Noemí had lovely mild weather for the week she spent with us here in Dublin. Except for the last day, when it started to rain. But that too was very apt, because everyone knows the really authentic way to enjoy Grafton street is in the drizzly Irish rain! So on Noe's last day, we wandered around town and went for Italian food on Dawson street before she caught her plane back to Madrid...
Great memories of a lovely week...
You said you'd come back soon. You better! 
We took a lovely drive around Wicklow and had a picnic on the coast, then we went back to one of our favourite spots again: Brittas Bay.
Liam, Malachy and Noemí on the sand.
More lovely random windy beach shots...
And, of course, we couldn't let the week go by without a good night out on the town! So, with Granny and Granddad kindly babysitting, we grabbed a bus into Dublin on Friday night for some fun and laughs...
We met up with our old friend Jude, who was bravely fighting off a cold (doesn't look like that took a lot of effort though, does it?!), and went to The Oak pub, opposite Dublin Castle on Dame Street for some Guinness...
... and some laughs...
Noe with the lads and us in Cabinteely park... hours of fun and games (and still nice mild September weather!)..
Painting with watercolours in the attic...
More random shots of all of us...
As I said, the kids are crazy about Noemí. Malachy (who calls her 'MoMeMí') really missed her when she was gone... calling her name up the stairs every morning for over a week to see if she would appear!
Our first visitor from Spain since we moved over at the end of July was Noemí!! She came all the way from Madrid in September to meet Lorcan and hang out with us for a week. It was her first time in Ireland and she had a ball! The kids are crazy about her! We got a bit carried away taking photos and short movies (over 300 files in total!) so I've made some collages to give you the gist of our many exploits!
Hanging around in our garden, Dun Laoghaire and Killbogget park...
Noemí came with us when we took Liam to his first music class at the Dun Laoghaire Music Centre. He goes to class there with his lovely music teacher, Catherine, every Wednesday afternoon! Then we popped in to Lambe's, our fish monger's and then on to Harry's, our favourite Polish coffee shop!
Some random shots of Malachy!
Remember those stolen apples?... They became this delicious apple pie, mmm...
Lorcan hanging out in the garden, analysing his own fingers..!
'Sofía, la vaca que amaba la música' (Sofía, the cow who loved music) was Liam's first EVER book (which he received from Carmen -the most avid reader I know- before he was even born)! Sofía continues to be a success with Malachy and will no doubt become one of Lorcan's favourites too!
So, that same Sunday, after robbing the orchard in Rathnew, we headed on down the coast to Brittas Bay for a picnic on the beach and a splash in the cold Irish Sea!
And a walk in the dunes.
This was back in early September, by the way!!
That idyllic little hotel we mentioned is called Hunter's and that charming secret garden has a gorgeous apple orchard, which we shamelessly pillaged! Well, they were only windfalls!!
...I swear...! 
We went for a drive to Wicklow one Sunday...
And stopped off at this dreamy little old hotel...
... which had a beautiful old secret garden...
This is Bullock Harbour in Dalkey
So quaint!
I tend to get really freaked out at places like this, thinking that the kids are going to fall off the pier into the water... so I clutch onto their hands for dear life!
the Dalkey coastline
