I knew I had been neglectful of the oul’ blog, but honestly, I really didn’t realise that it had been almost 3 months since my last post! I am not even going to try to make up an excuse……..I’ve got nothing apart from the fact that I have felt like I’ve been on holidays for those past 3 months!
Since the start of one of the best summers Ireland has had for quite some time, so much has happened: spending days down in Brittas Bay, minding my sister’s kids, going on a mini-break to my Dad & his partner’s gorgeous home in Castlepollard with my girl, Lou, sitting in the garden & playing a spot of Badminton or Swingball (remember that!!!?).
There have also been some major events over the past few months that I would like to mention because they were pretty special for me:
• “Just Blanaid”…my gorgeous girl, B opened up a photographic studio, Shutterbug (check out www.shutterbug.ie) in her hometown of Kilkenny with her brother, Eoin Hennessy. The place is just incredible but really, there’s no shock there as B has once again outdone herself - dat girl has got her sam sereeyas Interiors skillz Congrats to Both Blanaid & Eoin on their very successful (& quite mad!) launch.
• Dee’s Hens night: this is going to sound odd, but anyway, my beautiful Kiwi darling Dee is married to her Irish sweetheart, Craig for the past 3 years but she never had a hen’s night. So Lou decided it was high time she had a belated one! About 16 of us hit the ludicrously cheap but amazing Sweet Basil Thai restaurant in Rathmines and then (staggered!) on to see the incredible Dublin Glee Choir perform in Tripod. Such a great night
• Neasa’s engagement: my longest-standing bestie of 25years (I know, right!?) Neasa got engaged to her lovely Frenchie, Hubert. She was away at the time and sent me a text which I read in my kitchen among all the girls. My reaction was “Oh My GOD” and silence for about 2 minutes with the girls looking at me asking “What Luc, what is it?”. Eventually, I was able to tell them the good news! I’m really looking forward to a wedding in La France in August 2011 :)
• Sports-wise there was my fourth Flora Women’s mini-marathon (will do a separate post on that!), I’ve taken up Touch rugby, which I love and Ultimate Frisbee, which I also love, even though I still can’t throw the Frisbee properly. It sounds mad but it’s a brilliant game. One of the girls in my hockey club invited me to play in Herbert Park and it’s fo’ fwee!! It’s all for fun, i.e. not competitive, although I somehow manage to be competitive (strange that!) and the people I’ve met through it are all so lovely, really cool, funny & fun to be around. Thanks Anna
• Myself and Lou managed to gate-crash a mini-surfing holiday to Achill Island with the Accenture Surf Club and with thanks to Shane Ahern who suggested we go along! I’ve never been to that part of Ireland and when I left, I just had this feeling that I have to go back there again. I can’t describe it, there’s something magical about it. The smell of the ocean as you drive into Achill just made me giddy and the scenery is utterly stunning. There have some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen and I even managed to catch sunrise on one that looked like that beach Leonardo Di Caprio discovered once in a movie! The sand was like talcum powder on my feet, the sea glistened various shades of turquoise as the rising sun’s rays bounced off the tide, if there’s a heaven, I hope it’s just like that!! (It then proceeded to pelt down rain on us, but it was still gorgeous!)
There were about 80 of us in the group, everyone getting along famously and as it is on any surf trip I’ve been on, the people are just so chilled out, friendly & easy-going, not to mention hilarious. Our tummy muscles hurt from the laughs we had all weekend which totally made up for the non-existent surf!! Thanks to all the guys from turfnsurf in Bundoran for being the excellent, enthusiastic instructors they always are. (check out www.turfnsurf.ie )
So, I haven’t been sitting on my arse doing nothing, I’ve just been rekindling my love for my amazing friends & for life. Genuinely, when I wake up each day, I think I’m the luckiest person alive :)
Luc xx
