At first glance it might seem that I am just a happy, normal girl who loves to bake and walk her dog. However, I have suffered with an eating disorder since I was 13. It was only in May 2014 when I realised that this Voice in my head was slowly but surely trying to kill me. And so began the long, hard, and painful journey which is recovery...

I want My Cocoa Stained Apron to be a special place...a place for reflection, memories, shared stories...and of course a little bit of cocoa-staining ;) Recovery might be the hardest thing you ever choose to do in this life. But it is also the bravest and best decision you will ever make.:)

Friday 16 January 2015

Welcome to the Emerald Isle :)

The Emerald Isle...my home. I've been living here in Ireland for approximately sixteen years now, and it goes without saying that this little gem of a country - tucked neatly away in the upper fringes of the Northern Hemisphere with the immense expanses of the Atlantic to the west - occupies a very special place in my heart. Ireland has endeared itself to me in countless ways, through the uniqueness and diversity of its culture, the striking beauty of its landscape, the warmth and friendliness of its people.One of my readers in an earlier mentioned she would like to hear more about what it's like to live in Ireland, so I thought I might start doing the odd post on this topic in addition to my more usual ones.

Hmmmmm....but where do I even begin? ;) well I guess this is sort of an introductory post. After all, under this little subtitle of Living in Ireland there is a number of things that I can tell you about. I have a few ideas, I just need to organise them and put some sort of structure to them. Me being the big scatterbrain that I usually am, I might end up writing something completely disorientating and confusing if I attempted to jot them all down now. ;)

So for today, I thought I would fill you in just five of the many, many things that I love about the Emerald Isle. :)

1. ) One of the most obvious ones...the scenery and the landscape. These endless, grassy fields of rich green; flanked by neat hedgerows and quaint stone walls. The picturesque woodlands of native oak and beech and birch; which, in the springtime, are carpeted with a hazy, blue-violet mist of dainty bluebells; and then which undergo a drastic, glorious transformation in the autumn; the canopies of those very same trees becoming an eye-dazzling splendour of colour: gold and yellow and auburn; copper and bronze and chestnut brown. The mountain ranges, magnificent in their desolateness; breathtaking in their sublime majesty.

2.) Now I am going to shock you all...the climate. seriously! Ok, maybe not all of the time...for example, when I was cycling home from the bus stop this summer (note the season ) and the heavens opened and I was soaked to my very knickers... well, needless to say I wasn't so enthusiastic about the Irish climate at that precise moment in time. But in general, I love it. Those gorgeous frosty mornings in winter, when the grass is shiny with dew and the spiders' cobwebs on the hedges are glistening with pearl-like droplets of moisture. Those warm, breezy days in the summer (don't laugh!! They do exist, honest !! ;) ) when the sky is as blue as a fresh new cornflour, with fluffy, cotton-wool like clouds hugging the horizon. It's true, the Irish climate is one which, 90 % of the time, anyway ;)  suits me down to a tick. It gets cold...but never down to sub-zero temperatures. It's never boiling hot either. We get a good mix of everything. I've always been one for variety. ;)

3.) And of course, the people themselves. The Irish. Have you heard that cute little old ditty, when irish eyes are smiling? I think the words of that really do ring true. I have met so many wonderful, lovely people in this country. I have grown to love the Irish people's cheery positiveness, their steely determination and enthusiasm; their loyalty to the things that are valuable to them, and, of course, their fondness of that wonderful thing termed as the craic.

4.) The language...or should that be an teanga? ;) It's probable that, unless you are Irish or live in Ireland itself, you might not have ever heard Irish before, or had the opportunity to speak it. But personally, I think Irish a beautiful language and an imperative part of Ireland's heritage. I'm proud to be able to speak my cupla focail and I think it's so important that it is preserved and protected.

5.) And here is something else which you might laugh at me for devotedly declaring my love of, but which, if asked prescribe a list of any number of things which I love most about Ireland,  I would feel ashamed not to include. That being the Irish bog!!! And, since I do in fact live on an actual real, breathing, peat-producing, bog itself (yep, my house is indeed located on one!!) this is something which I might elaborate a little more upon in future posts!!! ;)



And here are some pics which might help you to get a better idea of the beauty of this wonderful little island which stole my heart a long, long time ago...and which I think might soon steal yours too.. ;)








4 comments:

  1. Ireland looks and sounds so so beautiful! Everything is so green! Those pictures are incredible, did you take them yourself?

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    1. Hello! :) <3 Thank you for such a lovely comment! <3 it really is so so pretty! Do you think you will visit here sometime in the future? Haha I did! Except for the last one of course ;) thank you so much!! I never thought I was good at taking pictures!! Hope you are having a lovely day! :) xxxxx

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    2. I hope so! I have family on the South coast of England that I have visited frequently but I've never made it over to Ireland!

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    3. Oh I hope you get to some day <3 I know the weather isn't to everyone's liking but it is so beautiful here and, as you say, very very green! <3 South England is lovely too though! :) xxxxx

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