It feels really quiet here on my blog after the frenzy at the beginning of the month. There’s nothing RA-related to say other than we are counting down to the release of Stay Close. Nine days to go… Are you going to watch it as soon as it comes available or what are your plans? I doubt I will be able to do that. Our plans for New Year’s Eve are not set yet, but in any case I wouldn’t be able to sit through 7 hours of drama after midnight 😉. Even if it contains this.
Only 48 hours to go to the big celebration, too. I am just back from a big grocery shopping trip and have stocked up on some essentials so I won’t have to worry much about shopping over the holidays. The presents are *still* not wrapped, and a couple of handmade gifts are not even ready yet. Maybe tonight? I had earmarked last night for all those preparations, but instead Mr Guylty and I went on a spontaneous little drive through Dublin to have a look at the Christmas illuminations. I took some very amateurish video as we drove around and edited a little clip, so if you are not susceptible to motion sickness, have a look at Dublin’s Winter Lights.
Apologies for the dirty windscreen obscuring the view… However, it was fun driving through the city centre, trying to spot the various participating sights. I made the video for family and friends who haven’t been here for so long, and anyone who has even been in Dublin… 😉
I’ll probably check in on Christmas Eve to wish everybody a happy Christmas. Hope the run-up to the big day(s) will not be too stressful for you all!
Guylty Pleasure 
Ah that’s beautiful!
Spawn and I are sorta holed up in the new house. I’ve not put up anything, except mom’s Christmas Penguin on the outside bannister. I’ve got the crud – the first time I’ve been sick since Covid. I know it’s the crud and not some new strain of that batshit crazy disease, because I’m still hungry and thirsty and I don’t feel like I’m at death’s door. I’m just snotty and hacking. I’m loving my bath tub and the menthol bath salts I have. Makes an old woman feel – better.
If I wasn’t so sick, Spawn and I would be out looking at lights. People here decorate. He reminded me of the years he was younger and every night, we’d go driving listening to Christmas music and looking at lights. What he didn’t know was I was boiling water to heat the house, so I would put on the biggest pots I had – which included 2 HUGE stock pots – so by the time we got back home, the main part of the house was warm.
But he remembers the times as time we spent together, looking at the Christmas finery of others and it was okay.
Hoping I get well – we’re planning on surprising my Dad for Christmas. We’ll drive up late that night and pull in early Christmas morning or go up Christmas morning, depending on how early I can get my son out of bed.
If I don’t get well, we’ll pick up a Christmas ham or apricot baste the turkey breast I have. RABBBWW is good for a lot of things.
I am currently binge watching The Witcher season 2. Hope to be done by Friday so I can then binge watch The Wheel of Time. And after that…. Stay Close.
School is… different. I’m living in the knowledge that if anyone pisses me off, well, I can just contact the state retirement and retire. It would be a shitty retirement… would like to make it 5 more years, preferably 8 …..
Happy Christmas to you and yours. Keep Mr. Guylty healthy. I know that is a big fear for you. Wishing you health and happiness.
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Sorry to hear you are sick, Zee. Still a couple of days to go to the big day, so hopefully you are feeling better.
We’ll just be the four of us for Christmas Eve, but then get a bit of family fun on Christmas Day. Family dinner with my brother-and-sister-in-law. They will do the full turkey, so that will be nice. We are usually 20+ people for Christmas, but due to Covid we are celebrating in smaller bubbles this year…
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I’m just not really in the spirit. I unearthed and brought out a lot of Christmas decs, but realized the vast majority was my mom’s. She was HUGE into Christmas and I’m missing her.
I planned to go home and surprise my Dad for Christmas – and for the first time EVER I’m taking my siblings advice to stay home to get over this. I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I’m not contagious, but I’ve got my annual crud that thankfully skipped me last year. I’m thankful it kicked up after school let out. It usually kicks in mid-November. So I”m going to dope up and head that way Monday or Tuesday.
But before I dope up, SPawn and I are heading to hte grocery for a small ham and some fixin’s. Smashed potatoes, carrots, maybe the applesauce recipe from RABBBWW. He likes green beans, so I’ll make a small pot of that. (I hate green beans!) Rolls. Make some spiced cider. I do have gifts for him… buying him clothes instead of me!
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Thanks for the tour, we visited Dublin for our silver wedding anniversary and remember taking a DUKW tour! A long time ago lol
Very best wishes for a lovely Christmas
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Oh the “Duck”!!! I’ve been on it, too, and it is great fun.
Happy Christmas to you, too!
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Beautiful video! Thank you for taking us on a tour. ❤️ Haven’t been to Dublin yet 🤞🏻
I won’t be able to watch Stay Close until Jan 4, I hope there won’t be too many spoilers on Twitter. 🙈 How to avoid them??? 🤔😬
Have a nice Christmas holidays!❤️🤗
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Hope things will get better next year and we can resume travelling. England and Ireland are waiting for you 😉
I am worried about the spoilers, too. It’s easy enough not to read reviews, but the gifs that are sure to pop up, are making it difficult to avoid spoilers. I suspect I will have to stay away from Twitter, tumblr et al in order to avoid any spoilers 🥴
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Thank you! That was lovely! That bridge with the reindeer and penguins is so adorable!
I can’t wait to see Dublin in person!!
Happy Holidays and stay safe!
Liz
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The bridge with the animated lights is so cool. I wonder whether they only do it for special occasions or whether it is always on.
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Thank you for the magical winter light tour. Dublin looks so pretty all decked out. The music choice was perfect. So soothing and peaceful. Happy Christmas to you and yours 🎄❤️
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I had to search for a while to find some nice music that wasn’t too overly Christmas… This one worked nicely. It’s really nice that they have put some illuminations on the major landmarks in Dublin.
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thanks for the glimpse of your part of the world! funny, how colourful and flashy these decorations are. absolutely not what would come to my mind when I think of christmas lights 😳😊 I have been to Dublin only once so far and just for one and a half days but I recognised a lot because I walked all over the city when I was there 😉 I especially loved the Chester Beatty library with its exhibitions but there were many places I thought would be nice to visit again with a bit more time. I generally don’t really like big cities but Dublin feels “cozy” enough. have a nice time and happy holidays! 🎄
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Hehe, they are not “Christmas lights”. They are dubbed “Winter Lights” 😉. But I agree with you, I prefer Christmas lights simply white. Although I do like what they did with the bridge.
The Chester Beatty is one of my favourite spots, too. It’s in a beautiful building, with that gorgeous small park in front of it, and the exhibition is free of charge. Oh, and there is that wonderful Middle-Eastern cafe in the Chester Beatty…
And you are right, Dublin is very cosy. Compared to other capital cities in Europe, it is rather small. But that means you can easily make your way around it…
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Merry Xmas!
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Thank you – and happy holidays back at you!
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That’s a lovely idea for a Christmas trip with Mr Guylty 😊. Thank you for taking me and Mr Graza on this little cute drive through Dublin with the Four Courts and the festive Samuel Beckett Bridge. I also liked this little colorful bridge. Did I see well that the trees still have leaves? I have seen once wild pigs and roe deer in the city, but never a fox (cheeky Mr Fox would make people panic that he had rabies).
Peaceful Christmas, Sonja. I hope all your Christmas wishes will come true. That you can visit your mom next year, that Richard will read your favorite poem by WB Yeats and all your other wishes.
Stay safe, stay healthy, stay close, Everyone!
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The colourful small bridge is a footbridge that connects Temple Bar with the North Side.
Most of the trees have lost all their leaves here, too.
Mr Fox is kind of nice – except that he stole our last chicken this summer. Ah well, that is wild life, I guess.
Happy Christmas back to you!
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I really enjoyed your video – Dublin looks pretty with all the lights & displays. And the bin lorry rocks! Must admit that I haven’t put up the first decoration, probably because I’ve been surrounded by it at work since before Thanksgiving. Here’s wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
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Glad you spotted the bin lorry. I thought it was so funny that it popped up twice on our tour. 😂 It also collects the rubbish in my area, and every time I see it, I have to laugh.
Merry Christmas back at you – hehe, and still time to put some decorations up 😉
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That was lovely, Guylty. Thanks for taking us along on this drive with you. All cities could do with festive bin lorries and special bus services to the North Pole.
A very Merry Christmas to you and your family – and to everyone here.
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The North Pole bus service was funny. At first I misread and thought it said “North Pale”, and I was just about to comment to my husband about that when I realised it said “pole”… (The Pale was historically the wider Dublin area and marked the area of influence/governance of the English in Ireland. It’s where the term “beyond the Pale” comes from. But there is no “South Pale” or “North Pale”, hence my confusion 😂.)
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The Dublin lights look amazing, I loved the building covered in lights and the ship in particular. Thanks for sharing. And I am also loving the Advent calendar, it is so clever and detailed. I think Francis Dolarhyde is my favourite so far. Hope you are having a good Christmas Eve Eve.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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The ship was my favourite, too, I think. Fairly simple, but it also marks the spot where the Liffey ends and the port starts. There’s a large dock behind the ship.
Happy Christmas back at you .-)
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🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thank you for the Dublin’s winter lights!
Bonnes fêtes de fin d’année, bon Noel.
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Glad you enjoyed the little tour. Happy Christmas to you 😘
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Thanks so much for the Dublin tour. May I share it with some FB friends? I belong to a couple of groups that follow Aidan Turner and I’m sure they would enjoy picturing the scenes when he talks about his hometown. Some of us in the US are chomping at the bit to get to the UK. Hopefully soon!
Have the happiest of Christmases and a safe and joyful new year.
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Hello Lou – yes, of course you may. Delighted if the Aidan Turner fandom might find it interesting. (Is he celebrating at home in his home town? I do know that he has a flat just around the corner from me.)
Hope 2022 will bring a lifting of travel restrictions so we can all visit the places we would love to see! Happy Christmas to you!
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Dublin sure takes this Christmas lights thing seriously. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Awww that bridge rocks but special prize must go to the bin lorry! Lovely to see bit of Dublin again xx
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