Dress shopping

Both Enid and I bought dresses over the weekend.  Both nice in different ways I think.

 

I bought this in "& Other Stories".

I had been looking at it before Christmas - the 1960's style is always a favourite of mine.  And so when I saw it reduced at 55% off I had to have it!

Enid bought this beauty (modelled by moi!) in The Kilkenny Shop.  It is for a city wedding she has coming up in May and she was delighted to find it now and be sorted. She just needs a nice pair of nude shoes to finish it off rather than the black I'm wearing in this photo. 

 

That is apparently me finished shopping for a while.  According to my wardrobe co0ordinator (mam) I have enough evening wear dresses. The only dresses I am to buy to now are work dresses she says.

Time out in La La Land

 

This morning I spent two magical hours in the cinema watching the beauty that is "La La Land"

 

It was amazing.  Completely and utterly exquisite.  Beautifully done with every last detail spot on.  Perfectly directed, perfectly shot, perfectly choreographed,  perfectly acted, sang and danced by the two perfect leads.  I think you are getting the picture here!

It has a wonderfully old fashioned feel to it, yet it is slick and modern at the same time.

 

I cannot recommend this film enough, 

Go and see it on the big screen where it deserves to be seen, and then buy it on DVD and watch it over and over again (as I intend to).  I intend buying the soundtrack on vinyl too.

 

I hope it sweeps the Oscars!

 

 

Why I march

Yesterday I was part of a 5000 strong crowd in Dublin rallying in solidarity with the Women's March on Washington.

I march because of all who have fought in the past for women's rights.  I march for the present for all who are targeted by hate, racisim, homophobia, sexism, xenophobia, misogyny....  I march for the future, for a world where someone like Donald Trump has become the President of one of the most powerful nations in the world.  Where a man whose actions in business demonstrate him to be a liar, and a cheating dishonest person.  Where a man whose actions to, and words about women, demonstrate him to be a sexist misogynist man with no respect for women...and it makes me fearful for women's rights in the future.  Where a man who is filled with such hate for his humankind that he talks about building walls to keep people out and targeting individual groups of people because of actions of a few. 

As Martin Luther King said "He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it." ...and that is why I will continue to march and will continue to stand up and say No.

What will you do?

For more inspirational quotes from MLK I urge you to read here: http://www.great-quotes.com/quotes/author/Martin+Luther/King

*Photo copyright Tara Rose facebook

Blonde on brown

This has to be one of my favourite photos of Enid and I ever.  You know that phrase "I remember it like it was yesterday", well about this pic, it's true. 

We are sitting at the bar of Caroline's on Duval Street in Key West - it was coming close to the end of our holiday and we had gone to the bar specifically for a drink to meet with our friend who worked there on the bar, he has (young) twin daughters so twins was always a topic of conversation when we chatted.  It was cool and relaxed and we were both happy, and this photo captures that.

 

Anyway the reason I am posting it is my hair colour.  For a while now I've felt my hair is a little flat and colourless.  And while the photo above IS from maybe 10 years ago (eek!) and we are tanned from the Key West sun when I look at it it always make me think of going back to some blonde.

So on Friday I took that plunge!

My hair stylist Lau seemed happy with the colour as he took about a million photos of it!

I am pretty happy with it too.

 

It looks a bit lighter here.  To be honest it is probably even lighter in real life...  And probably lighter than I intended.  But you know my hair, it grows crazy fast.  I never panic about a hair cut or colour I don't like.

Ta-dah!

 

 

Off Beat Donuts

Donuts have got really popular in Dublin in the last year or so, and one of my favourite shops is Off Beat Donuts.

 

Their boxes of 12/24 etc fit perfectly in the carrier of my bike which for some crazy reason gives me an extraordinary feeling of happiness.  It obviously does not take much to make me happy eh!

Their flavours are just getting better and better.  Bottom left iced white and red is their red velvet which they now fill with an awesome vanilla cream.  They do the most incredible "Ferrero rocher" donut with a chocolate and hazelnut topping and an actual Ferrero rocher sweet in the middle!

 

This January I have not been great on avoiding carbs (the donuts above) and as I type I am eating pancakes in Starbucks.  I won this voucher above in a competition before Christmas...I think it's time I gave Karl that call.

New year sales

New year and some nice little bargains picked up in the New Year sales!

 

Do you remember I posted previously about this stunning dress that I saw in Dunnes before Christmas? 

 

Well I got it online at 60% off!

It doesn't look that special hanging up here does it?!

But this is it when I tried it on before Christmas. 

How great is this? 

 

Just need somewhere to wear it now...am sure something will come up, and when it does I have this perfect dress ready and waiting!

 

 

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And the other bargain buy in the New Year sales was plane tickets to Key West.  Alice, Enid and I are booked and set for the big trip in November! 

We will fly into Miami where we will do the cool drive down to the Keys.  And then nothing more to be done then just relax in paradise.



Boston 2016/2017

I am just back from literally a flying visit to Boston, that while was short was wonderful.

We did far far more than I have photos of, but below I hope, captures a flavour of all I did and saw.

On Saturday morning we went to The Bostonian for brunch.  I got pancakes, maple syrup and Virginia ham and it was fab!

While they are known for their Bloody Mary buffet bar I went for a breakfast cocktail (hey I was on holidays!) and got a "cup of Joe" - vodka, tia maria and espresso.

We visited the JFK museum which I enjoyed very much.  I discovered a lot about President Kennedy that I had not realised before (the amount  of books he wrote!) and particularly enjoyed seeing and hearing him speak.  Above is a photo from the time of the Cuban missile crisis which I think captures the atmosphere of the time.

As a bonus there was an Ernest Hemingway exhibit at the museum which was a lovely surprise. Above is a photo of Martha Gelhorn, Hemingway's 3rd wife, who I much admire.

An insight into how he became the writer he was...

The museum is in a building with this stunning outlook over water, on part of the campus of University of Massachusetts.

New Years's ice sculptures on Copley Square

Where everyone knows your name!

I loved visiting Cheers :-)

On the last day after some walking around during the morning we went back into the North End (where we had eaten dinner on the first evening) and had pizza for lunch in Regina Pizzeria. A lovely atmospheric pizzeria which has been there since 1926.  And the pizza? So good! 

How cute is this lovely building with its Christmas wreaths

I just loved all the buildings in Boston! We did a lot of walking around (at a nice easy pace!) and it was nice just admiring buildings and feeling the vibe.

Another great building.

Boston is a beautiful city which is so easy to walk around.  It has a lovely laidback atmosphere compared to the frenetic (albeit wonderful) energy of New York.

And lastly a visit to a sports bar to feel the atmosphere of an American football game.  And then it was off to the airport for my 6.30pm flight :-(

All good things must come to an end!

I had the most super time and will always have the great memories of a super New Year in a lovely city with the most thoughtful and kind host.

Christmas 2017

Christmas Eve, I had mam and Katie around for some drinks and nibbles.

Later that day I met with a friend and went to the busking on Grafton Street.  No Bono this year!

Christmas day in mam's

Lyttle Holme (back room) looking beautiful

Lyttle Holme, front room

The kids were in great form and Santa had been very good to them. It's always good to see them on Christmas morning.

As usual we played The Games.  On Christmas day we mainly did charades and quickfire quiz games.  On Stephen's we played a marathon of Trivial Pursuit which the team of Cousin Sean and Aunt Mary won.

After an emergency visit to the dentist on St Stephen's day - THANK YOU for driving me Cousin Kasey!!!!!! - we called into my Nana's.  I hadn't seen this photo before, it's my Nana at her 85th (a couple of years ago) with a lot (most? some?) of her grandchildren and some of her great grandchildren too.