Kitty Catch Butterfly

Climbing Snowdon!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Mon, 11 May 2015 19:21:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I did something I'm really proud of...
I climbed Snowdon!!!

I went with a bunch of friends from work on a Friday evening. We stayed at Totters Hostel for the weekend, which, despite the name, is a lovely place to stay!

On the Saturday morning, it was up early, get breakfast, make lunch, gather up the troops and off we go! The weather was awful all day, as can be seen in the photos below, and we were nearly soaked through before we even stepped onto the trail, but we persevered! I won't lie, it was tough, really tough. There were apparently 80 mph winds at the summit and we were cold and wet. It only makes me prouder that each one of us got to the summit, if only for a fleeting glimpse of the clouds before descending.

Well done us!!

Before leaving Wales on the Sunday, we visited Caernafron Castle and frolicked about in its turrets and towers. It's an amazing site and so well preserved! I was really impressed with it.

So that's my second visit to Wales in pretty much a year, and so far I love the place!

xx

A trip to Malta

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 19:27:00 +0000

Paul and I spent five fabulous days in Valletta in March. We walked down the city's super interesting streets, chilled out in various restaurants and cafes and, best of all, attended our friends' wonderful wedding!!
It really was incredible.

I'm gonna let the photos speak for themselves for this post.
Enjoy!
x

Meet Smudge

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sun, 22 Mar 2015 19:33:00 +0000

I adopted a cat in January. Her name is Smudge, she's nine years old and she's an absolute beauty!

I visited the Cambridge Blue Cross in the first week of the year after spending a few months trawling their website looking for the perfect companion. I didn't have much luck on the website, though there were of course some lovely cats featured. As I currently live in a small house without suitable outdoor space or a cat flap, I knew that I could only adopt an indoor cat, which seriously limited my choice. So anyway, that Saturday, I popped into the shelter, hoping but not too confident that I'd find 'the one'.

Well, guess how happy I was to meet Smudge! She had only been in there a week, looked gorgeous in her pure white coat and was very happy to be indoors. She was moody and aloof when I visited her, but I was still besotted. After a few treats, she deigned to come out of hiding and quickly say hi. And that was that! Forms were filled out, arrangements were made, a large amount of cat equipment (house, litter box, scratching post, food, toys, etc.) was bought and a week later, there was a cat in my house!

I've never introduced a cat to a new home before and was quite anxious about it, especially considering that my house is mostly open plan so I couldn't welcome her one room at a time. However, I had absolutely nothing to worry about with Smudge! While I expected her to be shy and stay in her carrier for a few hours, she was out and exploring the house the minute I opened the door. She was upstairs within a half hour, and settled herself on my laundry box for the rest of the afternoon.

And so it's been since January 17th. She was timid of my first few visitors, but now takes every new person in her stride and sits on their lap at her first opportunity. As long as they'll pet her... but only where and when she wants. She steals treats out of her toy box the minute I'm not looking. She chases her laser toy with a passion. And she's even venturing outside occasionally, but only around my small garden. She's quick to run inside at the smallest sound though!

She makes me so happy! She cuddles up to me every evening and at night. She sits on me in the morning, waiting (somewhat) patiently for me to wake up and feed her. I've never met a cat with such a personality, and am loving learning about her and how to make her happy.

Welcome to the family, Smudge, and to this fun new adventure!

Harry Potter Studios

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 17:19:00 +0000

Laura and I went to the Warner Bros. Studios at the start of this year and it was amazing! I had prepared by watching all of the films before and after Christmas (and the last three in one night) and was so excited to see the different sets, props and costumes from the movies.

At thirty three pounds a ticket, I was worried that it wouldn't be worth it, but we spent five hours walking around the Studios and never got bored! Even the food, though still a little pricey, was pretty good, and the butterbeer, though not what I expected, was interesting.

The tour was well laid out, with a first grand entrance into the Great Hall and a final walk around the incredible scale model of Hogwarts and the stacks of wand boxes with each cast and crew member's name. We learnt about the different animals used in the films, the secrets behind flying on brooms, and the effort that went into making every magical creature, to name a few insights into the making of the movies. And we got to visit Diagon Alley!!

I was so inspired during the whole tour and couldn't wait to start re-reading the books once I got home! I decided to listen to the audiobooks instead and am so pleased I did! Stephen Fry does an amazing job of reading them!

So if you're thinking of a trip to the Studios but are unsure if it will be worth the price, believe me; it will be.

I'll even go again, if I get the chance! I hear the Hogwarts Express is coming this year...

Christmas 2014!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sat, 28 Feb 2015 18:57:00 +0000

I'm sure by now no one really wants to view Christmas photos, but it's becoming a tradition that I post them super late and I can't break with tradition, can I!? The whole Christmas season was lovely, of course! As I was living in my own (rented and lovely) home and feeling very much like an adult, I treated myself to a real Christmas tree. It was a small tree but made me so happy over December!

I had two work events in the run up to Christmas, a party and a lunch. Both were fabulous! The theme for the party was 'A night at the movies' but I had voted for 'Around the world in 80 days'... so I stuck to my guns and went as Phileas Fogg! I was so happy with how all my time spent paper mache-ing and basket cutting went. We all had so much fun at the party; I already can't wait for the next one! The lunch was held in Churchill College and was so impressive! Rows and rows of tables were set with free flowing wine, games and crackers, and the food was so good.

I flew home a few days before Christmas Day and spent most of my time relaxing and hanging out with my family. Unfortunately, I somehow managed to delete all of my photos from Christmas Day, so don't have anything to show!! But I did take a few photos at Donadea Forest.

Then came Ódhran's birthday! The lucky guy got a cake shaped like a car, but couldn't figure it out and kept on trying to drive it with his hand! It was tasty. He got lots of fun presents and had so much fun playing with them.

And of course, we went to Tullamore to meet my Mum's family. Seeing everyone was lovely! My uncle had arranged a treasure hunt on the second day and our team very nearly won! Our annual trip to Tullamore is always so fun and more so this year, because I wasn't writing my thesis!

After Tullamore, I met Paul in Galway, where we had pints at our favourite pubs and met some friends. Then to Dublin, where we spent New Year's Eve with Paul's friends, who cooked up a feast for us! Finally, we went to London and Paul got treated to the Book of Mormon as my Christmas present to him! It was so good! I was worried that it would be too much like South Park but, though there were scenes that were fairly crude, it was great and so funny.

And there you have it! A rather hasty re-cap of my Christmas! Maybe next year, I'll write my Christmas post sooner after Christmas...

xx

My November

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 16:58:00 +0000

My November was fun! It was quiet enough but filled with friends and family, which is always nice.

First up was Bonfire Night and it was magical! I've seen fireworks before, plenty of times, but this spectacle was really special. I put together a small video from the night too and I'm fairly pleased with it!

Later in the month, I went home for a whole six days!! It was wonderful. I visited my parents in Naas for two days and then Paul and I frolicked about in Dublin for the weekend! We visited the Irish Museum of Modern Art; the museum is set on a lovely site, with beautiful gardens and impressive buildings, but being honest, modern art isn't my thing, so...

One of the highlights of the weekend was dinner at Rustic Stone, courtesy of Paul's parents. I took a few too many photos of the food, but it was so good, it needed to be documented! We had steaks which we cooked ourselves on hot stones, truffle chips, a knickerbocker glory and a few other dishes!

On the Monday before I left, I hung out with Ódhran while Aoife was working and then in the evening, Paul came over and the four of us had dinner and chats. As always, spending time with Aoife and Ódhran was really nice! And seeing Paul and Ódhran get on so well together made me smile so much!

I made two trips at the end of November, one to Bury St. Edmunds for their annual Christmas market and another to the Natural History Museum for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition. Both were great days out, of course!

And finally, after nearly a year, I finished crocheting a blanket that's been bugging me for a long time! Bunches of granny squares were constantly sitting on my kitchen table, staring at and judging me. So I put an end to it with a final push and stitched them all together, yay! I'm quite happy with it, except that it's long and not wide... I put that down to laziness really, and reluctance to make more granny squares!

xx

Morocco // Riads

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 18:07:00 +0000

Morocco is known for its riads - big houses with rooms overlooking a central courtyard or garden. And they are amazing! Forget hotels, hostels, etc... If you make it all the way to Morocco, stay in a riad! Amidst the craziness of the city, you'll be glad for a bit of peace and quiet, and of course, luxury. Once you enter your riad, you can hardly hear the noisy streets and if they're all like the ones we stayed in, you'll have your fill of mint tea and almond biscuits!

For the first two nights, we stayed at Riad Sidi Ayoub, a really authentic and rustic refuge from the city. The place was so well laid out and decorated. Each area had its own atmosphere and style and its obvious that the owners have paid attention to every detail! The rooftop views were incredible. I got to watch the sunset on my first evening there; it was so pretty! And our bedroom was so much bigger that we expected. The bathroom was designed in the Moroccan style and the bed was so comfy and big!

The breakfasts at the riad were interesting but a bit basic; although the pancakes were really tasty! We were served freshly squeezed orange juice every morning too, which was such a treat! We had dinner at the riad one night. Calling it a dinner is a bit unfair though, it was more like a feast! The starter was a kind of chopped salad full of the freshest ingredients - beetroot, tomato, aunergine and so much more. For our main dishes, we had two tagines that were cooked to perfection. Mine was apricot, date and lamb, and those three ingredients resulted in the most delicious tagine I've ever had!

Our second riad was Riad Dar Silsila, a more modern hotel-like riad, which was kitted out to the highest degree. This riad was fairly huge, with a large courtyard and swimming pool in front and a smaller one in the back. I liked that it had so many different places to sit, read and relax, where we wouldn't be disturbed by the other guests. We were much closer to the city at this riad and the view of the Koutoubia Mosque was really lovely! The room was small enough but it still had everything we needed during our stay.

We spent a lot of time at this riad, reading in the sun, swimming in the pool and just relaxing. It really was luxurious! The breakfasts were lovely too, with freshly squeezed orange juice, pain au chocolat and delicious homemade yogurt, which went really well with honey!

I hope you've all enjoyed reading about our Moroccan holiday. It really was amazing!

Riad Sidi Ayoub

Riad Dar Silsila

Morocco // The Sahara

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 15:00:00 +0000

The main event during the Camel Trekking trip was a visit to Erg Chebbi in the Sahara desert.

The Sahara desert!!

First, we had to kit ourselves out with the appropriate headwear, which Ibrahim kindly fixed up for us all. Afterwards we met our camels. Yes, we spent over an hour getting to our camp on the backs of a few camels. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be! We also travelled through a sandstorm on the way to the camp, which was awesome! This was where the scarves came in handy. Otherwise, we would have ended up with sand in our hair, ears, eyes... everywhere! As it was, I was finding sand in my suitcase until our last day. But it was a really epic thing to do, ride camels in a sandstorm; we felt hardcore.

Once we arrived at the camp, we explored the huge sand dunes, revelled in the romance of a desert adventure and then tucked into giant tagines! After dinner, a fire was lit and we sat around it chatting and listening to our guides playing the drums. Soon enough though, the reality of a six am start came to us, so we were grateful to see that our amazing guides had set up camp beds piled with blankets out under the stars! Well, the moon really... It was full and lit our camp up as well as any light!

Sleeping under the moon in the middle of the Sahara is something I'll never forget. It was unlike anything I've ever done before and was such a special thing to share with my future husband.

The next morning, we were back on our camels and riding out as the moon set and the sun rose. We stopped at the perfect vantage point for watching the sun rise over the dunes and paint everything that orange that will always remind me of Morocco.

Morocco // Between Marrakesh and the Sahara

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 20:41:00 +0000

Two days into our Morocco trip, we hopped into a four-wheel drive and went off to the desert, via some really incredible sights! We went with Camel Trekking and Ibrahim was our guide. He was awesome! He knew so much about everywhere we visited and really took care of us on our trip. And the three days we were away were so reasonably priced with almost everything included. I'll be recommending them to anyone looking to visit this part of Morocco!

The highlights of the trip to the desert were the Dades and Todra Gorges. We stayed in a hotel right in the middle of the Dades Gorge. It was amazing to wake up and look out the window at a wall of pink rock slowly turning orange as the sun rose. The walls of the Todra Gorge had turned bright orange by the time we walked through it and were unbelievably high, just incredible!

And the desert, oh, the desert! The Sahara!! We were in the Sahara! It was the best experience of my life and really deserves its own blog post. Coming soon!

xx

Morocco // Marrakesh

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 22:41:00 +0000

OMG, Morocco was amazing!! The best holiday we've ever been on! It's such a different world from what I'm used to. However... when Paul and I visit a city, we generally walk around the streets and instantly dream about our move to the city... Marrakesh is not one of those places. It's an incredibly interesting place, full of fascinating people, but it's also so busy and frantic. Hassle never ends in Marrakesh and every turn around a corner brings one to another bustling scene.

For instance, when I arrived in a taxi from the airport (Paul and I travelled separately, from Dublin and London), the main streets were empty. But then the little square near our riad was full of people crowded around a fire pit. Animal skins were piled to one side, horns to the other. I had arrived in the middle of Eid al-Adha, one of the biggest Islamic holidays. It was fascinating but also such a culture shock! Looking over the city from our riad's roof, the main thing I noticed was the smoke from the many animal sacrifices that took place that day. Captivating.

When Paul arrived, we walked to the Jemaa el-Fnaa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where people gather, dance, put on shows, tell stories and play games. (During the day, there are snake charmers, which I'm less impressed with.) That evening, we had dinner at a stall in the square because no restaurants were open. It was... an experience. The food was really tasty, especially this great chili and lime sauce! But as was expected, the cutlery came out dirty and we got absolutely fleeced for the price. We were new, timid and tired and I didn't think to argue that the meal was 230 dirham (about 23 euro) when everything on the menu was 5 to 10 dirham and we certainly didn't get 23 different dishes. And then he put a 70 dirham tip on it!! That was one of the most expensive meals of our trip and we didn't even have a table to ourselves.

After a few days though, I'm ashamed to say that we were done with tagines and couscous dishes. We had some amazing ones, sure! But near the end of the week, all we wanted was pizza and burgers. We found a restaurant on the way to the Ville Nouvelle and got burgers and chips, which were just delicious! On his last day (I had left that morning), Paul went back there for lunch and they recognised him, which was really unexpected. Moroccan people are so friendly!

Another example of their friendliness is the evening we bought two cups of this amazing spicy tea on the square and had a chat with the shopkeeper about this and that. We went back the next evening and were charged double the price for only one cup of tea! We were really confused but didn't say anything. Then the same man from the night before came out and gave us most of our money back because he recognised us! Paul bought a giant bag of mint with it and he is loving the mint tea he's making at home.

And the souks! Pretty much all we did while we were in Marrakesh was get lost in the souks, over and over, until we started recognising shops and squares and people. They're the most compelling aspect of the city! I pride myself on being a pro at haggling and Paul's a natural at it, so we really enjoyed every transaction made! I bargained hard for an awesome leather bag and got it down from 400 to 250 dirham (about 25 euro). At the end of the haggle, the shopkeeper asked me was I happy, which I was, and he seemed so pleased that I had enjoyed it!

The only (and I mean only) attraction we visited in Marrakesh was the Jardin Majorelle. It was a nice, peaceful space to visit, full of pretty flowers, succulents, palm trees and bamboo. We really appreciated the quiet break from the city.

These are just a few of the stories we have from Marrakesh and below are just a few of the photos I took but I hope you like them! And if you ever get a chance, do visit this amazing city!

I'll be back soon with details from the absolute highlight from our holiday - a trip to the Sahara desert!

Currently

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 21:18:00 +0000

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(I can't get this picture centre-aligned, it's so frustrating!)

Making me happy: Our recent trip to Morocco! It was, without a doubt, one of the best experiences of my life. We wandered the souks of Marrakesh, surrounded by the friendliest people on earth, and when it got too much we chilled out in some amazing riads, while being treated to freshly squeezed orange juice and refreshing mint tea. But the highlight of the week was a camel ride into the Sahara desert, where we spent the night sleeping outside by the light of the moon. Just. Wow. There will be a few posts later in the month about the trip... Probably three or four, 'cause I took a ridiculous amount of photos and have so much to share!

Looking forward to: Christmas! I know, it's only the middle of October. In my defence, though, my choir have started preparing our Christmas songs and for me, Christmas means being at home for nearly two weeks with my family and friends! And it's such a magical time... You can almost feel it in the air and see it on people's happy faces near the end of the year!

Reading: Nothing right now... Weird. But that's not exactly true. I picked up two magazines on my way to Morocco, a wedding magazine which I devoured, and Lonely Planet Traveller which I only started reading when I came home on Sunday. As a result, I'm just back from one holiday and am already itching to visit new places! I also have Scott of the Antarctic (in hardback!) on my desk waiting patiently to be picked up. I'm a big fan of all things polar. AND I just finished Little Women and loved it! I did feel it was a bit preachy, but the idyllic setting and family life just captivated me.

Watching: I don't even know why I put this category in, considering I don't own a TV or watch any shows consistently. I am watching YouTube though! There are a bunch of personal vlogs, educational vlogs and web series that I watch every evening. It makes for a nice amount of downtime after work.

Listening to: (Don't judge me.) So at the start of this year, I reread the Twilight series and was a lot less impressed than during my first read through. I must have grown up. Huh. Anyway, a few months ago I watched the movies again and I... I quite liked them. What really grabbed me were the music and score for each movie. So I collected all the soundtracks and scores and have been listening to them non-stop since! My favourite song is A Nova Vida; it's just so happy and hopeful!

Eating: This is a strange one but I had to share that I just made a cup of hot chocolate with a spoon of coconut oil added in and it was incredible! Seriously, try it.

Loving: My far away fiancè, dreaming of my perfect wedding, new friends, my cosy home, the health food shop right around the corner, my job, cycling every day, being content and carefree...

Hope you're all having a lovely week!

Inspired by Danielle.

Open Cambridge, Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 15:00:00 +0000

More from the Open Cambridge weekend.
I can't wait for next year!

Open Cambridge, Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 19:00:00 +0000

The Open Cambridge weekend was just a few weeks ago and I was running around the city to see everything! I saw so much, in fact, that I had to split my photos into two posts full of incredible places around Cambridge!

Brighton again!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sun, 28 Sep 2014 14:19:00 +0000

I went to Brighton at the end of August to spend some time with my sisters on what turned out to be quite a girly weekend! One of the many highlights of the weekend was a trip to a dress shop, in which I tried on my first few wedding dresses!! It. Was. Awesome. I'm sure I'll be doing that a lot more.

We also had coffee and cake, strolled through the Lanes, had down time at Emer's house, went to playgrounds, had Sunday roasts...
I had such a great weekend!

London again!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 19:26:00 +0000

Another trip to London!

Laura and I spent the day doing some very touristy things, at my request. We cycled through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park and meandered around some very popular London sights!

Although, Buckingham Palace was such a disappointment!

Look at that big hunk of grey...

Later, we went to the Barbican theatre for a show with Neil Gaiman and the FourPlay String Quartet! Along with some solo readings and musical pieces, they performed The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains. It was incredible!

I love Neil Gaiman and am slowly working through all of his books, but he keeps adding new ones! If you haven't checked him out before, do it now! Also, now I have a new string quartet to listen to while editing at work, yay!

The next day, we wandered around Hampstead Heath. We had pretty perfect weather for it! I thought we were crazy to go so far out of the city to sit in a park, but this place is so nice. It's more rugged than any of the city centre parks and feels like the sort of place you could easily get lost in!

And just this weekend, I was in London again for the Open House weekend! I was volunteering at the RSC's home at Burlington House, showing people where to go in this spectacular place and giving information. It was tiring but also really enjoyable! And I loved being able to visit Burlington House again.

Visit from friends!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:22:00 +0000

I've had a few friends visit me since moving to Cambridge, which has been so nice! I've shown them around the city, in and out of the colleges, up and down the church towers...

This place is amazing!

Laura and I saw a performance of Othello in the Trinity College Gardens during the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival in August. It was such an experience!

A trip to Wexford!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 18:30:00 +0000

Both of my parents turned 60 this year, which seemed like a reason to celebrate. So we took the family down to Wexford for a long weekend in August and had an absolutely lovely time!

We visited Wells House and Gardens, an amazing 300 year old Victorian era house, which is still in use! We toured a few rooms downstairs in the house and they were so well preserved. I was impressed!

There was a pet farm on site, where we got a chance to bottle feed some baby goats. And by we, I mean Laoisha. She didn't quite know what to think of it...

but she loved the gerbil that she got to hold!

And I adored the raccoons... Look how cute they are!

Odhran was in awe of this giant pig...

and a bunch of baby goats!

The house we were staying in had a pool table, so Paul taught Laoisha a few basics and Odhran put the balls in the pockets a million times.

We also visited the Dunbrody Famine Ship.

My family are so sweet!

Visit from the parents!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 17:43:00 +0000

Mum and Dad visited me in Cambridge back in... May, I think it was! My uncle Gorry also came up from London and as always, the weather was lovely!

The main highlight of our trip was our first punting experience. Punting is the best way to see the different colleges of Cambridge and it's so relaxing! You just sit in a boat and get pushed along...

Dad and I walked to Grantchester through a very pretty meadow...

And we saw a pheasant!

Mum and Gorry met us in the village for Sunday lunch and a few sunny day pints in the Red Lion. It was super tasty!

It was so nice having them down and spending a long weekend together. And I love that I live in a place interesting and close enough for people to visit me!

Hiking in the Mourne Mountains

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:42:00 +0000

The week after my graduation, I went back to Ireland for a hiking trip up North with my Mum's family. I flew with CityJet from Cambridge Airport and it was so relaxing! I left work in a taxi an hour and a half before the flight and was at the tiny airport's only departure gate about twenty minutes later. The whole experience was amazing! Comfy chairs in the departure lounge, a snack on board the super interesting Fokker 50, smiling staff! The last time I flew home, I even cycled to the airport!

During our trip, we rented two small cottages and a big house at the Rostrevor Holidays. The site was small so walking between the houses wasn't an issue and having the big house so well stocked meant that we could enjoy our dinners, drinks and downtime comfortably!

As for the hiking, we went to the Mourne Mountains and trekked up Slieve Donard. That link is not the exact route we followed but it's close enough. In numbers, we walked a total of 16 miles, up 853 metres, for (roughly) six hours and it took three days for my legs to recover. Honestly, I was hobbling like an old lady the day after! But it was beautiful and challenging and so worth it.

Looking down once we had reached the top, I was exhilarated that I actually did it!!

Big Exciting News!!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 20:12:00 +0000

We're engaged!!

And we're so happy! After a few *cough* failed attempts, Paul finally got tired of my ruining everything and proposed to me one evening while we were chilling out at his place. I was stunned! We had been talking about marriage and our lives together quite a bit, but I thought an engagement was at least a year off. Once I came around to myself and said yes(!), out came a bottle of champagne, two glasses and a box of macarons to enjoy. What an evening!

The next day we hopped on the train in the centre of Dublin and travelled out to the seaside with a few stops along the way. The sun was shining and we were loved up and carefree!

The ring is from about the 1940's, with an emerald and two diamonds. It's the exact opposite of what I imagined I'd fall for but it was literally love at first sight! Even now, when I catch a glimpse of my ring finger, I swoon.

Another very exciting thing that happened during this altogether exciting summer (and year) is my graduation! I have a doctorate now. I am not a student. I don't know which of those statements I love more!

It was a really nice day, filled with friends, family and good food and beer!

When we were getting the official photos taken, Paul and I were laughing at the height difference between us and the photographer whispered to me in all seriousness... "Would you like an extra inch?" It was pretty hilarious! (We said no.)

The next day, Paul and I got up early, had breakfast in McCambridge's and then strolled out to Salthill.

And I realised that I still love Galway! I was so eager and happy to get out of there in January. But that walk along the sea brought all the good stuff back! I miss the beach.

We spent the weekend after my graduation in Dublin and went for a walk out by the docks to Ringsend one evening. The weather was lovely, we were exploring a new area and we found some lovely curiosities like these herb boxes!

Pints are always gonna happen when Paul and I go for an evening stroll... This pub was so lovely!

Later in the weekend, we sat out in Iveagh Gardens and ate ice creams in the sun.

Two weeks ago, Paul visited Cambridge for a long weekend. We didn't do anything in particular, just spent time together.

It's all been so special!
I'm so lucky.

John and Máire's lovely wedding!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 11:43:00 +0000

In typical fashion, this is a very late post; the wedding was in April!! But I still wanted to share these photos as it was such a wonderful wedding. John and Máire are awesome and we all had a lovely day!!

Cambridge Botanic Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 18:16:00 +0000

I went to the Cambridge botanic gardens over the Easter weekend.*

They're lovely!

*I'm so late in posting this, it's terrible! Obviously, I'm taking my time in getting back into the swing of this blogging thing.

Birthday fun in Brighton!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 19:24:00 +0000

We all went to Brighton for Laoisha's birthday in April. She turned twelve! She's nearly a teenager!! It was a really fun weekend, as always! The weather was lovely and we enjoyed good company, great food and a million doughnuts!

My family is all kinds of incredible!

A few trips to London!

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 20:52:00 +0000

Cambridge is just over an hour away from London by train. It's fabulous! I try to take advantage at least once a month and do something touristy.

I was at the Natural History Museum for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition awhile ago. The photos were really incredible and the setting was... Well, look for yourselves!

Nice, huh?
Also, look! A dinosaur.

On a separate day, I went to Burlington House for some training for work. It was fancy! Burlington House is home to a number of learned societies, including the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The RSC offices are so nice and filled with some interesting books and chemistry related artwork. It was such a treat to be there!

After learning about the inner workings of the RSC, I met Paul (who had just flown in from Dublin) and we took the train to the Camden Market. Wow! It was so fun and different.

I also picked up some macarons from Ladurée... It's becoming a bit of a thing now. They're just so delicious!

And then a romantic stroll along the Southbank, where we got a great view of Big Ben, passed by the Globe and saw Tower Bridge...

There's a lot to London!*

*And I'm so lucky!

The Big Emigration

noreply@blogger.com (Fiona Rita) — Mon, 12 May 2014 22:12:00 +0000

Moving to England has been fairly simple: I didn't need a visa, getting myself set up with a bank account, etc, was simple and there hasn't been any culture shock... Well, I got a bit of a shock last week when I realised the Brits don't know the meaning of the term 'giving out' but that's a minor issue.*

I'm very lucky: I've only moved across one small sea; I work in the friendliest place possible; I have friends and family in other cities here; and I get to go home regularly. Not to mention the fact that everyone wants to visit Cambridge!

Before the move, I spent some relaxed time in Galway, visited Paul's parents in Mayo and then my sister in Dublin.

I went for a farewell walk to Salthill with lovely friends.

Paul and I enjoyed a night in O'Connor's, the most Irish pub in Galway!**

We strolled around Westport House...

I walked my nephew through Phoenix Park and he didn't fall asleep like he was supposed to.

I visited the Book of Kells and the Old Library at Trinity, which was amazing!

And then, at eight am the next Saturday morning, we left Ireland. This was our view on the way into Holyhead on the ferry.

To get the ferry at eight am, we had to leave home at about six thirty am... After a not-so-heavy-but-still-late night out... Yeah. Clever. Once we got to our lunch stop, I was exhausted. It wasn't pleasant.

We were in Portmeirion and I couldn't drive any farther, so... Well, this is Castell Deudraeth and our suite was the one on the right!

Despite the initial awfulness, it turned out to be a really lovely day, exploring this bizarre fake Mediterranean village in the heart of Wales and having a mini holiday.

The next day, we drove on to Cambridge via Snowdonia National Park and a host of lovely mountains. It was lovely!

*It means telling off.

**Probably not the most Irish pub in Galway.