Fun times in the little baby boat continue, with plenty of fishing and crabbing ahoy!
We had a great day at the weekend where, amongst plenty of others, Patrick landed this sweet 14 inch yellowtail snapper.
Seasoned with olive oil, garlic, lemon and rosemary and fried up on the barbecue made for a lovely dinner.
I can't believe I am writing this but I cleaned up (out?) our shed again. How many times is this now?? Five?? How does it keep getting cluttered up?
Anyway! I have to say it is looking great now and I am really delighted!
There is one more clear out/clean up due: we are planning on booking the refuse company (or is the city?) to come in February or so to remove a load of rubbish we have been cleaning up and collecting for a while - old wood/broken garden furniture from the previous owner/our old rusted barbecue etc etc. I am going to go through the shed at this point and check all the products and paints on the shelves and throw out anything dead or that we won't use. My goal is actually to maybe even get rid of one of those shelves. The less in the shed the better!
Part of the clean up was parting ways with something that gave me great sadness... From the previous owner; these really cool old metal table top and leaves. Really, really heavy! Maybe 1950's I think? So, I've had them a year and have done nothing with them. Six months ago, I made a pledge with myself....that if I had not used them in a project then they were going out. Well that day came :(
I put an ad up on Key West Yard Sale on facebook that they were free to take away and, 30 minutes later, they were gone. To a good home am sure.
If you've been following my blog you will recall my love (ok, obsession) for La La Land. Well it is with great pleasure, I tell you about a lovely event hosted by Key West Film Festival, in the Perry Hotel on Stock Island, that I attended last night.
Myself and my neighbour Feliz got a lift over to Stock Island from Patrick. It is not far away - maybe a 5 or 10 minute drive. We had some nice food of burger sliders and french fries. The sliders were good - a very nice char grilled flavour from them. Two cocktails set us up and over to the screening area on the lawn.
What a cute set up! Social distanced and outdoors. I felt very safe.
- Doctors Appointment, nothing major, just my regular check up
- Bank visit to discuss interest rates to see if we can make our money work more
- Visited the Driver License's office and attempted to renew my Florida ID or get a Florida driving license. Long story short, I couldn't do either and it looks like I need to do a computer test and driving test to transfer my Irish license to a US one.
TJ Maxx - bought a ton of new Pretties. Ahahahahahahahah. Are you thinking, what the heck are you on about Amy? Article here.
- Post Office. Posted a parcel to Ireland for Alice and a parcel to Enid in Spain.
- Ross: checked if Ross got any new shoes in. I need a new pair for work. Nada.
- Dennys. Monday: it's got to be pancakes and New Yorker time
- Went online to renew my fishing licence but the issue with my drivers impinged on this. So next Monday my priority is getting the ID/licence situation sorted
I think that is it!
Here is a summary of what I did today. Brace yourself, a lot of "and then I went to", "and then I got" over and over again
1st Stop. I got up this morning quite early considering it was my day off, around 7.30am, and after a cup of coffee headed into the hotel to pick up a credit card. My boss (the GM) is off on vacation at the moment so there are gaps that need to be filled. I headed to Home Depot to buy some temporary blinds for two of the rooms, while we wait for our fancy ones to arrive. Quite the conundrum getting the right size and the best material that I could, but I think I got there in the end.
Stop 2 was dropping it back to the hotel where I handed them over to our maintenance guy. They are his baby now! Took a call from Patrick where he had super news, that he had found a great dentist that took our insurance, and that he had got me a same day cancellation appointment for 1.45pm
Stop 3 I came home for a bit, and then headed to Dennys for something I like doing every Monday or every second Monday. Pancakes, coffee and reading The New Yorker.
Stop 4 Headed to the dentist. Thank you Patrick for arranging! My first appointment with an American dental clinic (office?) and I was very impressed. Full set of xrays, inspection done by the dentist and then a great clean/scale/polish by a lovely hygienist. They all said my teeth and gums are in great shape which was a relief. I will go back for another clean in 6 months. 10 out of 10 for service. And 10 out of 10 for being just the cutest little dentist I've ever gone to. Photos below...
Stop 5 I took the Christmas tree down :( The decorations had been off it about a week now. But it still looked just so lovely lit up every evening. I am going to miss it.
Stop 6 We headed off for dinner in one of our casual favourites, Half Shell Raw Bar! And it was just lovely as always. A bucket of steamed garlic clams, buffalo shrimp and fish dip - all to share. Fabulous. And a few little drinkies.
I think that. :Let's not talk about Stop 7 where I went online to Bath and Body works and did some drinky shopping :))) Let's just pretend that didn't happen lol!
Good night friends!
Photos of my dentist below:
Two years on the island. One year in the little blue house! Time to take stock and celebrate...with a feast of champagne, crab claws, cupcake sushi and (not pictured) mac and gruyere cheese.
Too early to talk about Valentine's Day? It's just about a month away now. If your plan is to wait until closer to the moment and pick up a nice card and a bunch of flowers or a box of chocs for your significant other, well that sounds just lovely! And you can look away now as it sounds like you are all set - although, if you are open to one suggestion from me, it would be: get a hearted shaped box of chocolates! :) Even better if the box is a plush red velvet!
If you are thinking about going a little more adventurous, and doing something more long lasting, then here are some ideas for the Pigsy art lover in your life - included are suggestions to suit all budgets
Option 1
Irish artist Pigsy, Enamel Art Mugs are priced at euro24.99 and are a pretty cool gift in my opinion. They can be used for hot drinks, tea, coffee. but also they are pretty awesome for using for cold drinks, beer or cocktails etc too. Perfect for use every day, but also cool for displaying on a shelf and showing off your art in a quirky way. He has just launched a Limited Edition mug "The Kiss" for Valentine's Day 2021
Option 2
Who wouldn't love a striking print in a bespoke frame, custom designed by Pigsy, in their home. Limited Edition prints offer an accessible entry point to becoming an art collector. Why not get a print for you and your beloved this Valentine's?! Limited Edition prints are available through Designyard in Dublin city, in various sizes, prices starting at euro790. View available prints here! Contact Ronan Campbell at Designyard on +353 1 474 1011 or Pigsy directly .
Option 3
Big and bold! Go big like Pigsy's paintings and push the boat out. View his latest work, the "Seven Spanish Angels" collection
Bringing art in to the family home brings an air of creativity, tranquility, inspiration and positivity, It opens up the potential for anything to happen in the future, and it is inspirational for all who live with it. Contact Pigsy directly to talk about purchasing an original paintings or contact Ronan Campbell in Designyard +353 1 474 1011.
Whatever you do, enjoy it! 2020 has been a challenging year, 2021 is looking very similar right now. As Burt Bacharach said, and Jackie DeShannon sang "what the world needs now is Love"
