Seems like everyone is gone, including me! Marky in Japan, Leah in Thailand, Rua in the US of A, me on remote island. So, perhaps a blog is a good way of staying in touch? This post is just a little experiment really, and somehow I dont think I'll be very good at maintaining regular updates, but lets suck it and see!!
The reality of life on an island has come home to me a little more in the last few days. Following a summer of chaos, everything is calming down here now - fewer and fewer people coming to the pub that I work in, same old faces every day, same conversations. Last night was the first night that I went to work, and there wasnt a single customer, so at 9pm (after 3 hours trying to keep myself busy!) I gave up and went home, leaving the pub in charge of one of the girls who is quite happy to sit there and read her english teaching textbooks - customers or not!
And now we've got a serious storm, so the ferry didnt run today, and was restricted in its sailings the last few days. It's easy to get all romantic about this - 'feel so isolated'etc, and there are many who do, but its not really my style. The mainland is only 7 miles away, we can see it, and we have virtually everything we need here anyway - at least anything we dont have is not really so essential that it cant wait a few days. And the chances of there being no ferry at all for a few days in a row is pretty slim. Its one of the commonest questions that tourists ask - "what do you do in the winter?". I think it's not really that different from what anybody else does in the winter - sit about, watch tele or a movie, read a book, chat with friends, maybe go to the pub. The possibilities are of course a little more restricted, but only in so much as you cant do things on the spur of the moment (go to cinema etc). If you feel the need to do something a bit different, like go to the cinema, it's not really such a big deal - get on the ferry, go to cork (1.5 hrs drive). It may involve an overnight stay, but what the hell...!
On the birdy front, but there aint none o dem darn tings neither, apart from a gorgeous little firecrest weathering the storms since October - will he stay for the winter? I hope so, will be nice to have that little jewel to brighten up the days.
So thats all for now, just wanna see if this works really!!!!
Ta ta darlings