Yesterday I just wandered round town for a few hours, absorbing the Christmas cheer. "The Moral Maze" at the weekend on Radio 4 had a few pundits philosophising about the Festive Season, some for some against.

How one could be "ag'in the Christmas" is one of life's mysteries, but "Live and Let Live" say I.
It takes all sorts.

I dropped some film off to be developed in one of my favourite camera shops in Wexford Street. This part of Dublin has always been a favourite, with stores that have not changed, in many cases, for decades. It's a street that always has a sense of continuity and I used cycle in to buy vegetables and fruit from the street traders there in leaner times.

A visit to Brown Thomas turned into an adventure. I decided on some imaginary shopping and looked at the designer clothes, imagining what it might be like to afford over 600 euro for a cocktail dress. I have a vivid imagination...
The sales assistant in the Kitchen Shop turned out to be very friendly and allowed me to take photos of his beautiful display. Some day I hope to visit the factory in Italy, where designers are encouraged to find their personal style and develop objects that are both a pleasure to the eye and functional.


The Douglas Hyde Gallery in Trinity has an exhibition that could inspire anybody to take to art. James Castle, whose work is described with vigour in the link here, made beautiful and strong drawings that are beautifully mounted. The space is always a welcoming one and I remember chatting with Dorothy Cross there years ago when she presented a remarkable exhibition with Sharks as the theme.

Then home on the Luas at peak time. I have reminded myself, yet again, to never buy a mobile 'phone. After a short journey I was privy to the professional angst and private social activities of several of my fellow travellers and was perplexed by the obsessive clicking and peering at screens by the most of the rest of the assembly.

Strange days, indeed...