An Irish Holiday

Two things are certain when you decide to holiday in Ireland.  1. It will rain 2. It will rain some more. Even so, I am surprised to find myself curled in front of the fire, sipping a cheeky Rioja (not such a surprise) in the midst of a weather warning, in the first week in August.  It's a status yellow which means gusts of between 90 and 100 kilometres per hour so I'm happy to be holed up, reading trashy holiday romance while listening to the waves crash and the wind howl.  We're home from home on Valentia Island and the normally visible mainland is obscured by sheets of rain.  In the ten years I've been coming here to my husband's family holiday home I've never seen weather like this and he, who has been coming here since his childhood can't remember summer weather as bad.   We're watching the boat, anchored metres from the house, being thrown around in the swell. After two days of rain it desperately needs to be purged but the sea conditions mean we can't reach it. My father in law has just asked me if I'd like a "serious drink". Yes, I think a serious drink would go down nicely, so it's hot whiskies all round.

Obscured view of mainland 

I love it here. It's a little piece of heaven. The scenery is breathtaking. The seafood is to die for.  I look forward to visiting as often as we can.  To sailing and kayaking and biking the island.  To visiting the ice-cream parlour and trying the latest flavours. To climbing Bray Head and watching the birds feeding their chicks on the cliffs edge. To taking photos of the incredible vista from the top of the Geokaun Mountain. To eating crepes topped with fresh strawberries and icecream, to watching my eldest son bounce on the water trampoline in the harbour and take sailing instruction from his grandad. To eating mackerel we've caught ourselves and cooked with mustard as only my mother in law knows how. To camping under the stars on the deserted Beginis Island. I love it all.  But so far this trip we haven't done any of it.  Instead we've played twister and chess, draughts and mermaids, drawn pictures, read library books, gone walking in the wind. We've left the house first thing in the morning and gone exploring places we haven't been before, watched the waves at Derrynane, chased fairies between rain showers, run along Ballinskelligs beach, driven the Ring of Kerry stopping as many places as possible to marvel at the incredible beauty of our little country. If the sun was shining we wouldn't have done any of those things, being content to stay in our island bubble. So although I'm thankful that tomorrow is to bring calmer weather, along with a visit from my sister I'm also thankful that in Ireland we can't rely on the weather and so are constantly pushed to make the most of it. Even so, there's something inherently wrong with wearing wellies in August. I can only hope it's not something I'm expected to get used to.

Crab claws & pineapple

Chasing fairies in Derrynane 

Stunning views on the Ring of Kerry

Waves crashing at Derrynane Strand 

Strolling on Ballinskelligs