Fun with tat (aka jewellery)

I've had quite a lot of fun over the last few days playing around with Christmas earrings/Christmas sweaters/red dresses etc in work.  Time to pack them away for another year, but it was a lot of fun while it lasted!

Lost and Found doggo

So coming home from Party No. 2 on Christmas Eve we came across this little thing, out on his own, having a grand old time.

After knocking on some doors, and speaking to people out walking their dogs, and nobody knowing anything about him our only option (yay!!!) was bring him home with us.

It turned out

(a) he was a she

(b) she was such a good natured little thing!

I posted up on facebook on the Key West Lost and Found page and literally just as we were ready to go to bed at around midnight someone from three blocks away got in touch and claimed "Shadow".

A Christmas miracle! Lol



Christmas in Paradise

I'm just getting a few words down on paper to capture what is going on with me at the moment before suddenly December is over and it is 2020 - and the moment has passed.

Enid and Ciaran are here!

Christmas Eve was lovely! Christmas day was lovely!

We are just having lovely times together.

Today I am working (I've been working a lot over Christmas that is hotel work for you I guess!) and the rest of the gang are gone fishing!!! I am sad for me, but happy for them! I will get over it lol.

  

A few little photos below for posterity.

Two/three liner review of two movies

 So, so good. But my God, I came out of the cinema FEELING ANGRY, and still feel angry even now.  The battle may have been won, the war is far from over.

A beautiful film.  Deeper and darker then I expected it to be, a wonderful storytelling of triumph over anger, hurt and cynicism.

The F word

Let's talk about fishing!  Because, let me tell you, it seems to be all we talk about at home these days, all we text our friends about, and all I seem to look at on my phone - fishing and fish apps.

At the weekend we were out with friend's on their lovely boat and it was great!  Not necessarily the best haul...but as they say "a bad day's fishing beats any day in the office".  Plus also, it is just so lovely fishing for the afternoon and then fishing as the sun sets.  Key West gets simply the most beautiful sunsets...there is a reason people have been hanging out at Mallory Square and honouring the sun for decades.

And then this evening, straight after work instead of going home, I nipped on my bike and headed to White Street Pier for a sneaky little fish before sunset.  It was a nice reminder of why we moved here and how lovely it is to live on an island.

I met a friend lol!

New Happy Hour venue!

If you have been following my blog and noting my Key West eating venues, you probably have worked out that Half Shell Raw Bar and Martin's are two of our favorite Happy Hour Eating establishments.

 

Half Shell is casual and easy, and feels authentic Key West. A license plates on the wall type of place, originally a shrimpers shed, turned restaurant, situated on the spot where the fishworkers spilled out their catch right on the bight.

 

Martin's is when we are feeling a little fancier and want to drink wine and martini's - that would be every Sunday so! The food is fancier too.

 

15% strength!
 

But now! Now, we have Old Town Tavern which is a "just riiiiight" balance between the two. 
 

Apparently it has the "Best Guinness in Town" according to Patrick, a man with 30 years of  drinking Guinness (IN IRELAND) under his belt.

 

It also has Craft Beers.  Something which my Chicago man  has occasionally (very occasionally it must be said) lamented since arriving South.  Well lament no more!  This bar even has Goose Island Bourbon Stout!

And their Happy Hour food, oh my!

Flatbreads; with toppings ranging from a sexy little shrimp scampi number, to your classic chicken barbeque to the exquisitely unique pig and pickle. 

Looks good, right?!

Yes,  of course I had the pork. I can never resist pork.

Along with a chicken liver pate dish of crispy toasted bread,  wholegrain mustard and capers we were just nicely satisfied.  Not at all hungry, and not too full.  In fact "just riiiiight".

If I was really hungry I would also have ordered the meat balls and the pork belly.  Have I mentioned I can never resist pork?

And while I am almost a year into my little Key West adventure and one could argue disappointment that I had not found this little gem of a joint earlier, on the other hand for that very reason it makes me appreciate it all the more. Without a doubt, it is part of our Happy Hour repertoire going forward, and will be for many more years I hope.



Where is Barbara Curran now??

I ventured in to the local pawn shop today.  My, was that quite the cornucopia of all things I like i.e. JUNK! What can I say?  I do love whiling away an hour or two looking through JUNK for TREASURE.

And then I saw THIS.

I may, or may not, have bought it.

Ha! Do you know me, or what?! Of course I bought it.  Barbara lives with me now :)

Ps. Anyone want to venture a guess how much I paid for this little gem?!
Comment below!

Sunday fishing!

So initially, this blog post looked like it was shaping up to be a bit of a whinge about how I didn't catch many fish yesterday.  But the more I think about it...yesterday, was a great day.

We both had a wonderful night's sleep waking up without the alarm at 8am on the button.  Perfect timimg for some breakfast and relaxing before things turned more frenetic as we got ready and headed for the boat.

I went on ahead over to Garrison Bight, while Patrick went and picked up some sandwiches for the day.  Cuban sandwiches...which might be only be the best sandwich in the whole world?  That is of course, in my humble opinion as an Irish person. It has to be said there is a bigger sandwich "market" and "range" of bread and meat and topping and sauce combos over here than anything I am used to from home. (Although! Of course, nothing is better than that Christmas night and St Stephen's night sandwich of fresh Brennan's bread, turkey, stuffing, and ham, right?!)

The weather was perfect, conditions just right...Thankfully.  It meant no queasiness this time round...for either of us.

So! Confession time.  It was a pretty lousy day for me, from a catching perspective.  But it's crazy.  Fishing is a bit like gambling in my opinion.  The good days get you back for more. And the bad days get you back too - the lure of the Big One in both cases.

And on the subject of Big One!

Patrick caught this grouper!!! 20 inches, 4lbs, how about that!

Omelet - garlic, ham and tomatoes

Do you remember the tale of the Thanksgiving Ham?!

Well, I was not lying when I said we would be eating it for the next while - and don't forget that half of it was put in the freezer for Christmas.

Tonight I made a ham omelet!

I don't know if this is correct or not, but I like to cook some of my ingredients on their own prior to adding to the omelet. Mmmm, garlic, cherry tomatoes and the ubiquitous ham!

Et voila!