When all you can do is hold on...

 I've decided to come back to this blog because, even though it's been rather a long time since I've posted on it, it's a bit of an old friend (plus, I just prefer Blogger to Wordpress), and the title is still apt.

Some adventures are filled with sunlight and amazing sights and joys. Some are about a 70/30 mix of brightness and shadow. Some are like walking through a dark valley, where the sun doesn't shine down very often. But I would describe them all as adventures, because they are all particular spans of time that begin and end, during which you are changed by the time you reach your destination.

That's basically what sanctification is: God leading us through meadows, forests, and valleys, so that, by the end of each journey, we will have a closer relationship with Him.

The dark valleys seem to be the journeys when God is removing the deeply rooted things in us that inhibit our deeper trust in and love of Him because they obscure our view of who He really is. When those things are gone, we see Him so much more clearly – the good, loving, compassionate, almighty God.

This is (at least part of, if not the meaning of) what God "work[ing] all things together for good" actually is.

All of that is my intro to say that I've been going through a valley, recently, as I walk with my mom through the treatment of the cancer attacking her. (If you'd like to follow the specifics of that journey, check out her CaringBridge.) And I thought I would use this platform, separately from our journey together, to share my personal experience. 

It seemed as if roadblock after roadblock was coming up to prevent her from getting better, and I had a very hard time finding any light – or even find the time to look at the unquenchable light of God's word! Digging into the His word certainly seemed hard to do, if only because of time, not to mention the mental ability to concentrate.

Yet He is always so ready to pour comfort into you, even with the feeblest ability to open your eyes and look to Him. And that's what He did using Psalm 25 and Lamentations 3.

There have been a couple of mornings in the last week when I would wake up with what feels like a physical weight inside. Those were the days when I woke up pleading in prayer to my Father, and desperately opening up to Psalm 25 and to Lamentations. And grabbing on to the words like a life preserver!

All my mind could manage was to hold on to simple, yet profoundly true truths like these:

On You I wait all the day...

According to Your mercy remember me...

Good and upright is the Lord...

Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am desolate and afflicted...

His compassions fail not...

Great is Your faithfulness...

He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies...    

All I could do was stare at these words – these realities – and trust them.

It wasn't much, but it was so simple that I could remember it – remember these words through the darkness of that day and stand on them.

I hope these things will encourage you all, too! We Christians can get caught up in understanding the {beautiful, profound and powerful} finer points of Biblical truth, and I still say that there should be time for that in our lives, but even the most obvious truths in God's word do deeply change us when we grasp just how real they are – how real He is!

Here are the passages in their contexts (without which no truth should be understood):

Psalm 25

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
² O my God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed;
Let not my enemies triumph over me.
³ Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;
Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

⁴ Show me Your ways, O Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
⁵ Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.

⁶ Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
⁹ The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.
¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
¹¹ For Your name’s sake, O Lord,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

¹² Who is the man that fears the Lord?
Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
¹³ He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants shall inherit the earth.
¹⁴ The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

¹⁶ Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am desolate and afflicted.
¹⁷ The troubles of my heart have enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses!
¹⁸ Look on my affliction and my pain,
And forgive all my sins.
¹⁹ Consider my enemies, for they are many;
And they hate me with cruel hatred.
²⁰ Keep my soul, and deliver me;
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
²¹ Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.

²² Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all their troubles!

Lamentations 3:21-33

²¹ This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.

²² Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
²⁴ “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.

²⁸ Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
²⁹ Let him put his mouth in the dust—
There may yet be hope.
³⁰ Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.

³¹ For the Lord will not cast off forever.
³² Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.
³³ For He does not afflict willingly,
Nor grieve the children of men.

 

 

 

 

Was I a Chris Pratt fan or #JurassicWorld fan first?

I’ve just seen ‘Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom,’ so here’s my review fresh from the theater!

(*Please note I cannot claim to be a ‘Jurassic Park’ officionado - I just enjoy a good adventure - with Chris Pratt. 😆)

My spoiler-free review of 'Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom:

First I will say that I do recommend it. Then, of course, the question is, "Why?"

1) The movie is made up almost entirely of memorable, 'wow,' or jump moments - they just feel nonstop! I loved that! It was sort of like being in one of those gyrospheres from the movie, where you're constantly rolling along and seeing exciting things, but you don't have to experience any danger or physical exertion. 😂 You just get the thrill!

2) People say it has elements of a horror movie due to the past projects of the director, but I would argue that these 'horror' elements are simply suspenseful in the same vein as all of the Jurassic movie suspenseful moments (the kind that have you covering your face and peeking through  your fingers...which I might have done), but in new situations. That being said...

3) It was nervewracking!! 😱

4) It feels like you're watching Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard play slightly less warm and friendly versions of themselves; which I definitely enjoy, because they seem like such fun characters in real life! And who doesn't want more Christ Pratt? 😉

I enjoy their shenanigans too much. 

5) Speaking of Chris Pratt, some of my favorite moments in the movie are him interacting with Blue (his special raptor.) I mean, who would have thought a raptor could ever be termed adorable? But that's what I would call it. 😆

6) It's creative and original (in a Jurassic Park sort of way, of course) – not in a mind-blowing way, but I'd say in a memorable way – and the story is just a fun and exciting one to add to your mind's repertoire of plots!

It’s an adventure!!! I hope you have as much fun as I did! 

Signing off,

Anna

The Batbattenburg: My Take on the Classic Cake

     I've been experimenting with xylitol and cassava flour to make our desserts sugar-free and gluten-free, and I'm happy to report that, for the most part, they've succeeded!

     My mom discovered cassava flour, and I decided to experiment with it because it's a light, refined texture and is supposed to work as an almost one-for-one substitute for all-purpose white flour. It has also been reported to absorb more moisture than all-purpose flour, so some sources recommend reducing the amount slightly (my guess for the reason that it absorbs more liquid is because it is even finer than regular flour).

The two ingredients that have made healthy desserts possible!
Both available from Amazon.com

     My latest experiment with these two ingredients is Mary Berry's Coffee and Walnut Battenburg Cake, and the verdict from the family is favorable so far! Which means that we have another sugar- and wheat-free dessert that everyone likes! A total win in my book.

     I based my cake on the recipe from the Great British Bake Off How to Bake cookbook, and I referenced a marzipan recipe online (because, as usual, the recipe for the cake expects you to be able to find marzipan pre-made in the store – unfortunately, I live in the U.S.).

I didn't have to change much in either recipe. But be sure to read the rest of the post to see what I did change, so you can avoid my mistakes...

1.  Cream together using a wooden spoon:
• 100g unsalted butter
• 90g xylitol
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 90g cassava flour
• 1 1/3 teaspoon baking powder
• 50g almond flour
2. Divide the batter in half. To one half add:
• few drops of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
3. To the other half add:
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coffee granules (I used instant coffee) mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
• 25g chopped walnuts
4. Make a fold in the center of a piece of parchment paper, put it in an 8-inch square cake pan, then add the vanilla-flavored batter to one half and the coffee/walnut flavored batter to the other. 
5. Spread with a knife, then bake for about 35 minutes (cover lightly with foil if the cakes begin to brown). Remove both cakes from the pan after a few minutes of letting them cool.
6. For icing, mix together:
• 100g powdered xylitol, sifted
• 40g softened butter
• 1/2 teaspoon coffee granules in 1 1/2 teaspoons milk

The two different batters divided by the parchment paper.

Flavoring for the vanilla batter.

Flavoring for coffee walnut batter.

My rather flat cakes...

      I had to increase the baking powder from 1/2 teaspoon to 1 1/3 teaspoon. (I know there is no such thing as 1/3 teaspoon, so I'd just do a heaping 1/4 teaspoon.) ;) The recipe calls for self-raising flour and baking powder, but I was naïve and just followed the recipe without considering the implications. My cake didn't rise at all, and I am pretty sure a lack of baking powder is the reason why.

So I made a little graphic for future recipes that call for self-raising (also called self-rising) flour:

     Even with the non-rising disaster, it still tasted good! And I was able to construct it so that it didn't look as if it had been sat on. The instructions have you cut each flavor in half, then stack them to look like a chessboard. So to compensate for the lack of height, I cut mine into thirds! It was still on the small side, but it at least resembled the traditional square shape.

The marzipan recipe I used is:

• 2 1/2 oz./5 tablespoons blanched and ground almonds (almond flour would work, too, it just wouldn't look as smooth)
• 3 1/2 oz./7 tablespoons powdered xylitol (to get it to the fine consistency just pop it in a Ninja blender or food processor and pulse it a few times in 5 second bursts)
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1. Sift the almonds and xylitol together.
2. Add the water and extract, mix with your hands until it comes together. (You may need to add a little water.)
3. Roll it into a log shape, wrap in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for about 1 hour.
4. Roll out the marzipan between two sheets of parchment paper.
5. To wrap around the cake, remove one piece of the parchment paper from the rolled out marzipan, then take the other and roll up the cake (making sure to press the marzipan well onto the cake before carefully removing the parchment paper).

     Ét vóila! You can now enjoy a delicious and practically-good-for-you dessert! It's perfect with tea or coffee, for birthdays and holidays, or just whenever you'd like!

© Anna Morton 2017

Fiction that changes you? Yes, please!

"I cannot continue live as if these things were complete fiction."

     It's been a long time since I've found a book series that I could really be emotionally invested in - you know, the kind that you have a hard time putting down, and must finish even though you have other things you should be doing? I think the last time that happened might have been when I read The Lord of the Rings trilogy over 15 years ago. I think I read The Two Towers in a day.

     I say so not to boast but to make a point: at long last I have discovered a series that is thrilling again! I actually read over 100 pages in one sitting, and I haven't done that since... I can't even remember when!

     Not only that, but the characters and what happens to them now means so much to me. (Even more than what happens to my favorite Downton Abbey characters, which is saying something.) Everything and everyone in this book became so real that I could hardly wait to read another page before knowing what would become of them. The fact that it happened in a real time and place made them almost too real. I don't know how many times I cried.

     Now shall I tell you what book it is? I suppose I've kept you in suspense for long enough...

     This book – so poignant, so thrilling, so though-provoking – drum roll, please – is Vienna Prelude.

     And the title just captures the story perfectly.

     The author is Bodie Thoene, and this book is the first of her series that covers events in Europe during World War II. It begins in Berlin, right at the heart of Germany, then moves to Vienna, Austria in 1936. The story follows the young violinist Elisa Lindheim, whose mother is German and father is Jewish. With that information alone you can tell that the author is setting you up for a doozy of a story!

     I had no idea what went on in Austria in 1936-38, but, boy, I do now.

     Of course one aspect that I love is traveling to Europe as I made my way through the pages. Vienna sounds like a particularly magical place, especially at Christmas, and I began to understand Elisa's love for this historic city, with music and coffee houses around every corner.

"...through Elisa's eyes we see it all as someone whose world seems to be falling apart around her..."

     The scenes are not often described, but when they are it is through the eyes of characters, which brings an immediacy to the action and keeps the story moving. There is a lot of switching between the points-of-view of several characters – sometimes even minor characters – but it's easy to follow and it also adds to the urgent pace of the story.

     Besides Elisa, we see a lot through the eyes of John Murphy, usually known as just Murphy – a young but jaded, tired, truth-seeking American journalist on assignment in Berlin who gets tangled up in Elisa's story. From his point of view we see things as strangers learning to understand the people and events in Europe. By contrast, through Elisa's eyes we see it all as someone whose world seems to be falling apart around her – even her new romance that had begun so hopefully.

    
     Because even in the midst of the elegant, historic Vienna, filled with luxurious coffee houses, decadent pastries, ancient cathedrals, and the magnificent music of Mozart and Strauss, the darkness and hatred of the Nazis can find its way to the lives of anyone. There is a lurking sense throughout the story that this city of light and music is about to be engulfed in the shadow, that Austria will be swallowed up in Hitler's Reich if no one will stand for its freedom.

     Of course the shadow falls first on the Jews, in Germany and then in Austria, and what results from that in Elisa's life and the lives of those around her is heart-wrenching – the more so because we know that things like this really happened. People were really forced from their homes, searched by Nazi officers on trains as they tried to escape to a safer life in another country, and faced arrest or even death for helping those who Hitler deemed less than human.

    


For this reason I find that, unlike most fiction I read, I cannot forget the events of this story and the way they effected peoples' lives – I cannot continue live as if these things were complete fiction. As never before it brought to life the fact that persecution is a real thing and happens to real people – and it is evil.

"It gives us a picture – a well painted picture by a talented artist – of how people faced an overwhelming darkness..."

     It is impossible to read this book and not to learn compassion for a people who were attacked simply for being Jews – or even just for helping Jews! Friends were lost, families broken apart, homes were stolen, and lives were changed forever. Thoene uses her writing skills to bring these people to life in a powerful way. She can make you care about them.

     Most people would categorize this as a Christian novel, and they would be right, in part – it is one of a series called The Zion Covenant. But to see it as nothing more would be to miss the historic and human power of this story. It gives us a picture – a well painted picture by a talented artist – of how people faced an overwhelming darkness and still found the hope and strength to show love. When they are drowning in hopelessness and there is nowhere left to look, they look up, remembering that God is there.

     Being a Christian myself, it strengthened my faith in God's faithfulness. I couldn't help but ask myself, "What if it had been me? What would I do if my life and everything I loved seemed to be slipping away?"

     That, for me, is fiction worth reading.

     Historical – Thrilling plot – Believable characters – Romantic settings – Unpredictable love story – Ability to make me think – My one complaint is: I can't stop reading it!

© Anna Morton 2017

My new favorite Irish song!

     It's by the High Kings, of course, and I dare you to listen to it just once. I may or may not have listened to it at least 20 times over the past two days...

     'Phil the Fluther's Ball' (or Fluter, depending on your source) is sadly not a song included on any of their albums, which would explain why I had somehow overlooked it until now. I must have heard it at least once before, because they perform it during their original recorded concert that is based on their first album that came out way back in 2007. But how I was not immediately captivated by this foot-tapping song, I'll never know.

     To my great excitement, Brian Dunphy (one of the High Kings, if you didn't know already) did record this song on a solo album Timeless, and it sounds almost identical. It is missing the magical blend that the four of them have together, but it is still a cracking song that is hard to stop listening to!

     And now, for your listening pleasure, I present the High Kings performing 'Phil the Fluther's Ball':

In Dublin's Fair City: Ireland Day 2

"You never know when you're going to meet eleven people on the street and have a tea party."

The view for breakfast!

    Today I woke up to - you guessed it - a cloudy, drizzly sky. But as anyone who knows me will tell you, cold and rain are my preferred sort of weather, so I was pleased. I mean, to be honest, I would actually be disappointed if it wasn't rainy in Ireland. 

     To make the day even better, Lauren had the day off, and we spent the afternoon wandering around the paths of Phoenix Park. It's an unexpected 3 square miles of green in the west of the city, and there are all sorts of surprises hidden in those grounds!

Just one of the scenic routes of Phoenix Park.

     We walked past some lovely flower beds that looked especially bright on such a grey day, and as we went on we also came across a race, an enormous monument to the Duke of Wellington, a herd of deer, countless trees, and miles of paths.

It's an amazing park:

• It's home to the Dublin Zoo
• It's 351 years old
• It's the largest in Europe

And, as Lauren and I could tell you, it is a very nice place for a walk, even in November. In warmer weather (I suppose even Dublin has dry pleasant weather sometimes) it would be the perfect place for a picnic!

The striking Wellington Monument: an icon of Phoenix Park.

Craning our necks to take in the monument from top to bottom. It's rather tall...

     The Wellington Monument has a bronze relief on each side that is actually made from French cannons used at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815! They depict some of his famous battles.

One of the enchanting paths criss-crossing the park.

 

And there they were!

     I think we were just as surprised to see the herd of deer as they were to see us. They were magnificent! That was along a lovely trail near the American Ambassador's Residence, which we were not expecting to see right in the middle of a public park. But there it was!

     As we made our way out on the main road (Chesterfield Avenue) we stopped at the Phoenix Park Tea Rooms for some much needed warm liquid. It only really rained on our way out, so happily we didn't need to dry off while we drank our hot chocolate and coffee. But it rained again while we were walking to find a bus after lunch, and that is what finally soaked my poor shoes.

      (Note to potential travelers: make sure your shoes are actually waterproof before you go on your trip. Otherwise, you might have to wait three days for them to dry... like I did. That Dublin air is damp.)

"I would never say no something that contains the words Irish and breakfast..."

     Before heading back to the apartment for a night of games, Lauren and I stopped by the Saturday market in Meeting House Square. This is where I tasted my first cronut – but more on that later. Then two of us decided to split an Irish breakfast roll! I would never say no something that contains the words Irish and breakfast, which are two of my favorite kinds of food.

     Then a bunch of friends from the University College Dublin intern program and from Lauren's church family came over and we played games for 6 hours, including the uproarious Fishbowl. 

     (For those of you who have never played this hilarious game, it consists of two teams playing three rounds: #1 is when each person on the team tries to get their teammates to guess as many words as possible that have been written out on little bits of paper put in a bowl, #2 is the same, except that they can only use one word, and #3 is the same again, except that you can't say anything and have to act it out.)

     We had a few rather hilarious conversations, and one of my favorite remarks of the night was from Eoin. It is too amusing not to share, so I'll quote it for you. He told us he thought it would be a good idea to carry eleven tea bags in his pocket because, "You never know when you're going to meet eleven people on the street and have a tea party." 😂 (Now, in my opinion, that's being prepared!)

     Once Lauren and I had the apartment pretty much to ourselves, we had dinner and began catching her up on Downton Abbey – she hadn't seen season 4 yet. It was quite a lovely way to end the day!



© Anna Morton 2017

The Rocky Road to Dublin: Ireland Day 1

      A couple of years ago I took a very low-budget trip to Ireland and had the adventure of a lifetime! It was about as low-budget as possible, thanks to my old friend Lauren who invited me to stay with her while she was working as an intern at Dublin City College for a few months – she was even able to help me get a cheaper flight because her dad works with United Airlines!

     The other things that made it such a low-budget trip were 1) we walked nearly everywhere, and 2) almost always shopped in grocery stores for our meals. It's amazing how much of Dublin can be seen on foot! I had not expected it to be so manageable, but I was able to walk from the Grand Canal all the way up to the Dublin Writer's Museum in one afternoon, which are on opposite sides of the city.


     It worked out for me to take the trip in November. One might – quite correctly – guess that it is rather a cold time of year to visit this damp, chilly country. But even in November, Ireland has its own particular charms.

     It was windy, rainy, damp and cold, and without warm clothes I would have been rather miserable, but those same elements are all a part of the Ireland experience, and make every cup of tea and coffee that much more enjoyable! 

     I will never fly standby again, if I can avoid it – at least by myself. It involves too much waiting around and wondering if your name will be called or if you'll have to wait until the next day for the next flight. This would be much more tolerable if there were friends waiting with you. So I would recommend to have travel companions if you choose to fly standby.



     That being said, I did make it on my designated flight, and got to sit next to two very kind older gentlemen. It was an overnight flight, so after the few hours of sleep I was able to snatch we arrived in Dublin. I got a lovely sunrise view of Ireland's west coast!

Watching the sun rise over Ireland.
Definitely a perk of overnight flights.

     It was early afternoon by the time I got out of the airport and hopped on a bus going into the city to meet Lauren. I only brought my new 20x16 rolling suitcase and a small backpack because I like to travel very light, and this came in handy when Lauren and I walked back to her apartment from the bus stop.

      Being that I hadn't had lunch yet, we went straight back out again. It felt like we walked all over Dublin! But really it was mostly shopping on Grafton street... And Lauren surprised me by taking me to a play in the top of Bewley's Oriental Cafe! It was part of my graduation present from her. It was a one-man show about mid-twentieth century Dublin, and it included a delicious discounted lunch of soup with bread.

The picturesque Victorian Bewley's Cafe!

Lauren spoiling me. :)

      We went down to the next floor to have some dessert: an enormous berry scone with coffee and tea. There was something quite Victorian about Bewley's, with all of the dark polished wood and potted palm plants. It has been around since 1840, so that's probably why.

The atmospheric interior of Bewley's. Including the counter where you can buy tea and scones to bring home!

  

Everywhere we went in Ireland I saw enormous scones!
I'd say these are proper scones.

     Then we went to the Little Museum of Dublin, and had a very entertaining guide who told us some stories about Dublin's history. Admission is 8 Euros for most visitors, 6 Euros for students. The museum was filled with mementos from Dublin, lots of them from before and during the Easter Rising in 1916 and Irish Independence in 1921, then going all the way up to U2 memorabilia.

The elegant Georgian facade of the Little Museum of Dublin in the daylight.

That delightful green door at night.

     The Museum is right across from St Stephen's Green, so we took a walk through the park there and found the bridge! To me this bridge is famous for appearing in Leap Year with Amy Adams and Matthew Goode... ;) But it is certainly beautiful in its own right! During the Museum tour we were told that during the 1916 Rising, members of the ICA (Irish Citizen Army) dug trenches in the Green. The park was so beautiful, that it was hard to imagine such a traumatic struggle taking place there.

      Then we went on to do a little more shopping in Grafton Street. It's almost impossible not to be drawn to this spot because you go out of the arched gate in the corner of the Green straight onto Grafton Street. It's a pedestrian only area, and it's always filled with people, which gives it quite a festive vibe at nearly any time of day! There are several chain clothing stores, a Marks & Spencer clothing and grocery store, restaurants, and Bewley's Oriental Cafe and Butler's Hot Chocolate. Definitely irresistible to this traveler.

I loved Grafton Street! It's a bit tourist-y, but not in a commercial way. It's just popular.

     Then we had dinner at the International Cafe that Lauren's church puts on for students. That was great fun! Everyone was friendly and easy to talk to. Many if them are foreign students practicing their English, but there were these two Irish guys who were absolutely hilarious!! The proverbial Irish "gift of gab" is totally an accurate stereotype. There is definitely a higher percentage of witty Irish people than in any other group of people I've encountered.

     Then it was time to trek back through Dublin's unique blend of Georgian and modern buildings to the apartment so I could crash. :) Lauren shared the apartment with two very thoughtful flatmates. One of them even slept on the couch so I could have a bed! It was a spacious apartment for being practically in the middle of the city, and had a pleasant view from the balcony doors. It is located in the southeast part of the main city, sort of between Merrion Square and the Grand Canal Dock Train, and it seems like a fairly decent part of town. During the day I'd feel safe walking around by myself, and it still feels pretty safe if I'm walking with Lauren at night.

On the way back to the apartment.

"It is a very pleasant room!"
Elizabeth Bennet

Can't have an Irish kitchen without an electric kettle...

     Today it was cold!! Windy and cold, but also was sunny. Definitely my kind of weather, although I shall be on the lookout for a warmer coat and some winter accessories to keep out that chilly wind that blows into every crevice that isn't bundled up. That starts to feel distinctly uncomfortable when you're spending hours a day walking in the outdoors. My black raincoat would be sufficient in a California November, but then our winters always were deplorable. Thankfully, Dublin should have a few thrift stores! And, shopping happens to be one of my favorite things to do when I'm traveling.

 Tomorrow: Phoenix Park and tea with the girls!


Thanks for reading!





© Anna Morton 2017