Dublin Friday onwards

A brisk walk along the beach after a delicious breakfast at the Esplanade. Got to be the best hotel breakfast ever - help yourself to as much as you want of everything - only complaint, no mushrooms. Lovely bread and everything else.
Sean came to collect us and drive us back into Dublin, setting out things to do with Phil and us later. In the evening we went to their flat, so near to the Harcourt - an excellent night eating, drinking and singing- well, largely listening to Phil and Sean playing and singing. What could be better than live music in your own sitting room? Pom is so great and it was good to get to know her a bit more - very involved in setting up her own project, with Sean, I think, doing drama with drug addicts and teenagers, anyway that night there wasn't nearly enough time to sing all the songs we wanted to sing, and the night ended all too quickly. Plans for the Saturday included Phil doing some recording with Sean, and a bus ride around Dublin, meeting up with Sean and our nephew Chan in the evening. The only low spot was when I got moody about how we were going to organise our stay at Dad's when we got back home. That passed quickly as I couldn't maintain a grumpy state for long. Off Phil went to record, and Jake and I went for a walk, and we looked forward to the evening.
First we met Chan in the bar at the Harcourt; a long time since I had sat down to chat to him - he is renovating a house in the middle of nowhere on the road to Sligo - how wild and exciting is that?? he had a photo or two on his phone to show us; Sean arrived and off we went for something to eat. After the promise of a table in about an hour at a Japanese place, we found a table at an Italian restaurant, and after a wonderful meal (and wine) we went to a bar called Anseo, I think it means 'it's here'. Very impressed that Jake could stroll in without the big bouncers challenging him as to his age.
All too soon, it was time to go back to the hotel and try to sleep before our journey back. It was wierdly only just around the corner from Anseo, although it felt like we'd walked all over the place.
A lovely moment in the morning when Phil and I popped out to get a coffee while Jake was asleep and we walked back through St Stephen's Green, very romantic.

Dublin again

Ah, we've just come back from Dublin. I got the classic lurgy just as I started to relax, and felt pretty unwell for two days, but enjoyed myself immensely in spite of it all.
We checked into the Harcourt, oh yes, our home from home in Dublin, on Wednesday night, and as I went to reception to ask for something or other, the phone rang there and it was Sean! we arranged a couple of things for us all to do involving music, eating and drinking and went next door for food. Straight to bed dosed up with paracetamol, and off to Bray the next morning. A lovely ride out on the Dart past Black Rock and Dalkey, great evocative names and landscapes. We reach Bray and the Esplanade Hotel. We look at our rooms, and Jake immediately jealous of the sea view from our room, unfortunately I feel too unwell to enjoy it properly.
Bravely we decide to walk along the cliffs to Greystones. Stunning and precarious in parts. People coming in the opposite direction greet us warmly, some stop to chat. Phil tells me that he and the Cute Hoors used to walk that way after a gig in Bray, musical instruments, alcohol, darkness and all. I'm impressed.
A medicinal brandy later in the hotel bar later and I'm revived enough to force down some dinner. We had a lovely time at the Martello, reasonable, too. I went to bed really early and Phil and Jake stayed up to chat and have another drink in the bar. Felt much better on Friday morning, and ready for all that Dublin was to throw at me.

Sean and Pom's Wedding

well, as I was saying...we were off to Sean and Pom's wedding; I was very excited, Phil was excited and nervous, as he hadn't seen any of the people who would be there, apart from Sean for 10/15 years. The only person I had met was Sean, who came over to our wedding in 1999. Phil knows Sean, as they were in a band called Doctor Millar (Sean) and the Cute Hoors, about 15 yrs or so ago; Phil came to meet Sean through Mark Huggett who was the drummer in Phil's band in Norwich, Red Harvest. Mark shared a flat with Sean...will do anoter post all about Phil's music stuff later....
Anyway, we got the plane from Heathrow; the journey to the airport was so easy, we went by tube and bus to the airport, practically door to door, for six pounds. A very good start. Going through the airport easy, as we had checked in on line, another thing I had never tried before. Disaster struck when the hem of my lovely, new (and not cheap) linen trousers from Jigsaw came down..very annoying as I had to make the journey with my trousers tucked into my socks to stop me tripping over.
Flight easy, too and before we knew it we were in a taxi driving through Dublin; fantastic, we drove down O'Connell Street, which I thought was great; a huge wide street with amazing buildings, including the post office and a couple of grand department store...hoped we'd have time to explore over the weekend!
We got to the hotel, one that Sean and Pom had suggested, the Harcourt Hotel; the people there were so helpful, definetely the most helpful of the three different hotels we stayed at- the receptionist found me a needle and thread straight away, they even had a variety of colours of thread. The minute we got to our room, the phone rang, wow it was Sean!!! He was so excited we had come, he spoke to Phil and then me; so pleased as well that Phil had brought his violin and his voice! A good night's sleep although mattress was too soft and in the morning I woke up with excrutiating pains in my hip, again, the staff were brilliant, they got me a doctor, who came and gave me a powerful jab-felt very rock star having a doctor come to my hotel room to inject me with drugs....
Then....off to the wedding; more lovely streets to admire on the way to the registry office. The wedding was lovely, Pom was beautiful, in a short, beautifully cut white dress, with daisies on- she had daisies in her hair, too. One of Sean's brothers sang, lots of chatting afterwards, and then we got a lift to the reception out in Bray. Bray was lovely and the reception was at the Esplanade hotel right opposite the sea- we had a really special afternoon and evening; a delicious meal sitting in groups of six- we sat with Robert who had been the Cute Hoors manager back in the day and now runs a project called Blastbeat which is a really positive enterprise involving young people in managing and promoting their own bands. Two otthers we got chatting to were Shane and Colette...very lovely they were too.
Out of the corner of my ear I could here people on nearby tables saying 'Phil's here, Phil's here' to each other...after the dinner it was so exciting, so many people so pleased to see Phil and that he'd brought the fiddle too. It was a massive reunion for all on this special day and I was so excited to be there. Loads of people were on a list to play a song or two, Phil played with most of them, and sang a bit, and towards the end of the night, well, before the disco, Jake got up and sang his interpretation of Whiskey in the Jar vaguely based on the Metallica version with Phil and other musicians backing him. I talked to so many lovely women, Sean's sisters and friendss' partners while Phil was doing his music, and really can't wait to take up the many invitations to visit/stay with people when we visit Ireland again.
Excellent breakfast the next morning and a relaxed chat with Sean; we got the Dart back to Dublin, and had loads of time to explore on the Sturday- a very interesting open top bus ride to the Guiness brewery/museum, powerful views, then a walk around some of Phil's old haunts later in the evening, having many chances to admire the bridges at intervals across the Liffey.
Sadly the next day, we had to return to London- it was one of the most refreshing breaks I've ever had; refreshing and exciting all in one. I can't wait to go again.