When I grew up, Christmas was always a big thing. It felt like that to me, anyway. And I always try to keep it a big thing. I always did anyway, until the kids grew up and stopped believing that I was Father Christmas.
So my daughter came to me and said we should have a competition to see who can draw the best snowman. This was my attempt. I think it is not half bad.
So a merry Christmas to all, and a prosperous new year. May the best of this year pale in comparison with what is to come.
Working from home has it's perks. One of those are that I can walk over to Nariko's school and fetch her. It allows me to get some exercise, and for some reason she is not too keen on walking home on her own.
Next to her school is a green area. I will not call it a park, per se. The school uses it for some PE, but it is also not a curated field, as such.
It sits next to the school, in Quarry Drive, so I will call it Quarry Drive Park, for lack of a better description. Now, while I am waiting for Nariko's school to come out, I usually stand around in this park, because the sun shines down on it nicely, and heats up the old bones.
Spring has sprung (or that is the rumour anyway) and the trees around the park are just starting to leaf up. I was looking at this, and the myriad of dandelions in the grass, and thought it would be fun to try and sketch it. So here, for your viewing displeasure, my pencil sketch of the Quarry Drive Park.
I have loved this building since I first saw it. In my mind, the most beautiful building in Dublin.
The sheer size of it is enough to take your breath away and the way it is lit up at night is spectacular.
The cathedral was build in the early 1000’s and is an absolutely beautiful example of Gothic architecture. I love the intricate towers and spires.
When I worked in Dublin in 2002, we had a function at Dublinia which is housed in a section of the cathedral known as the Synod Hall. That was an experience I will never forget, and I hope to visit the museum one of these days.
I have never been inside the cathedral itself. That is something I hope to change as well shortly.
I am a sucker for Wikipedia when it comes to looking for things… go ahead, give it a try – Christ Church Cathedral
The cathedral’s website is here and you can find Dublinia’s website here
So on St. Stephen’s day the weather let up and we were able to do a quick trip to Bray for the afternoon. I really love Bray beach, and the way the sun came and went it really made some photograph fun.
In the summer months Bray is usually teeming with people, but during the winter months it is more manageable. That said, it was quite busy.
As an added bonus, there were some, almost proper waves. A rare enough site in the Irish sea, and definitely something I miss from South Africa.
The Bray Harbour is home to a Swan Sanctuary. This I never knew. There are 60 muted swans at home here. You can read more about them on their Facebook page
More info on Bray can be found in Wikipedia. There is also a website dedicated to the town at Bray.ie
A couple of things happened this week. Firstly, I dropped the bike. Some idiot in a van coming barrelling around a corner on the wrong sid...
