more malachy...

 

robbing an orchard

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...!

 

wicklow

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...

 

bullock harbour

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 

junior infant

Just 4 days after his 4th birthday, Liam started primary school at Johnstown Boys National School in Johnstown-Killiney! Here he is setting off for school on his first day!


The school is about a ten-minute walk from our house (on average -less if you're an adult and moooore if you're a slow-coach like Liam!). The walk over to the school is really pleasant and we normally meet other school children and their parents along the way!

My trustee ladybird bag (now referred to as my "mala scoile" -schoolbag in Irish)

Liam is never shy to new people or surroundings so, true to his usual style, he got right in there and mingled straight away!

The lady in pink is Miss Cooney, Liam's teacher. He is utterly nuts about her and has even begun to speak with her accent! 

now I'm 4!

Being 4 is cool! I got a bike so that I can travel far and wide, a doctor's case so that I can make people better when they're feeling pooh-ey, a movie so that I can relax and be entertained when I'm all partied out and lots of books and stuff so that I can read and learn and colour and paste and stick and draw and... wow... actually, being 4 is a lot of work!


After opening all my pressies, I had my birthday brekkie and Abuela called me on the phone from Bilbao to wish me a "Feliz Cumpleaños"!

Later on in the afternoon I went for a big long ride on my bike...

And then to the cinema with Mammy, Daddy, Malachy and Lorcan to see "Garfield 2"... a film all 2 really funny big fat Cheshire cats! 

4th Birthday Party!

Liam turned 4 on the 28th of August!!! This year his birthday fell on a Monday, so on Sunday, the day before, we had a party in the garden! At the time, since school hadn't started, Liam was a little bit low in the way of friends (all of that has since changed!!) but we invited his new buddy Ella, the Coles, who were on holiday here at the time, and all of his second cousins.

Granddad set up the bouncy castle and there were balloons and goodies galore, face-painting, games and, of course, home-made cake!



The Mammies, Aunties and Grannies enjoyed it too! 

dun laoghaire

The Town Hall and the church steeple in Dun Laoghaire

Old cast-iron Victorian Fountain

There was an enormous ferris wheel set up for the festival. Liam saw it from a distance and really wanted to go and have a ride on it... but when we got up close, it was a different story!

Liam on the seafront 

festival of world cultures

OK, I know it's a little bit pathetic that I am still posting pix here from August (in November) but I am determined to update this blog in chronological order so, as always, I will continue from where I left off: Here are some pix of the Festival of World Cultures we went to in Dun Laoghaire (my hometown) back at the end of August.

Strutting their stuff...

Mexican music

I know you can't see the swing in those hips here, but this is actually Jaime and Lorcan taking part in an open-air salsa dancing class at the festival! 

motorised

Did we mention our car?! We inherited it from Uncle Crayon, I mean Graham! It's a 1994 Toyota Corrolla estate and it runs like a dream! Great car! Thanks guys!

All three kids car seats fit in just right!

Our first trip was from our house in Cabinteely to the Motor Tax Office in Nutgrove (very exciting, I know!). Driving on the 'wrong' side of the road in a car with everything on the 'wrong' side was a very new experience for Jaime... but he got the jist of it really quickly!

After paying our motor tax we had lunch at Eddie Rocket's diner!