing or money counting or anything like that. Sounds nice, huh? I even hear rumours of good weather, though I am wise enough not to get myself too invested in that! x


PS I’m not to sure of that picture up there? That chin makes me think yiiikes! But in the spirit of being kind to myself (and you know, accepting that actually I do look like that and not like this) I’m going to leave it up there…for now. 

from where I stand

I really do live in the most beautiful of places.

 I shot two rolls of colour  film this weekend and the resulting photos blew me away. It was nice to take a break and only shoot black and white for a while (don’t even mention those four (four!!) rolls of 120mm waiting to be developed in my fridge), but it was like a smack bang in the face returning to colour. A, much needed, smack bang in the face I’ll have you know.

These shots were taken up Killiney Hill, down on the Vico road and the last on the sands of White Rock beach. 

Brunch

…or rather my brother eating it.

PS He got his ear pierced on his sixth year holiday to Ayia Napa…I think my mother was grateful it wasn’t a tattoo that’s all. It’s pretty hideous but also awesomely nineties. 

this weekend…

…we went for brunch down around grand canal basin (at least I think that’s what it’s called?). The place was kind of bleuh (food wise). We’ve ridiculously been there four times but only because we had a voucher that needed to be spent and the draw of the water and architecture and amazing people watching was hard to resist. We’re going to try out the other restaurants around it just because we are not quite ready to let go of the potential that this place has. The great expanse of the water evokes a kind of calm that isn’t usually felt in a city. One day I will live somewhere like that.

I asked Eoin not to squint but he said it was a ‘squinty day’…I also probably should have told him how to focus the camera, but in my defence he said ‘yeh you’re in focus but the background isn’t’ so I thought he had it covered. Brothers!