Its a hardknock life
What a wonderful peaceful lazy day Ive had. Before breakast I took a walk through the misty and rather unpromising morning to a spot along the beginning of the cliffs called Tralacken. I’d been told the secret way to get there (which wasnt terribly secret I must say) as its apparently a favourite swimming spot of the locals in summer. A footworn path leads out from the main track up to the cliffs across to the coast and down over the edge. What I found were rocky terraces in staggered layers reaching down to the water. Down the middle theres a small flow of water creating little waterfalls here and there and I sat beside one of these for a while and watched two stags watching me until I got too cold and had to move again. Its a really pretty spot – it feels like something out of the movies – like there should be mermaids lazing on the rocks…. and singing dancing crabs with little top hats … and rapping fish with the voice of Will Smith- so an animated Disney movie then. I meandered back to the hostel stopping to say hello to R’s donkey in a field nearby. Im not sure why he has a donkey but I will try to slip the question into conversation sometime. But now I finally have an animal friend to give my apple cores to – I used to give them to Brie (puppydog of my heart with strange but healthy eating habits) and everytime Ive eaten an apple here in Ireland Ive had this odd sense of loss and confusion like I just dont know what to do with my apple core. But all is now right in the universe thanks to my donkey friend.
This afternoon I took another walk, this time down to the pier and around the coast to a little bay I’d seen from atop a cliff. The weather had taken a complete turnaround, summer in Ireland finally. The overtold joke in Ireland (just mention the word summer and someones bound to say it) goes ‘ I remember summer last year – it was on a Friday’. Well this year its been on a Monday and a Thursday and thankfully I dont work on a Thursday. So I spent the afternoon lying on a warm rock in the sun like a big fat lizard, on my own little beach. Then I wandered back, stopped in at Magnetic music cafe (the last music cafe for 3000miles apparently – well thats got to be worth a visit if it’ll be 3000 miles before I get another chance) and had a horrible coffee and a delicious piece of cheescake. And then I shopped at the Doolin Deli (the one food store in Doolin) for Mars bars and stamps. Just so you know, the days of tea and scones are over. Now its all Mars bars and cocopops (the stamps are irrelevant). Though I did break down and buy a scone today as well…. Dont you think its strange that NZers say scone as ‘scon’ when they should really say it ‘scone’ like ‘tone’ or ‘phone’ or ‘cone’. I encourage all NZers to start saying scone the way it looks. No matter if you feel silly, speak proud in knowing your interpretation of the ridiculous English language is surely more correct than those heathens who insist that scone rhymes with con.
Speaking of foods that could possibly be had for breakfast, and cons for that matter, on Wednesday I had my first morning working at the B&B down the road – cooking meat for people who eat meat – unlike myself. And I dont think it went at all badly. It was organized it so all I had to do was microwave the precooked sausages and puddings of both black and white variety, grill the bacon and fry the eggs. All of which I did – how well did I do it is the all important question. And to be honest I wouldnt really have a clue. Bacon is supposed to bleed right? But it was okay because my first guinnea pigs were Japanese, so the odds were that, one: they didnt have much traditional Irish breakfast experience to compare with mine, and two: they prefer their food raw anyway.
So I have two and a half days of work a week and the remaining four and a half are more often than not so far, spent in the manner described above. As you can see, its a hard life here in Doolin, and its a suprise I have time to blog at all. But don’t worry I wont let it stop me writing for the people.
Tags: Ah Sweet Doolin
Em
Now I understand why the energies of the universe suddenly fell into alignment, the apple core was out of place.
Don’t worry about the doneness or bleeding of bacon and such. My experience is that most folks that actually eat that do so out of habit and their taste buds actually died off years ago.
Thanks again for the tour, Emily….and please take care.
Michael