Dublin on a Saturday

An early wander round Grafton Street yesterday was so pleasant I must go into town more often from now on.

The Spring sunshine has stayed with us all week and I was inspired, almost compelled, to buy a new orange filter in Conn's Cameras, just to try out some new toning tricks.

Paddy's Day Comes Round Again

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all visitors here.
Dublin is aglow after a fine misty day yesterday. Everything is now sparkling in the sunlight.

Jung and Easily Freudened

Visitors to Dublin spend a lot of time wandering round in the footsteps of Leopold Bloom. I have a fondness for the haunts of the young Stephen Daedelus, as they include some of the best sea views in the country.

Howth I tend to skip... too far out of town and with an over-windy climate, as the sea is almost all around. Useless if one wants to grow good happy fruit trees. ?

Despite the continuing international obsessions with James Joyce as a touchstone for our dirty 'auld city, I find his work self serving and old fashioned in the extreme. Did he ever really manage to rise above his writing, as the youthful hero of the "Portrait" would have wished?

Joyce was hailed as a European rather than an Irish writer by early critics and pundits. Does it really matter now that national identity is on the wane, if not actually obsolete?

Luasing Up

The Luas Line, the Dublin light rail system has many well designed stops along the way.

Graffiti Blues

Graffiti in Dublin lacks the charm and energy of that found in Melbourne, I think.

This is a welcome exception.

Blurry Dublin

Seen through the glass of the ferry window, Dublin can seem mysterious and very old fashioned.

Setting It to Music

Finnegan's Wake is still to be found on the walls of Dublin.

Le Jeu Continue

Never let it be said that Dubliners are not optimists.

Balloons everywhere on Harcourt the other day...

My Home Town

Dublin has been home since the mid-1970's. It's a city that draws people from all over Ireland. Some stay for just a few years to work and establish themselves in a profession. Many find urban life easy-going and lively at the same time and stay forever.
There is much written about the urbanisation of the Planet at the moment. Living in the country is not as easy as it used to be as transport systems have been cut back and rural isolation has been studied by sociologists.

However the city is not immune when it comes to cutting back on resources. For the next year IMMA, the museum of modern art, will be mostly closed for renovation.
We have taken to haunting the National Gallery and the Hugh Lane for the time being...

No Time to Spare

Writing has gone far down the list this week.

Root canal treatment, shopping for Christmas gifts, doing some much needed Winter Cleaning... chores certainly take up time and energy, but are worth the effort in the long run.

The rain and wind fall and bloweth as is often the case in an Irish Winter, but good humour is sutained through much friendly banter with friends.

I have even started using the telephone again from time to time.  
Since everybody has gone to ground with work and December duties, it's nice to chat, even if one doesn't have time to meet up.

A Bit at Sea

As an organism that finds it difficult to function at a temperature below 25 degrees celsius, or so, this past Summer has sent me into a temporary unseasonal hibernation. It seemed useless to comment on world affairs, the death of the chat room, the sheer morbidity of much contemporary journalism and fiction or the fact that television is not worth the licence fee... or for that matter, buying a television with which to torment oneself. Keeping warm became a priority.

The fruit harvest is exceptional, thanks to dryness during the pollination season I suppose.

However, here's to some basic brain functionality returning, if September should manage to produce a few balmy days. Most photography has been indoors or from the snugness of the car.

Blue with the cold is well expressed by this drive-by shot of Dublin at dusk.

Dublin Days

At last we are settled back into a relaxed domestic rhythm.
All the travel of the past six months have been carefully put in place, photos organised and enjoyed and we are free to spend days wandering in our own little city, admiring the art and the lively people on the street.

When in Paris a few years ago, I noticed how I always seem to run rather than walk. Even the Parisiens were less agile and fast, it seemed. This may be caused by the fact that it is often on the verge of raining here and speed helps to keep ahead.

It rained yesterday for a while but last week was very sunny indeed.

Even then there was a sense of people being on the move, especially in Grafton Street.

The Buttercup Season

...is in May.

This wildflower meadow is just on the edge of Dublin city.

The Garden Keeps Beckoning...

There is always a sense of optimism at Easter.
This year is spectacular, flowers everywhere and the first roses of the season, Hansa, is covered in blooms.

Here's wishing everybody who visits here a very peaceful week.

Having a Constructive Moment

Easter in Dublin

Easter time, if it comes late, is always filled with sunshine and flowers in Dublin. Somehow the city shines.

Often called "Dirty Dublin" (many claim that this is a reference to the black stone with which many of the city walls are built) it still manages to be a city that I like more than Paris, as time goes on.
Somehow the overwhelming architecture of Paris and the now highly unpleasant Metro have ensured that I seek out a more intimate city experience. Melbourne looks like a large town in comparison. Rome has not been overtaken by wild excesses like Mitterand's fantasy, a tower that reaches up beyond the clouds. London, although rugged and demanding on the sightseer has the Thames and I think that another trip to Kew by boat might be an idea.

But best of all is Dublin, my home town...

Why Can't We Have Skyscrapers in Ireland?

I miss the Melbourne skyline.

Any attempt to reach for the stars in Dublin has been subject to planning limits.

Why?

Malahide Castle, the Talbot Botanic Gardens

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Irish Bloggers Unite

"Writing in a Twist" has been nominated
for the
Irish Blog Awards, 2009.

Many thanks to all who made this possible.






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Dreaming of Forest Trees