On the eve of Christmas Eve, I stroll up the street where I grew up to catch the bus into town for the first time in more than a decade. The 78 bus is gone now, replaced by the number 40 that crawls through working class suburbs west of the city, over O'Connell Bridge itself … Continue reading down memory lane
dublin
christmas shopping
Monday morning in Dublin during a recession is an ideal time to go Christmas shopping, I think. No crowds, plenty of space, a bargain or two. I park in Drury Street, a friendly Corkman relieving me of my car keys and hiding the hire car in the bowels of his underground car park. St. Stephen's … Continue reading christmas shopping
winter style
Before I headed to Ireland this time, I had sympathetic conversations with quite a few Australians. "It's going to be so cold over there." "Well, yes, it is wintertime." "And wet and rainy." "I would expect so. It's a cool temperate maritime climate, after all." " Ooh maybe you should buy some of those colourful … Continue reading winter style
travelling without moving
Hong Kong to London: the second leg of my epic thirty-hour odyssey to the other side of the world. It is a busy flight, but not full. The Northern Irish girl beside me is flying home because her aunt - forty-five years old like me - had a brain haemorrhage a couple of days ago. … Continue reading travelling without moving
