I'm off to Florence tomorrow for four days and I'm so excited! I should be asleep right now, resting up for my trip because, guess what? I'm going to Florence tomorrow! Where there will be food and wine and beautiful art and wonderful architecture. (My list of things to see is as long as my arm!)

Excuse me while I double check my carry on luggage

I'm having a shoe dilemma! I fell in love with THREE pairs of shoes today but I only can only really afford to buy one (yeah, yeah, I know, first world problems). So I'm going to show you the brogues in question and you can tell me what you think...? They look so practical and yet still cute, you know ( Read more... )

I'm back!

Paris was lots of fun and warm and sunny. I spent loads of time just wandering through the city and eating and checking out the Louvre! Last time I was in Paris it was late October and much chillier, so this was a very different experience!

I had to giggle as I walked along the Seine. The riverfront is very busy and I kept wondering ( Read more... )

I just checked next week's weather forecast for Rome and, while it will be hotter (approx 23 degrees rather than 14), it seems I'm bringing the cloudy weather and rain with me. Yup, I go to the Mediterranean and I still get drizzled on! I guess I should cancel that picnic along the Appian Way, then, and my sketch pad won't get as much of a work out ( Read more... )

You'll never guess what I did today ( Read more... )

Went to Film Fatale last night, which is a vintage movie night at the Sugar Club, here in Dublin, and it was a mixed success. The first part of the night was great fun. Pretty much everyone made some sort of effort to dress vintage, and not only the women - I've never seen that many snappy suits in one place before! The cocktails were mildly ( Read more... )

In an effort to save money, Dublin City Council have farmed out waste management to a private company (Greyhound) who've made payment of bin charges that more painful by both insisting people pay in advance for bin pick-up and getting rid of the quarterly installment plan for the yearly standing charge, used by pensioners and the like ( Read more... )

To everyone and all, I hope you're all having a wonderful time. Here is 'Fairytale of New York' by The Pogues and the late, great Kirsty MacColl.

Click to view

Flash floods in Dublin. Fun times - and my roof is leaking in my bedroom. Nothing like 6 cm of rainfall to reveal the problems with your roof. Called my Landlord's agent and he wasn't exactly forthcoming about when their roofer was coming out to repair it. I'm tempted to just hire my own and send them the bill ( Read more... )

I hate the The X-Factor. Despise it, in fact. I think it's the most puerile piece of junk ever to be shown on terrestial TV, pipping even Big Brother to the post - and yet I can't seem to get away from it, even when I shut off the telly ( Read more... )