Back home from the trip home.

We're back from the Irish Isles and just about getting adjusted to being so far from home again. This morning was the first time we got up at a reasonable time -well, Brian's been getting up for work with an alarm, but the boys and I have been dreadful about it. We arrived back just as the boys' 2 week winter school holiday started, not the best timing ever, but that's just how it worked out. It was freezing for the first 3 days and we had to go and buy 3 more heaters for the house to keep warm last weekend. Thankfully for the past few days it's been beautiful and we've had trips to the zoo and playpark and cycled by the river. Today the rain has set in and although not terribly cold, it feels rather dreary and makes us long for home again.
So how was the holiday?? In no particular order: Exhausting, stressful, fantastic, fun, comforting, exciting, homely, sad.
The main stress came when we visited our former home which we still own (can't sell it!) in Cobh. The tenants had just moved out and left it in such a state. Garden overgrown, house filthy, oil tank drained dry, gas bottles empty, shed and yard full of rubbish, the list goes on.... Their deposit was not returned needless to say, but barely covered the oil, let alone the rest. So the first few days were a flurry of unplanned activity which soon reaped its reward and got the place back in some kind of shape. The reward, as always, is the view.

When we got there our holiday cottage down in Kerry was just about as good as it gets. An old converted railway station, complete with platform but not trains. It was out in the countryside with fields as far as the eye can see behind. The boys spent ages sitting on the platform watching a tractor cut and bail silage one day.

The wedding was absolutely perfect and a wonderful day for us all. Aoife looked stunning, the sun shone and the food and band were amazing. Alfie particularly enjoyed the day with all his cousins, running, playing pool, dancing and drinking 7-up!

We had numerous barbeques, family get togethers and parties in the week that followed. We also managed to find time to take my parents to Dingle where we visited the aquarium, had lunch and ice creams and soaked up the scenery. We also saw the Gallerus Oratory, an ancient church far out in the Kerry mountains built of stone and still standing after over a thousand years.

Glorious Dingle.

Gallerus.

  One of the highlights for the boys, apart from every day spending time with their cousins, was riding ponies on the beach out at Castlegregory. It was a beautiful day and the boys were soooo excited. I don't remember ever seeing them smile so wide for so long. It was really magical.

Ready to go..

What a view for a ride....

The biggest hitter was seeing family and friends, which was just so lovely. As well as family I met up with some of my best friends in Ireland for a cuppa and a gossip. In the UK I was treated by my oldest ( by which I mean longest-standing!!) friends to a 40th birthday gathering a week early. We had a glorious day outside and a barbeque with all the assorted children running around half naked in the sunshine. I missed a meet-up with our friends in Berkshire due to a rather sad and unforseen mishap in the last few days which I won't go into here. Better luck next year I say, we haven't forgotten you.

When you're away you get used to not seeing people, but once you go back it hits home how much you've missed everyone, and how hard it will be to go away again.
And it was, it really was....