Life Is Fleeting

In all honesty, I felt less than cheerful for much of my Blue Monday birthday. It's estimated to be the most depressing day of the year for a reason; gloomy weather, post Christmas debt levels, dark days, and low motivation- having already abandoned New Year's Resolutions- are all contributing factors. Add the pressure and expectation…

Homestretch

It's been a long week, but the end of isolation is in sight! Our PCR tests just came back negative so most of the family should be able to get back to normal from tomorrow. My daughter, however, is still bedridden from Covid. She doesn't seem to be recovering and continues to have a bad…

Groundhog Day

At this time last year we were in the same situation, isolating because there's Covid in the house. My daughter feels rotten with a throbbing headache, bodily aches, and a sore throat. She can't remember how she felt last winter and is unsure of if it was worse the first time around. She's double vaccinated.…

Comfort Food

I have a confession. I've avoided cooking as much as possible since last summer. We've eaten an insane amount of takeouts. Previously I enjoyed cooking, but for some reason I lost my mojo in the kitchen. One of my New Year's intentions is to start clearing my cupboards, in an effort to avoid waste and…

Clearing the Cobwebs

I've happily stayed indoors all week. It's been raining nearly nonstop. The fire and fairy lights have kept us cozy at home, not to mention all of the food and drink we've been consuming. Our decorations stay up until January 6th, which is traditionally the day when Christmas is over in Ireland. Until then we…

Dream Big

“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” —Goethe. What will you begin this year? Rather than making resolutions, I am setting intentions for 2022. I'd like to experience more joy and less stress this year. For me, that involves creating with my hands. I…

End of Year Reflections

Happy Holidays! I hope you had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. I'm enjoying the change of routine and chance to recharge this week. Why the long absence? It's been six months since my last post. During that time I've invested a lot of energy in volunteer work. My youngest…

Midsummer Update from West Cork

It's hard to believe that this is the last day of June! The summer is flying by after a rocky start. It didn't begin to warm up in Ireland until recently. We had four solid weeks of rain and cold weather; at the beginning of the month we were still lighting fires in the evening.…

May Updates from West Cork

It feels like we're finally turning a corner. Yesterday I was invited to register for the Covid-19 vaccine. The rollout has been slower in Ireland than in the UK or the USA so it was exciting news for me. I can't wait to travel abroad again! It's still unlikely that I'll be able to visit…