We flew over to Ireland to spend a few days with good friends. The flight over (and back!) were the noisiest flights I have ever been on! So much so that when we arrived I asked our friends if the Irish are known for talking… and that was greeted with laughter. 😉 People talked to each other for the whole flight, very unusual (but very nice)!!!
Lionel very kindly picked us up from Dublin airport and drove us 45 minutes back to their house in County Wicklow and of course our mouths were working full time as soon as we entered the car. It was delightful to see the tiny country lanes we remembered! And to see the sun, which we hadn’t remembered. 😉 Last time we visited Ireland it rained every day; this time the country redeemed itself and we saw no rain!
We arrived at their lovely house in the country.
What a delight just to sit and chat and enjoy the view after all the travelling we’ve been doing! We always feel so at home with our friends in Ireland, I just LOVE their sense of humour, and it’s a very good way to sharpen up my own wicked humour. Ha! We laughed; a lot. 😀 And we both loved sitting in this spot in their dining room, with such a beautiful, relaxing view of the garden and horses in the field outside:
I enjoyed watching the birds in their garden too:
And the horses in the field:
Every morning we went with Lionel for a walk along the road.
Here’s some of what we would see:
We went to Mount Usher for coffee one day with them, and Susan forgot to check my photos first before I put them on the blog. Oops. 😉 Mind you, by the looks of this photo Lionel seemed to know that she wouldn’t!
Our first evening there Colin and Joyce came over and we had a wonderful time with them. Gotta love the Irish wit, they’re very sharp indeed! 🙂
On Saturday we went over the fence for lunch at David and Nina’s. Their garden is looking as lovely as ever:
And we had a great lunch and caught up with quite a few folk there:
After a great time of good food, laughter, and catching up, we hopped back over the fence, to Lionel and Susan’s.
That evening Colm and Cloida came over as they hadn’t been able to go to the lunch. We enjoyed getting to know them better!
The next day Ivan and Susan picked us up and took us out for lunch and for an excursion round the countryside!
They took us to this interesting old estate, Powerscourt:
Instead of being restored as most old estates seem to be, this one has been transformed into… a shopping mall!!!
Very interesting!
Then we drove to Ivan and Susan’s.
In the evening more folk came over and we again enjoyed catching up with them.
Then, all too soon, it was time to leave. We said goodbye to Jason (Lionel & Susan’s 21 year old) and Poopy (oops, I mean Poppy) their new 6 month old labrador who is currently learning what you can and cannot do in a house. Aka ‘house training’. It was great entertainment! Nuff said. 😉
We stopped at Avoca for lunch on the way to the airport, then said goodbye to these dear ones:
We had a perfect weekend, loved seeing everyone, as the Irish say, it was “just grand”!!!
For those who are interested, and for those who aren’t too 😉 here’s some of what you can buy in tourist shops there:
And… of course, an Irish rubber duck.
And no, my bag is not full of rubber ducks. 😉 I was left wondering what Irish Rugby is as opposed to Rugby though.