Author: wrookieschu

From Belfast to Sydney. Believe in yourself and anything is possible.

STRANGFORD

Strangford is a small village in Northern Ireland just at the mouth of Strangford Lough. We managed to take a day trip here a few weeks ago on a rare sunny day and I really wanted to show you some photos to help show case this amazing place.

On the outskirts are some fantastic places of interest such as Scrabo Tower (that I have highlighted before) and Castle Ward (home of Winterfell, Game of Thrones), however, today I simply want to show you the village itself.

I have been here before on a normal cloudy day but I had never visited when the weather was actually good. Being in Strangford when the sun is beaming is just magical and you no longer feel that you are in Northern Ireland but transported to somewhere in the Mediterranean. As it’s a seaside town, you really do have those holiday feelings of pure joy and excitement. There is beautiful architecture, mixed with some old stone buildings, showing you how historical this village is, dating back to the 15th century. The area is also known for its conservation work and environmental significance, being the home to numerous bird and fish species, as well as seals and dolphins.

Across the Lough is another pretty village called Portaferry and you can take a boat across from Strangford for a small fee. The journey is short taking about fifteen to twenty minutes and you can even take your car on board. Many locals use this service to get to and from work. In our case, we headed over to have an ice cream by the harbour and were lucky to spot a couple of the local dolphins swimming past.

We finished our day trip with a stop at the Portaferry Windmill, built in 1771. I love old historical buildings and it fascinates me that they are still standing after all this time. If only we could see them in their heyday.

Thanks for checking out Strangford and our trip over to Portaferry. It really is a beautiful place to visit and I cannot wait to return one day. It would be lovely to spend a weekend here and see what else there is to see and do. I believe Strangford is a great place to wine and dine as the seafood is famous here for being outstandingly delicious.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Doors of WordPress V56

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of spectacular doors. This week features doors from my local neighbourhood in Hillsborough and although this village has been featured many, many times, Hillsborough still manages to provide more doors that have not yet been displayed. I feel very fortunate to have so many amazing doors to see on my doorstep.

As always, please let me know if you have a favourite of the week.

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This is a really tough one for me this week but I am going to be brutal and choose number four. Although not the clearest of photos, in reality this door is absolutely stunning. I love the colour, the transom window, the sidelights and the stone archway. The architecture of the whole building is just fabulous and I couldn’t help but dream of living in a place like this (except that it would be far too big for me!).

Have a great weekend everyone,

Wayne ✌🏽

30

The highs & lows of blogging 😅

This week I celebrated SIX YEARS of blogging with WordPress, hard to believe it has been that long. I thought this would be a good time to reflect on the highs and lows of blogging, specifically with using WordPress as my blogging platform. Please feel free to let me know if you can relate to any of my points.

My Highs :

– sharing my world, in particular, my travel experiences with my readers.

– connecting with other bloggers.

– blogging is a great tool for self expression.

– it can be exciting when you find a new topic to blog about and you can’t wait to put ‘pen to paper’ so to speak.

– reading other people’s work and learning about different cultures / experiences / destinations from all over the globe.

– learning from other bloggers about the tools available here on WordPress.

– being inspired by other bloggers and sharing ideas about blogging topics.

My Lows :

– I personally find WordPress quite pricey as I have to pay for my domain registration and my personal subscription annually. I guess over a year it’s maybe not too much money but the years come around quickly.

– Pressure on myself to continue to blog often. Now this is something that I know is not important and shouldn’t be pressure but it’s funny how your brain just niggles at you to blog if you haven’t created a post for some time. More so, if I have just travelled and feel I should be blogging as it’s fresh in my mind. I believe I have to blog about it instantly and almost feel guilty if I don’t. I know this is silly but it’s difficult to shake off sometimes.

– I know the basics of WordPress but I am not tech savvy at all and find it difficult to understand all the features available on WordPress, especially the themes.

That’s it for me. As you can see, my highs massively outweigh my lows and even my lows are not too bad in all seriousness. I REALLY enjoy blogging and just have to remind myself not to stress too much about how often to blog etc. It’s your blog and you can blog about whatever you want, whenever you want. HAPPY BLOGGING EVERYONE 😊

Wayne ✌🏽

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Amalfi Coast 🇮🇹

Describe your most memorable vacation.

My most memorable vacation will have to be our trip to the Amalfi Coast, Italy in 2014, before it blew up on Instagram and became an insanely popular tourist destination.

We were looking for a holiday destination that could guarantee some beautiful sunshine but that could offer lots to see and do. I’m not a huge fan of lying by a pool all day, rather I like to pack in my days with sightseeing and exploring different cultures.

We picked a few spots to visit beforehand and then used public transport to navigate to the different locations, finishing in Amalfi and Ravello. The trains in Italy were fantastic, very easy to use and although we spoke little to no Italian, the locals were happy if you at least tried to speak the language. They were extremely friendly and helpful, no matter where we were travelling.

I think what made this trip SO memorable was just being away as a couple and enjoying each other’s company, whilst exploring some really beautiful scenery. The colours, the architecture, the food, the limoncello, the coast and the weather all made this trip absolutely stunning and I would wholeheartedly love to return to this area one day again. It is just pure magic and a real feast for the senses.

I have highlighted below the places that we managed to see on our way to the Amalfi Coast, travelling from Naples. We actually never even stayed in Naples, we flew in and caught the train out straight away. We used Sorrento as a base for the first few days before travelling on towards the Amalfi Coast.

The ancient city of Pompei

The island of Capri

Sorrento

Amalfi

Ravello

A holiday never to be forgotten. Thank goodness for photographs to help capture the good times. It’s funny to see how cameras have greatly improved over the years as I thought these photos were great at the time but now I feel that I need to return to take better quality photos. Please let me know if you have ever travelled to Amalfi or any other parts of Italy. I would be interested to hear your thoughts also or even what is your most memorable vacation?

Thank you for reading.

Wayne ✌🏽

10

Doors of WordPress V55 : Mussenden Temple

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors or in my case today, simply one door. I had visited Mussenden Temple last weekend (for the second time) when staying at the north coast of Northern Ireland and wanted to share this amazing building and it’s fantastic door with you all.

This temple is one of the most photographed buildings in Ireland and sits perched on a cliff’s edge, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was built around 1783 for the Earl Bishop and was originally used as a library. For more information you can check out the link here. It certainly has an interesting history but I really love this building for its architecture and it’s intricate detail. The location is just stunning, situated between the home of the Earl Bishop and the coastline. I’m pretty certain the door would not be an original but nonetheless, it still appears to be pretty grand and sturdy.

The doors were locked on our last visit but luckily for us, we were able to enter the temple on our previous trip here in 2017.

Even more beautiful with blue skies. From inside you can see the Downhill Demense, previously the home to the Earl Bishop and the walkway to reach the temple. Imagine having to walk down this long walkway at night, simply to read in your library!

Thanks for taking a look at this amazing temple. Please let me know if you have ever visited here or if you have ever seen a temple like this one on your travels.

All the best,

Wayne ✌🏽

20

Calton Hill, Edinburgh

Two weeks ago we had the best weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland and I thought I would show you all a special place that we managed to visit. I have been to Edinburgh a couple of times before but never with the amazing weather that we have just had. I have to say, I have always loved Edinburgh but like anywhere else in the world I’m sure, with good weather, it really just POPPED with the glorious sunshine. The atmosphere was electric with a real buzz in the city and the architecture was out of this world.

Calton Hill is close to all the tourist attractions and is very easy to find from Princes Street in the city centre. You have to climb some steep steps to reach the top but it is totally worth it for the views all over Edinburgh. I was expecting the great view from the top but had no idea there would be so many amazing historical monuments situated here.

Taking the walk up to Calton Hill

Thankfully you will arrive to find a map of the area and you can observe your first monument here, The Nelson Monument. This is a memorial tower in honour of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson who was regarded as one of the best Royal Navy officers in history.

National Monument of Scotland – inspired by the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. This is a memorial to commemorate the fallen soldiers of times past. I thought this was pretty epic to see and I instantly had the feeling of being in Ancient Greece / Italy.

There are a couple of really impressive stone arch entrances.

Entrance to the City Observatory

City Observatory – built in 1818, this was also inspired by the architecture in Athens.

Amazing to see inside and imagine what it was like to observe the night sky with this impressive telescope, especially before all of our more modern technological advances / knowledge.

Observatory House – once the home to different astronomers and can now be rented out as a two bedroom holiday stay. This was my favourite monument for its unique design and character. I also really appreciated the surrounding flowers!

Dugald Stewart Monument – to commemorate the impressive philosopher and mathematician, Dugald Stewart.
Views from Calton Hill overlooking Edinburgh

That’s it for now. Thanks for taking a look around Calton Hill with me and please let me know if you have ever visited here yourself. I have never seen so many impressive monuments all in one small location!

I hope you have all had a lovely weekend and not developing the Sunday night fear that I am currently pushing to the back of my mind 😅.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Doors of WordPress V54 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to the weekend. I’m a day later than normal this week, it’s been a hectic work week but better late than never. This week I’m showing a few more of my doors taken from my trip to Edinburgh two weeks ago. Please let me know if you have a favourite this week.

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I really like the first door and this was located in one of the hidden streets just off the Royal Mile. However, the final door is my favourite this week. I love the wood that has been used, the colour / design and the fact that it’s tucked away into the walled building. A real classic!

Have a great weekend everyone, whatever you’re doing.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Doors of WordPress V53 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. My doors for this week were spotted last weekend when we were in Edinburgh, Scotland for a wedding.

They sure have some beautiful doors there in the centre of Edinburgh and the challenge for me was to try taking some photos without people photobombing as it is a tourist hotspot. As always, please let me know if you have a favourite this week.

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For me, I saved the best to last. I love the other doors, especially with the floral decorations, however, this blue one just hits the mark. These houses are below street level so you have to look down to spot these hidden gems.

I hope you’re all having a great week. Take care.

Wayne ✌🏽

20

My country wish list

What countries do you want to visit?

Where do I even start? I have visited a good few countries in my lifetime but the world is a big old place and there are so, so many left to see. Not that I wish to see them all but there are heaps on my wish list.

When we lived in Australia we had planned to travel the countries nearby but with covid and our never ending lockdown, it just wasn’t possible. I also want to see a good few in Europe, however, I simply don’t have the funds at present.

As I have numerous countries on my list, I will simply show you my top ten at this present time, excluding any country that I have previously travelled.

1 – Iceland 🇮🇸

2 – Sweden 🇸🇪

3 – Austria 🇦🇹

4 – Croatia 🇭🇷

5 – Japan 🇯🇵

6 – The Philippines 🇵🇭

7 – Malta 🇲🇹

8 – Greece 🇬🇷

9 – Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

10 – Samoa 🇼🇸

Wayne ✌🏽

8

Doors of WordPress V52

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of amazing doors from Northern Ireland. This week we had the most fantastic weather, enabling us to carry out some local travelling. On Monday we visited the picturesque seaside town of Strangford. I am looking forward to showing you this town very soon but for now, you can check out some really cool doors that I was able to spot there. As always, please let me know if you have a favourite this week.

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My favourite this week is number five, the red door. I love the bright colour, it really pops out and I love how regal the door looks. Also you can’t help but love the frame and brick work, absolutely stunning!

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone and take care.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Northern Ireland’s hidden village!

A local radio presenter had recently highlighted a hidden village as a place of interest to visit in Northern Ireland amongst other locations. This was a hidden village dating back to the mid 20th century. I am from Northern Ireland and have seen many of the tourist attractions here, however, I had never even heard of this place. This was extremely exciting to hear of a new place to visit, more so, as not many people have visited here as it’s off the beaten track. Today was the day to visit this fantastic location!

Known as Galboly, this little village along the Antrim coast was inhabited from the 1800s to the 1960s by people who made a living from the land and the sea. It was once home to about 60 people but by 1950 only a few people remained. By 2013 only one man still remained in the village, a monk who lived there until his death. I found the information from this site here very helpful.

Reading this piece made me want to visit the village even more! Thankfully this article provides very good directions and with the help of google maps and a couple of locals at the coffee shop, we found our way there.

After parking the car on the side of the road, we walked through the gate and ascended the steep track up into the mountains. This is what you imagine rural Ireland to be all about. It has a very ‘Star Wars meets Game of Thrones’ feel, which coincidentally, was a filming location for some Game of Thrones scenes.

Take a look at my photos below and please let me know your thoughts? Have you ever visited a hidden village before? This was definitely a first for me and it was absolutely magical!!!

We bumped into a local farmer on our descent who still owns the land. I asked him if it bothered him that tourists were now visiting frequently. For him, it was a mix of emotions. On the one hand, he and his family were glad to see people, as they had never really had much interaction with others before and on the other hand, they do not want too much activity on their land. I can completely understand this and I really hope that people do not tarnish the area or its wildlife. It is SUCH a special place that deserves to be respected.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Doors of WordPress V51

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of wonderful doors. It’s been a warm week here in Northern Ireland and I am certainly not complaining. We love to see the sunshine here as it doesn’t happen too often.

I took a walk along the Lisburn Road, Belfast a few days ago to get some fresh air and enjoy the sunshine. This road is famous for being a student area and having lots of rented accommodation for those studying nearby, myself included. As you head up the Lisburn Road, it becomes a more affluent area with trendy cafes, bars and boutique stores. I lived on this road for over a decade before moving to Australia, so it was a real delight to be walking along here again. On my stroll I came across a row of stunning terrace houses with fantastic doors and I wanted to share them with you. There was a few but I only managed to take pictures of my favourite three. Please let me know your thoughts on them.

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I LOVE the brick work of the houses, the bright colours of the doors, the arch frame and just their general quaintness. Absolutely stunning doors!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Pre internet times 🛜

Do you remember life before the internet?

I feel very fortunate to be able to say that, yes, I do very much remember life before the internet. I remember the first time I was exposed to the internet. I was 15 or 16 years old and in school we had weekly computer lessons. We were taught about the internet and how to type in a web address to search for a specific topic. Typing in www. for the first time was very surreal and I couldn’t believe we could look up anything at all on the World Wide Web and find information on that subject . It wasn’t until a year or 2 later that we had dial up internet installed in our family home. We would hear the internet dialling up every time someone wanted to go online and you would have to ensure no one else at home was using the phone. The amount of times I heard my parents say “get off the phone” when they were trying to connect to the internet!

What do I remember before the internet?

– Having to use a map and asking people for directions if I needed to go somewhere. There was no google maps in my growing up.

– Playing outdoors until the sun went down.

– Using pay phones to contact your friends or family when you were out and to make arrangements about where and when to meet up.

– Reading all the time. I was obsessed with books growing up, not so much anymore sadly.

– Visiting the local library, a lot!

– Having to visit a travel agent to book a holiday. Hard to believe as it is so convenient now to just book a quick flight online.

– Looking at cook books for cooking inspiration.

– Attending the bank in person to lodge money with my lodgement book.

– Making photo albums with real photos and in real albums.

– Writing to pen pals from countries near and far.

– Using a typewriter, this was such a novelty for me to type and then I progressed to the next level…

– My Commodore 64. My first computer where you could paint, play games and type in different fonts, even before the internet had entered my life.

Ok that’s my lot for tonight. That’s plenty but I’m sure there are many more things to remember. How about you? Do you remember life before the internet? It’s quite sad that the new generations will not know life before the internet.

Wayne ✌🏽

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Doors of WordPress V50

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to my FIFTIETH edition of doors!!! I can’t believe I have had fifty posts showcasing doors, never mind finding so many doors to display. Thank you all so much for taking an interest, for your continued support, likes and comments. My doors posts are my favourite to compose and I really enjoy everyones thoughts when picking a favourite for the week, allowing us to connect and also enabling us to see things from different perspectives.

This week I have picked a few of my favourite doors over the last year that have not yet been featured. As always, please let me know if you have a favourite.

1 – Ubud, Bali

2 – Carlingford, Ireland

3 – Seminyak, Bali

4 – Rostrevor, Northern Ireland

5 – Sydney, Australia

6 – Hillsborough, Northern Ireland

7 – Seminyak, Bali

8 – Hillsborough Forest Park, Northern Ireland

I love all these doors but I have saved my favourite for last. I love the stained glass windows and double doors. I also love the little cart and would love to have had a peep inside. I could imagine having holidays in this little mobile home, towed along by my car all over the country. Ah to dream!

Thank you all again and have a fantastic weekend everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

23

Brr it’s cold in here!

How do you feel about cold weather?

I STRONGLY dislike cold weather and here are my reasons why –

1 – I don’t like the sensation of feeling cold, I find it extremely uncomfortable. Have you ever washed your hands in freezing cold weather and it’s been painful?!

2 – I feel like I can’t think straight, which is actually a biological trait for when you are really cold, your cognitive function slows down or becomes sluggish.

3 – It affects my mood. I don’t necessarily feel down about the cold weather, I just know that when I’m warm I feel much better in myself and everyone seems to be in a better mood around me too. It’s been proven that people are happier in warmer climates.

4 – Goosebumps. I just don’t like them, even though I know they’re just trying to do their job and keep me warm.

5 – Clothing. I prefer not having to wear more clothing in the colder weather, i.e. coat, hat, scarf, gloves. Plus it’s more expensive! Furthermore, I have been scarred from having to wear woolly jumpers as a child, the itching would drive me insane.

6 – The price of oil and gas. I love having a warm home but it is so expensive to keep your place warm, more so recently with the ever increasing prices. Many people are having to live in cold homes due to the inability to afford fuel.

7 – Dangerous. Snow, sleet and ice can cause a lot of issues, especially when you have to drive.

As you can clearly see, I am not a huge fan of cold weather. However, I can appreciate that it’s not the worst thing if you are prepared and it can be very pretty to look at. I was recently in New Zealand at winter time and it was absolutely stunning! I can also appreciate winter fashion, especially when I’ve been wearing shorts and T-shirts for the past few years, however, I will always pick that over winter clothing.

What are your thoughts on cold weather?

Wayne ✌🏽

42

FOTD – Florist’s Cineraria

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to the weekend. Today’s flower was discovered at the Balmoral Show that I attended last weekend. With their vibrant, eye-popping colours, I was instantly drawn to take a picture of these stunning flowers. This was my first time hearing of these, has anyone heard of these before? Apparently they’re hard maintenance and grow best in high humidity countries, not sure why they’re in Northern Ireland, too funny!

Wayne ✌🏽

12

Doors of WordPress V49

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of fantastic doors. This week I took a look in my archive from doors taken in Northern Ireland a few years ago, just before I left for Australia. It’s funny to look back at my old photos and realise I have loved doors for many years now without even realising it. Please let me know if you have a favourite this week.

1 – Lisburn Road, Belfast, 2016

2 – Tonywall, Enniskillen, 2017

3 – Glenarm, 2016

4 – Glenarm, 2016

5 – Malone Road, Belfast, 2016

My favourite this week is number four. It’s extremely quaint and I do appreciate a red door! Can you believe next week will be my 50th post showcasing my favourite weekly doors? I need to create something special for next week 😅, so stay tuned!

Wayne ✌🏽

14

Balmoral Show

The Balmoral Show is a four day extravaganza that happens every year in Northern Ireland (with a break during covid times). It is the official agricultural event in the country and also the oldest, with the first show having been held in 1872. It offers the chance for people all over the country to come together and be involved in farming exhibitions, competitions, championships , sample local cuisine and check out the farming fashion.

As a child and teenager, I had been to this show many times. As part of the school curriculum, our classes of pupils were taken here yearly for a day out. We all loved it, the chance to roam free (from teachers) through all the stalls on offer, see the variety of animals on show, marvel at the sheer amount of tractors, see what it is like to a part of the farming world, try the different food stalls and collect as many freebies as we could, mostly pens!! (we would see who could obtain the most).

I had always wanted to return as an adult and see if the magic was still alive and to my delight, it really was! The event was previously held in the King’s Hall but is now held outside Lisburn at the Eikon Exhibition Centre at Balmoral Park. Luckily for us we could walk to the venue and I was super grateful as the traffic was pretty busy and you had to pay for parking (crazy considering the ticket prices were £25 each). On display were numerous stalls with local food, gifts, clothing etc. We were able to watch some sheep competitions, dressage, horse jumping and quad bike jumping. There was so much more on offer and with your map (given on entry), you can plan your day with what you want to see and do.

Have a look at my highlights below from spending the day at the Balmoral Show and please let me know if you have anything like this where you are from or would something like this be of interest to you. I would love to know!

I can’t say I know much about tractors but I do find them very impressive to look at. In this country, farmers take real pride in their tractors, it’s their way of life, not just a machine to complete their work.

This young handler of sheep competition was fantastic and probably the number one highlight of the day for me. The young handlers were competing with each other to be the best handler of their sheep. I have a few videos on my Instagram stories (N.Ireland) if you’re keen to see it in action.

I loved seeing the different varieties of sheep, some of which appeared like mini cows!

Using my map to navigate this giant space, looking for what to do next. Thousands of people attend every year but it’s very well laid out and there’s lots of space to manoeuvre. It was great just to be able to walk around and soak up the atmosphere, it certainly helped that the sun was out in force.

A great family fun atmosphere.

Our walk home through the countryside was beautiful, even with tired feet!

Thank you all for taking the time to read my post, I was delighted to be able to attend the show this year and thrilled to share a little of my day with you all. Have a great week everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

24

Doors of WordPress V48

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of local doors. My entries for this week are from a town called Newry in Co.Down, Northern Ireland, close to the border with Ireland. I have been here a lot over the past few weeks and have enjoyed coming across some new and beautiful doors. I hope you like them as much as I do and let me know if you have a favourite this week.

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For me this week, I kept the best for last. I love number 6 for its colour and regal appearance. The archway, pillars on either side and transom window really make the door pop! What do you think?

Wayne ✌🏽

18

Sunday sunset – Hillsborough Lake

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend and enjoyed the coronation if you watched it. Tonight’s sunset was taken a few evenings ago at Hillsborough Lake. I am obsessed with this place and walk around this lake almost every day. The sunsets here are just fantastic.

Wayne ✌🏽

9

Murlough National Nature Reserve

As most you already know, on my days off work, I like to get out and about to see some scenery, explore new places and appreciate the nature around us. I have actually been to this reserve before and really loved it, however, it was a cloudy day (surprise surprise) so I really wanted to return one day when the weather was better. Fortunately, we had a couple of days last month where the sun was splitting the trees and we took the opportunity to return to the Murlough National Nature Reserve. This place is really something else and I cannot wait to share it with you all.

Murlough National Nature Reserve is a delicate and impressive 6000 year old sand dune structure owned by the National Trust and has been cared for as Ireland’s first Nature Reserve since 1967. It is an outstanding area for walking, bird watching and taking in the sights due to its sensational location at the edge of Dundrum Bay and the Mourne Mountains (Tourism Northern Ireland, 2023). This is an extremely special location where you can enjoy breathtaking ocean views, with beaches, sand dunes and mountains all in one place.

Before we headed out for a walk, we had to eat. I was pretty hungry as we arrived around lunch time. We parked the car and headed towards Murlough House, just situated five minutes away. Thanks to Google, I discovered there was a cafe there and even better, they had outside dining. Luckily for us, the weather was beautiful so it was the perfect spot to sit out and enjoy the sunshine.

We had the most amazing savoury scones here and these were new to me as I’ve only ever had sweet scones. They consisted of ham, cheese and scallions. Truly delicious and the staff here could not have been any friendlier if they tried. Loved this place for a quick bite to eat.

After some food, we took the path from the garden leading down to Murlough Beach. This beach is very quiet and feels extremely secluded. You can often find a herd of seals here basking in the sunshine and it consists of many beautiful stones and sea shells. We walked along here for about half an hour where we then turned right into the sand dunes. You can, however, continue along the beach until you reach Newcastle Beach (very popular with tourists). The views of the mountains are something extraordinary to see along with the sand, stones, water and dunes.

We took a walk through the dunes that is very easy to do due to the board walks that are in place. We passed a lovely building that houses a coffee shop and toilets. Sadly not open on this day but I was glad of the toilet stop and there are picnic benches if you happen to bring food with you. There are a few different routes you can take on the board walk and I wasn’t entirely sure which way to go but with the help of google maps, we headed back towards Murlough House. Luckily for us it took us on a stunning journey back via part of Saint Patrick’s Way : The Pilgrims Walk. The views here of Dundrum Bay and the Mourne Mountains are simply out of this world!

From here we ended up back to the carpark just before Murlough House. All in all, this was a three hour round trip journey with a half hour pit stop for lunch. I highly recommend you check this place out if in Northern Ireland and have some time to see some stunning scenery.

Thanks for taking a look.

Wayne ✌🏽

8

Doors of WordPress V47

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of local doors from my neighbourhood. We have settled well into village life at Hillsborough and have found some more fantastic doors. I’m sure I must have seen nearly them all by now but I will keep my eyes peeled for more. We’re really spoiled for choice here in this village for beautiful doors.

This weekend is the Coronation of King Charles and here in Hillsborough, the village is coming to life with festivities for the future king’s celebration. Is anyone excited to watch the coronation or would you rather wash your hair haha. Please do let me know and pick a favourite door if you can.

Doors 1 and 2

Door 3

Doors 5 and 6

Door 7

Door 8

I think my favourite is the last door but it could be for the amazing wreath that’s featured. I’m a sucker for an interesting wreath!

Wayne ✌🏽

18

My favourite emojis 🤩 🤔

What are your favorite emojis?

I have to say I really do love emojis. I know, I know, they are not too popular here in the blogging world and that’s ok. I do try to keep them to a minimum here but I do use them a lot in text messages or in my social media apps. Not everyone has to like them but for me, they add a bit of fun and colour, plus sometimes the one emoji can really some up your mood, rather than a few words. Find below some of my favourite emojis 👇🏼

😊 – you just can’t go wrong with a smiley face. This is my number one go to emoji and it often sums up my feelings as I’m a pretty happy person most of the time.

🙏🏼 – I always use this as a way of saying thank you or thank goodness if I’m worried about something. I don’t pray too often but I use this also if I am hoping something goes well.

🩵 – I am a big heart person and I use the hearts to show if I love or care for something or if I am thinking of someone. I love the different colours of the hearts 🖤🩶🤎💜💙❤️🩷🧡💚💛🤍 and at the moment this one is my favourite as it’s a new colour and my favourite colour is blue.

🤷🏼‍♂️ – This one is great if I have no idea about something. Used more than I care to admit too 🙈

✌🏽 – My signature sign off emoji especially on my blog as I think it’s cool and it’s the symbol of peace.

😂 – I love this emoji and use it A LOT. It sums me up to a tee and it’s great if you find something really funny.

Ok so these are my most used emojis but I love SO many more and I could be here all day so I won’t bore you with them all 😂.

What are your favourite emojis? I would love to hear what you all think.

Wayne ✌🏽

25

FOTD – Rapeseed

Happy Friday everyone! Today’s flower of the day is the yellow rapeseed flower. We spotted these rapeseed fields on the way home from Athlone, Ireland when driving back up to the north. Furthermore, I have recently discovered many of these fields here in Northern Ireland also, having become very popular crops to be grown here. Many farmers are turning to these crops for their economic value as they have become increasingly popular for their producing of rape seed oil used in cooking.

I couldn’t believe we were seeing these fields. They are really stunning, the bright yellow can’t help but make you smile and brighten up your day. It was interesting to discover how common these have become here in Ireland.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Wayne ✌🏽

13

Doors of WordPress V46

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of wonderful doors. I recently shared a blog post of Athlone, Ireland and if you happened to check it out, you would have seen what a quirky and quaint little town it was. This week I want to show you a few of my favourite doors spotted in this amazing town. Please let me know if you have a favourite.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

This week I’m torn between two doors. I love numbers 3 and 5 but I will go with number 3 as I really admire a corner door and the little hood over the frame is really quirky and reminds me of somewhere in Italy or France? Does anyone else agree or is it just me??

Wayne ✌🏽

27

U N W I N D I N G

How do you unwind after a demanding day?

I love this question as it is SO important to wind down after a hectic day, both for your physical and mental well-being. I have a few things that I do to unwind, sometimes all in one evening and other times maybe just one or two of these. See below my top five ways to unwind after a demanding day.

1 – Chat to my partner about how our day has been.

2 – Have a cup of tea.

3 – Take a warm shower.

4 – Go for an evening walk (delighted now with the light nights).

5 – Read some blog posts and / or catch up on social media.

How do you unwind after a busy day?

Wayne ✌🏽

8

Athlone, Ireland

I want to share this amazing town with you all that is situated right in the heart of Ireland. We were heading to a wedding in the nearby town of Glasson and decided to stay in Athlone due to the location to the wedding venue and this is where we managed to find a reasonably priced place to stay.

The blue circle is Athlone, the heart of Ireland. Excuse all the other hearts and flags on my map, these are places of interest for me that I have already visited or hope to be checking out in the future.

We stayed in the most amazing B’n’B called Riverdale House that I managed to find on Booking.com. This place has a lot of character, has a fantastic proximity to the town, delivers first rate breakfasts and has the best hosts that we had the absolute pleasure of meeting. To be honest, our hosts Neil and Avril made this stay so perfect for us here. They were unbelievably friendly and extremely knowledgeable of the local area. Not to sound over the top but we really enjoyed chatting to this lovely couple and learned a lot about Athlone from them. Excuse my ignorance but I had no idea we were in the centre of Ireland, despite driving there but I was absolutely amazed to be staying in the heart of Ireland. Also Neil gave us a few suggestions of places to check out, including Sean’s Bar that, not only is the oldest pub in Ireland but also the oldest pub in the world!!! As proven by the Guinness World Book of Records.

Of course we had to check out Sean’s Bar and I can see why it is so popular. Obviously it attracts a lot of tourists due to being the oldest bar but it also has a lot of character and charm, as well as selling the most delicious pints of Guinness. It was actually really lovely to see so many tourists in the pub, almost like pre covid times. Situated on Main Street, Athlone, you are right in the heart of the town where there are lots of restaurants, bars and cafes. It is also a really colourful and quaint area that is a complete feast for the eyes. Also a very popular spot for tourists, stag doos and hen parties.

After a couple of pints at Sean’s Bar, we were able to hop over and try an Italian restaurant nearby as we were really in the mood for a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine. Pavarotti’s was really delicious with a lovely warm ambiance and really friendly staff. Highly recommend!

You can also take a walk along the River Shannon, check out Athlone Castle and another cool place to visit for a drink is Dead Centre Brewing (sadly we didn’t have time to try here but was highly recommended, maybe next time). There is also a lovely park by the river to check out, some lovely art work in the town, impressive architecture, an abundance of shops over the bridge and beautiful scenery.

I hope from my photos you can gather an idea of what this stunning little town looks like and maybe one day you can also visit the heart of Ireland.

We loved our stay here in Athlone and would be delighted to return one day. Feeling very grateful for all these amazing places to visit within driving distance! Thank you all for taking a look at this blog post and I hope you all have a lovely Sunday.

Wayne ✌🏽

20

Doors of WordPress V45 ⛪️

Hello everyone and welcome to another week of doors! Today is Friday here in Northern Ireland, so I am a day late with my doors, however, the weather yesterday was unbelievably good and I didn’t want to waste a second of it. When the sun shines, there’s no rain and the skies are blue, you have to make the most of it in Ireland.

I thought this week I would share some of my favourite church doors. I have so many photos of churches as I love the architecture and history of these buildings and thankfully they quite often have beautiful doors. Let me know if you have a favourite this week.

1 – Glaslough, NI

2 – Mudgee, Australia

3 – Queenstown, NZ

4 – Carlingford, Ireland

5 – Sydney, Australia

Have a great weekend everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

20

Doors of WordPress V44

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of amazing doors from Ireland. Today I have been travelling towards Galway to attend a wedding and fortunately I was able to stop in Kells along the way. A town famous for The Book of Kells, however, I believe the book has now been moved elsewhere, I have always heard of this place but until now, had never visited. Admittedly, I don’t know much of this place but I was grateful to stop here on the way to Galway for a toilet stop and a bite to eat. Luckily, I managed to spot a few amazing doors whilst here. Please let me know if you have a favourite this week.

1

2

3

4

5

I think my favourite this week is number two for the colour, arch and transom window. I also love a letter box that is high up on the door rather than at the floor, maybe that’s a sign of old age 😂.

Wayne ✌🏽

23

FOTD – Easter Tulips

Happy Easter everyone. I wanted to show case some tulips today that I spotted during the week. They can be symbolic of Easter due to their egg shaped blooms and they are one of the first flowers to return from winter, signalling a rebirth (Kanuckel, 2023).

Enjoy your day everyone and I hope you have some delicious food on your table.

Wayne ✌🏽

15

FOTD – Spring Spectacular

Happy Friday everyone and it’s Good Friday today for those celebrating Easter this weekend. Today we took a walk around Hillsborough Castle as they currently have their Spring Spectacular event on display. Here they show case many new spring flowers in bloom, with particular emphasis on rare Northern Ireland daffodils.

Therefore, my flower of the day has to be the daffodil today. I never tire of seeing these brightly coloured flowers as they are a reminder that winter is over and spring is finally here. I always associate daffodils with Easter too, as I’m sure many people do.

I hope they manage to brighten your day as they did mine today. Happy Easter to you all and I hope you enjoy some time to unwind and spend time with those nearest and dearest. Best wishes.

Wayne ✌🏽

20

Doors of WordPress V43

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors, all of which are from nearby places in Northern Ireland.

The weather is starting to improve here as we enter spring and the nights are stretching longer. Pure joy! Hopefully, I will be able to frequent outdoors more often and find some more doors across the country over the coming months.

Please let me know if you have a favourite this week 😊

1 – Hillsborough

2 – Newry

3 – Carlingford

4 – Scarva

5 – Finaghy

My favourite this week is number three from Carlingford. I love the colour of the door and it’s position in this very quirky looking house.

Wayne ✌🏽

22

Kilbroney Park, Rostrevor

This park was a real gem of a find. I had never been to Rostrevor but I knew it was on the coast of Carlingford Lough, near Newry, Co. Down and thought it might be worth a visit as it is close by. We followed google maps to Rostrevor, parked the car beside the park and wandered in for a look around. Just to the left of the park is Fairy Glen, where it is believed that fairies have or had once lived, according to Irish folklore.

It is well known here that the famous writer C.S. Lewis from Northern Ireland, spent a lot of his time in the Mourne area and in particular, Carlingford and Rostrevor. He was inspired here and once said that Rostrevor was his inspiration for Narnia. In this park there is a dedicated family trail to C.S. Lewis where you can see memorabilia from The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe stories. There is also a play area for the kids and an outdoor gym.

You can walk through the woodland areas, as well as around the park area (where you will also find a cafe) and along the river. It’s a truly magical place that leads back to the small, yet enchanting village. Entering and leaving the park you will see the most beautiful and quaint houses with some impressive murals on the walls leading through the village.

I cannot recommend this place highly enough and I look forward to returning here soon in the not so distant future. If you’re ever in Northern Ireland, be sure to check out this park and village.

Wayne ✌🏽

11

Doors of WordPress V42

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. This week I thought I would show case some of my favourite doorways…minus the doors. Sometimes a doorway can be really quaint, even without the door and I have a few in my collection that I have not yet had the opportunity to show case.

These doorways were all taken in Sydney, Australia. Please do let me know if you have a favourite this week.

1 – Bellevue Hill

2 – Darlinghurst

3 – Paddington

4 – Darlinghurst

5 – Woollahra

6 – Woollahra

My favourite has to be number 6 from Woollahra as I just love the brick work and the colour of the stones. Every time I used to walk past this building, I would stop and appreciate its beauty.

Thanks for having a look at my doorways this week.

Wayne ✌🏽

18

Share your World 28/03/23

Thank you Di from Pensitivity101 for your questions this week!

1. Do you have a lot of friends or do you know a lot of people ?

I would say YES to both of these. I have a lot of friends and I certainly know a lot of people. I have noticed that with growing older, my friend numbers have declined over time. Simply as people move on, have their own families, relocate etc, etc. and you simply drift away from each other. For friendship longevity, you all need to make an effort to be in each other’s lives. However, true friendship stands the test of time, even if you haven’t seen each other for months, when you do meet up, you just pick off from where you have left off. I love when that happens.


2. If you are at a party and know very few of the guests, do you mingle and introduce yourself, sit on the sidelines and people watch, or discreetly leave?

Yes I love to mingle and meet new people. I used to be very shy but as I have aged, my confidence has grown and I feel like I can talk to most people now with ease and I really enjoy having meaningful conversations and learning from others.

3. What is the best job you have ever had?

Working at the Grand Opera House in Belfast. I was a theatre usher for a few years and absolutely loved it. I made many life long friends from here also which was a real bonus. I loved watching the shows, seeing people enjoy the theatre and the buzz after a show had finished, with everyone being on a natural high and enjoying life.


4. Can you swim?

Yes and I love swimming. I’m not an amazing swimmer by any means but I am confident to swim and love being in water. It is such a great skill to have and pretty essential for when I was living in Australia.

Gratitude: I am grateful for having my own home now for the past two weeks. Being able to cook my own meals, wash my own clothes etc. makes me really happy and was something that I had previously taken for granted.

Wayne ✌🏽

7

Exercise!

What do you wish you could do more every day?

Since being back in Northern Ireland I just haven’t had the time to attend the gym as much as I would like to.

I work long days here so by the time I arrive home, have dinner, take a shower, prepare for the next day, it’s time for bed again.

I would love more hours in the day so I can exercise and / or attend a gym class. It really makes me happy to be exercising, feeling fit and releasing those endorphins.

I’m hopeful now that I have moved house and am closer to work that I will have more time to exercise, be that the gym or even a long walk in the evening, especially now as the lighter nights are coming in. Roll on this weekend when our clocks spring forward 😊😊.

Wayne ✌🏽

#exercise #healthiswealth

10

Doors of WordPress V41

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors from around Northern Ireland. I am sticking with my north coast theme this week and showing you some doors from the Causeway Coastal Route that I posted about yesterday. Please let me know if you have a favourite this week.

1 – Portrush

2 – Dunluce Castle

3 – The Nook at The Giant’s Causeway

4 – Causeway Coast AONB

5 – Legion Hall, Bushmills

6 – Post Office, Bushmills

I think my favourite has to be number three, even if it is a black door. I think it has an elegant appearance, with its transom window and archway. I also really admire the stone work of the building. This was once a school house dating back to the 1850s and is now a very popular cafe for tourists. It’s very quaint inside however it can be pretty pricey. We paid £7.50 for two teas!

Thanks for taking a look and enjoy the rest of your week.

Wayne ✌🏽

21

Causeway Coastal Route

The north coast of Northern Ireland / Ireland is undeniably beautiful and severely underrated. If you are from Northern Ireland, you will have travelled here many, many times as a child for your holidays. When people couldn’t afford foreign holidays, families would travel here to the coast, no matter if there was rain, hail or shine. Sadly, as many of you will know, our weather is notoriously wet and cold, however, when you do have good weather, the north coast is absolutely breathtaking and has a lot to offer.

You can travel along the north coast, also known as the Causeway Coast and there are numerous locations along the coastal route that are very much worth seeing. I have been to the north coast a lot but I haven’t often travelled along the Causeway Coastal route. It is well sign posted along the whole route and I will highlight the top sites to stop and see, at least those that we were able to tick off our bucket list.

We stayed in one of the popular towns in the north of the country, Portrush. I know this town pretty well as my parents lived here for a few years. It’s a really stunning coastal town and an extremely popular holiday destination. There are gorgeous walks along it’s two beaches, the West and East Strand. Portrush is well known for its theme park for the kids, surfing and paddle boarding and of course its abundance of fantastic restaurants and bars along the coast, in the town itself and by the harbour. For us, this is where we started our journey along the Causeway Coastal Route.

West Strand, Portrush
Arcadia Portrush, once served as a dance hall and cafe
Every Sunday you can find people having a very quick and cold swim here, before warming up with a coffee. Not something I could do 😅

1 – Magheracross Viewing Point – Our first stop has been on my bucket list since it opened a couple of years ago. The views of the Causeway Coast from here are something else.

2 – Dunluce Castle – One of the most stunning castle remains in Ireland. This magnificent castle dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries. You can pay a small fee to visit the information centre and walk around the castle or like us, you can simply view from afar.

3 – Portballintrae Causeway Loop – this walk is absolutely stunning and only takes about 45 minutes one way. If you want to see the Giant’s Causeway without having to pay the hefty fee, park your car for free at Portballintrae Beach and enjoy the walk to the Causeway along the old train line.

4 – Bushmills – This is a really quaint little town near Portballintrae that is really worth checking out when you’re in the vicinity. We stopped for tea at the famous Bushmills Inn.

5 – Dunseverick Castle – I couldn’t wait to see this castle so when I found it along the Causeway coastal route, I actually laughed out loud. I couldn’t believe it was simply a couple of pillars left. However, this was once a majestic castle with an impressive history dating back to as far as 5AD. It’s said that St Patrick also visited here to baptise a local man who would later become the Bishop of Ireland (National Trust, 2023).

6 – Pans Rock Pier – This was our last stop along the Causeway Coastal route. I had wanted to see this pier since seeing it on Instagram a few months ago (the power of social media). It’s a beautiful pier situated at the far end of Ballycastle Beach. Ballycastle is a fantastic seaside town to check out along the Causeway Coastal route and I have been here a few times before but somehow had never seen this pier. Also this beach is pretty extraordinary as it is compiled of many different pebbles of all shapes and sizes that comprises of quartz, sandstone and granite.

I hope you have enjoyed the journey along Northern Ireland’s spectacular coastline and hopefully one day you may be able to see it for yourself, if you haven’t done so already. I know I am biased but it is honestly extremely beautiful!

Wayne ✌🏽

12

Sunday Sunset – Hillsborough

Happy Sunday to you all, I hope you’ve had a lovely weekend. This sunset was taken a couple of evenings ago from our new home in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland. You will probably have seen from my previous posts that I have been frequenting this town for some time now and have really grown fond of the area. Thankfully, we are able to live here for a while and are looking forward to enjoying all Hillsborough has to offer in the coming weeks.

See you all next week!

Wayne ✌🏽

12

Doors of WordPress V40 ☘️

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to my FORTIETH edition of Doors of WordPress. I thought with tomorrow being St Patrick’s Day in Ireland, I would showcase some of my favourite green doors that I have seen recently in Northern Ireland.

Sadly I will be working tomorrow and not seeing much of the Patrick’s Day celebrations. It used to be one of my most favourite holidays to celebrate, wearing something green, having a big fry for breakfast and then heading out with friends for some Guinness and Irish music. Even when I was in Australia it was always fun to celebrate the occasion, I guess as there are so many Irish people living in Sydney. I suppose there are so many Irish people everywhere as you will see huge celebrations all over the world, especially in America where many Irish people once emigrated to, just like Australia.

Will you be celebrating St Patrick’s Day this year or have you celebrated in the past? Also please do let me know if you have a favourite green door this week. I love to hear your thoughts.

1 – Cushendall

2 – Carlingford

3 – Ballymascanlan

4 – Hillsborough

5 – Hillsborough

6 – Newry

7 – Rostrevor

8 – Rostrevor

For me, the favourite of the week has to be number 7 from Rostrevor. I think the door and whole building is absolutely fantastic, the windows, the greenery and that homely, country feel. Outstanding.

Have a great day everyone and I hope you all have a lovely St Patrick’s Day tomorrow ☘️☘️.

Wayne ✌🏽

28

Driving in the snow!

What is the last thing you learned?

I had never driven in snow before, believe it or not. Today was my first time and the snow fall was plentiful. It has been snowing all night so I was not looking forward to my 5.40 am wake up call.

So what did I learn before arriving to work?

I learned the importance of giving yourself plenty of time to clear the snow from your car.

I learned to use a higher gear when driving from your driveway so the wheels do not spin.

I learned not to break when driving down a very steep hill, instead steering my way down and hoping not to meet any other cars.

And if at first you don’t succeed (almost sliding into a wall), try, try again.

Thankfully I made it so work successfully and survived my first snow day in my car 😅😅.

Did anyone else experience snow today?

Wayne ✌🏽

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