Year iv: “Post” Pandemic

Picking up from where I stopped last year. Purple elixirs in Urban Brewing and homemade patriotic dinners. An escape to Italy, to Verona, Vicenza and the vineyards of the Veneto. Caramelised banana soufflé pancakes and artisan jellies, amen.

Days with the blossoms, dried dahlia’s, forget-me-nots, fritillaria, primroses and bluebells. An extremely enjoyable vegetarian spice bag, a selfie in The Abbey theatre mirror and the dredged out rust of the Royal Canal Greenway. FINK at Visual, a yung-fila on a horse in Cabra, the Ballybough fairy tree by night.

Sunny Creative Mornings, soft serve at Two Pups and Katie Kim on the silver screen as part of ‘Dream Baby Dream’ in the Lighthouse cinema <3. Crisp salad, actual salad and the nicest sunset of the summer in the Docklands. Scout the $85 million superyacht, named after a dog, pulls into Sir John Rogerson’s quay. Champagne in the garden and a speakeasy, of sorts.

An incredible start to the month with light, heat and perfect grass cutting conditions. Time under the hawthorn tree, warm haw confetti. Chuckles the clown boards the Wexford bus. California dreaming and the seeing the summer solstice in Joshua Tree State park. Back to reality, behind a tractor.

The fruits of small labours. Time in the meadows. An evening in Blessington Street basin. Dog burgers. The temple of the goddess in Huntington Castle. Celebratory pancakes after driving test success. Losing Sinead :(

Mushrooms appearing. The Black Abbey. Relaxing in Fidelity. Turkish coffee in Shouk. Pastries in Cake Face, welcome scones in Marlfield House, freshly baked bread rolls in the Sha-roe bistro and blackberries from the hedge. These are a few of my favourite things.

Even more mushrooms. An end of summer dip at Dollymount. A lovely example of espaliet. Girl dinner. Bella bot serving at Senbazuru. A lovely day out at Kilruddery farmers market to have Mama’s boy for lunch. Dead mans fingers, jelly ears and other Halloween tones, including my first positive Covid test.

Beautiful Kilkenny in autumn sunshine, the bonus views on the Wexford train. A visit to the Taking of Christ. An excellent performance installation show in the RHA called ‘Powerful Trouble’. Nigel Slater’s roast cabbage, martini bianco classico served with meaty Cerignola olives and a Plur bakery haul. The heartbreaking Nightingale and the Rose </3. World, meet puppy Lulu.

Capel street remains undefeated. ØXN at Sugar Club. A lovely 24 hours in Longford, where I met a handsome collie. A nice 48 hours in Paris where a champagne cork was turned into a tiny chair at dinner. An extremely festive sitting room, a hearty home made pie and an anxious bus home on the night of the riots.

Not my favourite month of the year. Made easier with cake, creamy pints, the muppets, brandy and the fire. Enough said.

Drives to the Brownshill dolmen, Ducketts grove and Carlow Cathedral. Birthday flowers and lemon swiss roll. The doggy hang outs at Barbers. The very enjoyable Lavery on Location retrospective in NGI, a meeting in the officers mess, and Blindboy left on my pillow <3

Front row for Blindboy followed by a gas few days in Limerick, with zombies in Pharmacia. Chips on the seafront and then soup for my sins. Back to 1661, my favourite cocktail bar in Dublin. Good strong sunsets, Cacio e Pepe in Piglet, and ØXN again, this time tearing the metaphorical roof off Vicar St.

Unexpected snow to start spring. Some kind of ‘Novid’ dose that slowly worked its way from my throat to my sinus. Helped mostly by honey, hot whiskeys and devouring chilli’s in Hakkahan. ‘Turning Heads’ at NGI. A new apartment, in an old neighborhood.