June Roundup

This is the warmest, sunniest summer I have ever experienced in Dublin, and having a large green space behind our apartment made it easy to take my books outside, to sit in the sun with a coconut LaCroix. I regret writing that last detail - probably for obvious reasons - 

A fig leaf ganache topped eclair from Sceal Bakery. Doesn't hold a candle to Tesco..

But after reading Buy Yourself the Fucking Lillies (by Tara Schuster) I had the guts to pull the trigger on a €26 (!!!!!!! that is 38 Canadian Dollars) case of 12 cans, convincing myself that it's a healthier option to diet sodas and a small joy I deserve to have. So, coconut LaCroix will likely make an appearance in every blog post for the next few months, because I'm making the most of it (and this summer) BaBy.  Anyway, it's been a nice summer so far.

Clontarf

In terms of goals and achievements, this month was a flop. I just didn't get around to working on as many things because I spent a lot of days outside or drowning my anxiety watching Netflix shows. You win some, you lose some. However, for my...

Something Creative: 

I finished putting together the small bits of fireplace mantle decor I wanted:

I really love the colours of the poster. I think they will blend in with fall and winter themes, so I won't have to change it, which is great because this is the most annoyingly complicated canvas I have ever had the pleasure of swearing at, from the entire Ikea collection.

My other goal for June was to finish my Tim Horton's painting (wait for it lol) but so far, it is SO ugly, I've had to take some time to grieve it, so I'll have it done by the end of July. I'll take a photo before I bury it at sea. 

Something New: 

We went to Belfast! It's not really a new location, but being able to travel in a pandemic is something new for us, anyway. It was so nice to go on a trip, no matter how short a train ride. I pretended to have a full itinerary for us, but really, it was about going to Tim Horton's. 

Zoom in on all the empty trays. This was the fullest it was all weekend :-(

What's really funny about the Tim Horton's here (well, in the UK), is how elegant everyone is about the whole thing. If you know Tim's (or Timmy's) in Canada, you likely associate it with the sunburnt, faded cups you see rolling around construction sites, the extra large triple triples in the hands of the questionable folks on Bank Street in Ottawa, the equally proportionate yet now inviting cups sitting snuggly by the keyboard of your dentist's receptionist named Monique or Julie, the irreverence with which they're usually ordered, poured, stirred, smacked on the counter and slid towards your unenthusiastic hand. We're so used to it. We're so unimpressed. Yeah, it's good. Yeah, it's dishwater. Yeah, whatever, I'll have a double double. 

In Belfast, items are carefully selected from the menu. "Hot drinks" are pondered over. Lattes are chosen. Timbits are delicately placed on a little round patio table and shared between several impeccably dressed women. No half-smoked DuMaurier wedged between fingers. No crossword puzzle newspaper page with torn up sugar packets sprinkled on top. Here, going to Tim Horton's is a thing. 

And boy, was it for me.  

I'll just say this: I really wanted a sour cream glazed. And the one location we could easily visit didn't have them. In fact, it didn't have much of anything.. and let me tell you another horror: this didn't change all weekend.

So, one morning, I decided to walk to the only other location in the city. It was a long enough walk and with each street I crossed, I thought about the Tim's I took for granted back home. 

The morning walk :)

It looks almost like the ones in Canada!

To my disappointment, they didn't have that donut either.  To prove to myself that I refuse defeat, I bought a box of 6 and we ate them all. That day. All of them. 

Anyway, it's a funny experience, but don't expect to feel the ambiance of the Tim's back home. Sometimes, to feel at home, you really need people to not give a shit. 

The rest of the trip was very typically us. I planned for it to be romantic, dreaming of lazy mornings with mimosas and long nights of dancing like we were on our first date. Instead, Jeff spilled the prosecco all over his clothes, we got into a fight about taking a nap, I tried too hard to identify a clam being eaten by a seagull, and Jeff had a hayfever attack immediately after we sat down at a rooftop bar we had waited two hours to get into. Bonus: I got hit with a giant bag of ice cubes. 

Seeing the Titanic museum has seemingly been a life-long dream of Jeff's, so we visited its space craft (???), and also went to a Nepalese restaurant where the waiters and other patrons heartily weighed in on our dining choices. The food was incredible, and Jeff took me there as a surprise, so that part was quite romantic, although soon after, we had a fight about how Jeff thinks he goes out a lot but he doesn't go out that much in Dublin, but he says Dublin is really cool for going out, but he shouldn't act like an expert, to be honest.  (consider deleting this part)

The Nepalese restaurant

The ...Titanic...museum.

The St.George's Market, with really nice crafts and food vendors

I don't remember the name of this restaurant but look at the greenery :)

We went to a really cool Cuban restaurant (Revolución de Cuba) with high ceilings and plants and delicious piña coladas. It played mostly Cuban music, but would interject every now and then with Brown Eyed Girl or Takin' Care of Business so as to not confuse/upset its ivory patrons. I remember once, in Havana, we went to a mojito bar, and this restaurant really reminded me of its ambiance, so I would highly recommend it if you're ever in Belfast, as it's well worth a visit for the architecture alone. 

The zombies were SO strong

very cool

We also had some wine and snacks at this really quirky deli style cafe called Sawers. You can order anything from sliced cheeses to olives to salamis to baklava to meatballs to pies, along with "red wine" (never specified), and the ambiance is artfully cluttered with boutique style items and the outdoor patio is so inviting and cozy..

We also went out both nights but I have to say it was uncomfortable being around so many people indoors..

The train ride back was very much 'us' as well. We ordered sushi to be delivered to us by the time we got into Dublin, remarking how pleasant it is that the train will stop at the station with a direct connection to our train home.  

the last donut :(

Just as we arrived, we discovered the restaurant misunderstood us, and had the sushi ready for pick-up and not delivery. Then, we missed our last train home by 1 minute. 

Still, it was one of our better trips, because it was so, so funny. Like most things with Jeff. 

June Challenge: 

Explore my new injury lol...Piriformis Syndrome!  *chef's kiss*

Fitness:

I've been running more consistently and building up mileage little by little, and I've even done a couple of interval runs on the treadmill now that it's back open again, but alas, the physiotherapist advised me to take a break from running yet again, to recover this new fancy glute injury.  I'm allowed to walk, apparently, so ...good thing that's still...available..for my enjoyment. 

Here's an excerpt from a book I've been reading (which I mentioned last month), which I have found exceptionally useful:

Bonus: OMG:

WE FOUND CARDAMOM BUNS! As in..the real deal. In DUBLIN! One Sunday morning, we ran to Smithfield which was about 6km from our house, and it was the most perfectly quiet, early morning run. The coffee shop selling them is called Proper Order Coffee, but they're delivered from a different bakery.  We picked up these gorgeous, perfect buns, and some nitro coffees, and walked back. It was ****amazing****

DOUBLE BONUS:

I found a bakery that does delicate, expertly crafted French cakes, called La Patisserie.  Back in Canada, we would make up any excuse to buy a French cake, and when I told Jeff this limited edition Fraisier (pistachio mousse, with soft layers of vanilla sponge and strawberries) was essential to celebrate the beginning of summer (thereby coined The Summer Cake), I never heard the end of it. 

"HAHA A SUMMER CAKE! THAT IS NOT A THING!"

"What even IS a summer cake?!"

"Your a idiot"

Whatever, I made up the last part, but he may as well have said that. Then, he pretended to be a French baker and, with a tone of caramelized ignorance, he proceeded to 'call me' to 'confirm' ma summah cake-ah.

Well anyway, then it arrived. And this is what it said on it:

And it was fucking delicious! So ta gueule :) 

This month, our favourite local bar, The Yacht, opened their outdoor patio, and while I don't have any pictures other than this one wherein I resemble a great-grandmother, I have to say it has added so much to our sunny evenings..

One of the most exciting things to happen this month is my package finally arriving from Canada! My mom sent it months ago, and we were sure it was lost, but then:

And lastly, amidst all the failed attempts at structure, at running, at staying positive, within all the moments of I have had enough, I would remember these flowers, which Jeff had sent to me when he was working from the office of his new job. The card said, "Everything is going to be okay" and this month made me want to believe him.