the long goodbye...

We've finally completed the sale of our house in Ireland. This weekend we packed up the rest of our belongings, said our final goodbyes and returned 'home' to York. I'm a little cocktail of emotion today, relieved, exhausted and just a tad overwhelmed by the finality of it. Our hopes and dreams were tied up in that little house, and i became a wife and a mother there and i know that i may never return to live in Ireland. Now its time to move on and get things back on track, Yorkshire is my home now and i plan to make it lovely ;)* 

"Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with you"

*HoNEy I'M hOMe*

Well that was short n' sweet {like meself} - did I miss anything? I'm sure I did, I love to pop in to everyone's blogs and seeing their latest projects and ofcourse all the latest juice about this & that. I'm sure there is lots to catch up on.

So, it was every bit as wonderful as I'd hope. The North Antrim coast that is. I've never actually spent much time there, ever. That is a bit sad considering I'm a native of County Down {Its close neighbour} I can't believe I have left it this long, but it has to be said, it was such a special time for both myself and Mr Mac.

We travelled to Ballintoy Harbour, bought the sandwiches and boarded the bus to The Giants Causeway - it is unbelievably beautiful. It knocked me for six. We travelled along the coast by foot, the views from the clifftops were unreal. 5 and a half hours later we arrived back in Ballintoy and drove back to our cottage, The Blacksmiths. It was unbelievably cosy and charming, I could have lived in that house forever. Overall, it was well worth the wait.

Northern Ireland is many many things, but of all things it is beautiful. Forget the politics and the stupid tit for tat that has been going on for an age or two, this is a landscape and a people that you will never forget. So many tourists head down to Dublin or Cork, most go all the way over to west coast and miss out on the magic of the North. Visit Northern Ireland - and you won't regret it. If you need convincing pop over to my flickr for more pics from my travels.

What goes up...

Yesterday, myself & Mr Mac were on the lookout for some adventure. We decided to travel north to Carlingford, in the hope of climbing Slieve Foye, a stunning 589m peak in County Louth.

Mr Mac carefully packed all the info, maps etc. needed for the 'relatively straightforward' walk ahead. Ok, he's the dependable sort, you know - strong, silent, determined etc. etc. I'd trust him with my life if I had to. The weather was expected to be bright, sunny with the 'occasional' shower. He packed the waterproofs just in case.

20 mins in, we are lost, then we find our way onto the track again, then we get lost again {It later turns out the map was the size of a thumbnail and not really that useful - oh dear} back on the track and fired up with caffeine and jaffa cake we sped up the winding trail, bravely pushing upwards and onwards from the Colwyn Gap to the impressive summit of Slieve Foye.

"Now that we're here, how about some more coffee?" pants Mrs Mac

"Ok" says Mr. Mac

"I think I'll take off my boots, my wee feet are achin'" moans Mrs Mac.....

"Ok" sighs Mr. Mac

>>>(((totootooddoooooooookkkkkoooootttoooodoooo!!!!)))<<<

*roll of thunder/lightening flash/torrential rain crashes from the blackened sky onto the bewildered hikers below {including the silly one perched on the rock with no shoes on}*

We carried on wearily seeking shelter here and there, trudging and squelchin' as we go. Mitzi, the poor dog was saturated, tired (this dog is never tired) and hungry. At this stage we should have been safely making our way down the mountain track heading to the warm and cosy car.... but wait! where is the track? and how the bloomin' hell do we get back down?

* this went on for a little while, slipping and sliding occasionally on our backsides as we debated to go this way or that *

Roll on five hours (yes five more hours) of squelching, snapping, tumbling, shouting, whimpering and sniffing {still sniffin' today} we finally gain access into a forested area where we happen upon {oh joy of joys} a way marked trail bringing us back to Carlingford Town. Roll on another 2 mile trek and we are safe - I've never been so happy to see a car park in my whole life!

{To see more pics from the Mac's bogus adventure - go to the 'Irelands Eye' folder on my flickr photostream} :)