Live life 🙌🏼
What snack would you eat right now?
A banana! Which I will be eating in about 15 minutes. It’s 0540 here in Sydney and I’m on my way to work via the light rail (tram). I always have a banana before I start work, it really keeps me going for a couple of hours before I have breakfast. Without it, I’m a mess. I don’t think I could eat anything else right now. How about you?
Wayne
Come up with a crazy business idea.
What about this for a crazy idea. A store where you can buy furniture online, they deliver it to your house and assemble it for you. That would be absolutely amazing for me right now.
In good news, we have found a beautiful apartment to rent just out of the city. I have to call this morning to pay the deposit and secure the deal.
Next steps will be to buy the furniture and other bits and pieces. I really enjoy buying new furniture etc. but I really hate having to build them. The big items are the worst like a bed and sofa. If the retail store could have their staff assemble them for me, I would be absolutely delighted!
I wonder does this already exist somewhere? I am yet to hear about it.
Wayne
Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?
I used to love playing with little cartoon figures / figurines and using my imagination to create a world for them. I played with and collected many of these over the years (mostly Disney characters) and it was a great way to play on your own and become lost in a fantasy world. I would make homes for them in my coat and pretend they were living in a den. It sounds funny now but I could have done this for hours. My sister would sometimes play too but her imagination just didn’t quite fit mine most of the time!
Recently my niece and nephew have really enjoyed playing with these type of figures also and so I gave my collection from my youth for them to enjoy over the next few years. My nephew was especially delighted and I hope it brings him the same joy they brought me.
Wayne
What is your mission?
Wow this topic is so HUGE! You could write for hours about ‘your mission’…but I won’t. I wouldn’t want to bore you all.
My mission for now is to find a house to call home for the next six months at least. Today my mission is simply to get through a 12 hour shift that I’m about to start here. I have already dropped my electric toothbrush on my uniform, toothpaste everywhere and stained my uniform for the day ahead, oh dear!
Long term, my mission is to be healthy and happy in life. My mission is to be a good friend / husband / son / brother / uncle / nurse and be a kind person to people I meet on a daily basis. Life is tough, we should be kind to each other. Also life is short so we need to make the most of our time on earth (cliché I know but so true).
That’s it, short, sweet and to the point.
Have a great day everyone. See you this evening, or morning, depending where you are in the world.
Wayne
What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?
I think it’s only good to live a long life if you have a good quality of life. For example, I’m happy to live a long life if I have all my faculties. I would like to be “compos mentis” but also physically well enough to do things like going for a walk, doing the daily chores. I would hate to be a burden on someone or dependent on someone to help me.
I have met so many older people in my career as a nurse that have simply had enough and would prefer to pass away due to living a poor quality life, either physically, mentally, financially, being dependent or being in pain. It’s excruciatingly sad, especially when you see people praying to God to “take them home” as they are in so much pain and no longer wish to be on earth.
Therefore, I think a good quality life is important, not how long it is. What do you think?
Wayne
What could you do differently?
Worry less! I have a tendency to over worry. I am currently doing this with regard to finding somewhere to live. However, I recently met a couple of friends for coffee and they advised about checking out airbnb. I had never thought of this. Upon having a look on the app, I found many places to stay that are the same price as paying rent. I couldn’t believe it. Absolutely amazing and it really takes the pressure of now with having to find somewhere soon. We can simply book a nice room / house for as long as we want and it will be fully furnished. Such a relief. All that worrying for nothing. I never learn 😅.
Wayne
If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?
“Be a decent human being!” – that’s what it would say. Just be kind to others and if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.
Wayne
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
Hmm this is a tricky question. I would say that I spend time thinking of both equally. I don’t like thinking too hard into the future and I don’t like to wish my life away. However, sometimes it’s good to look ahead and try to plan your future somewhat. I would say I probably worry more about the future than dwelling on the past.
I do like to think of the past, either to look back in fondness or as a way of reflection. The past isn’t always easy to look back on with certain things so I try not to dwell on it too much, instead I try to concern myself more about the present.
I want to be in the present, appreciate what’s around me, my family and friends etc. and try to enjoy myself. I need to learn not to stress so much about every day life as things normally will work out in the end ☺️.
Wayne
What is the greatest gift someone could give you?
Their time. I know how precious it can be and how little of it we have these days.
Wayne
What colleges have you attended?
I think in America, colleges mean universities. Back in Northern Ireland a college is an academic school that you can attend from 11 years old until you’re 18, or in my case, from 15 – 18 years. However, I will write about the university that I attended as I think that is what this prompt is referring to.
I attended Queen’s University Belfast, not once but twice. I feel extremely blessed to have studied here (especially on 2 occasions) as it is the most prestigious university in the country, has a great reputation in the UK and is ranked within the top 200 universities in the world.
It is a very historic building with fantastic architecture and you can’t help but feel like you’re studying at Hogwarts. It is situated in a beautiful part of Belfast with lots of bars, restaurants and a botanical garden nearby.
I lived in Belfast whilst studying, pretty close to the university (as many students do) and was fortunate enough to be able to work in the students’ union. You really have a sense of belonging to part of the university here and it provided me with the best opportunity for making the most amazing life long friends.
I studied a geography degree firstly as I had no idea what I wanted to study and this seemed like the perfect fit. Although enjoyable, it was extremely difficult to find a job relevant to my degree. After a few years of working in minimum wage jobs, I decided to return to university to study nursing. I was thrilled to return to Queens’s and thoroughly enjoyed my nursing degree. The teaching and clinical skills learned here were fantastic and I have nothing but good things to say. If you study nursing you do not have to pay any fees and they pay you a small subsidy to help with your everyday living costs (as you have 9 placements to carry out as well as studying). The course was full on with a lot of assignments, clinical hours, studying to do etc., however, when you enjoy the course, that is half the battle.
If you are ever in Belfast, this has to be on your list of places to visit!
Have you attended any colleges / universities? I appreciate they aren’t for everyone and there are so many amazing careers that can be achieved without needing to attend university. The other thing is that they can be extremely pricey. I was looking at studying in Australia before and the fees were extortionate. Even in America, I don’t know how people can afford university. There are extremely expensive to attend. Maybe some of you can enlighten me, I would be intrigued to know your thoughts.
Wayne
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?
I’m not sure what this means at my age, I guess it could be anything that provides enjoyment in your life. When I think of play, my immediate reaction would be to think of the games I play on my phone. I play these games not to pass the time but more to relax and take my mind of other things. I have been playing the same couple of games for years now (at least 10 years). They started off as a distraction from studying but now they are something I enjoy to do if I have some free time. I may only play these for 15 minutes a day or it could be more if I am procrastinating.
I’m not ashamed to say I play Pet Rescue (this started off as a game on Facebook many years ago) and Pokemon (which I know is often associated with younger people). I find them entertaining, somewhat stimulating and a good distraction from any responsibilities I have.
Am I the only one who plays these? Do you have a favourite game on your phone? Candy crush? Tetris perhaps? Or does anyone remember Snake on the old Nokia phones??
Wayne
What are your biggest challenges?
Happy New Year everyone. We have just woken up on the first day of 2024 whilst the rest of the world will be counting down now until midnight (it’s 2340 in Ireland). I hope you all enjoy the celebrations and if not, at least have a good nights sleep.
This will be my third year participating in Bloganuary, a writing challenge where you are prompted to blog every day of January. I usually look forward to these prompts, even just to write something simple, it gives me the encouragement and motivation to keep blogging. I could definitely use this of late as my mojo has been waning. Will anyone else be partaking in this daily writing challenge?
My biggest challenges at the moment are;
1 – to keep up with this blogging challenge. I hope the prompts will be interesting (there can be some dodgy ones).
2 – as most of you will know, we have just returned to Australia. Therefore my biggest challenge is to find a new home to rent. This is difficult due to housing shortages and high rental prices.
3 – to return to my jobs and make a positive impact.
4 – find a new gym that I will love and can afford.
That’s it for now. Not too bad really, as long as I find somewhere to live, everything else will fall into place. What are some of your current challenges?
All the best,
Wayne
I love showcasing just one photo per month to look back on the year we just had. It’s good to reflect, see how far we have come and look back with fondness on the memories we have made.
I would just like to say thank you for all your encouragement throughout the year and I am very grateful for the connections we have all built in the blogging world. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate and a Happy New Year.
Take care,
Wayne
Hello everyone! I want to share with you a massive change in my life of late.
We have decided to return to Australia after having been home in Northern Ireland for the past 16 months. By no means was it an easy decision but our time at home just isn’t meant to be right now.
Who knows what the future will bring but for now we are excited to be back in Australia and look forward to the next chapter in our lives.
Life is short and you have to live it to the fullest, no regrets. I look forward to sharing more of my life / travels in Australia with a few doors thrown in along the way.
We are dog sitting at present until we find our own property and will be spending Christmas low key with the dog and the sunshine. There will be no snow here for Christmas!!
I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy spending time with loved ones and making beautiful memories.
All the best,
Wayne ✌🏽
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to a festive week of seasonal doors. I’m glad this week Dan’s Thursday door club is suggesting we show our favourite and / or festive doors. I have a few doors that I have collected over the past couple of weeks that I think really show some festive spirit in the lead up to Christmas. As always, please let me know if you have a favourite and I look forward to seeing all your doors also.
Personally, I have saved the best until last. This shop is the local florist in Hillsborough and has the most amazing creations made from twigs and twine (funnily enough). They also have some fantastic pieces of art on sale and manage to create spectacular window displays depending on the occasion. I think they have succeeded with their Christmas decorations and it looks even more stunning at night time.
I hope you are all keeping well and enjoying the lead up to the festive season.
Wayne ✌🏽
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. This week I simply have one door to show you all but it’s a fantastic one so I’m happy for it to shine on its own.
I have been a little quieter on my blog of late for two reasons…1. Being extremely busy with life and 2. I am in the process of clearing my media library to free some space. I’m replacing my older photos on posts with smaller photos and it is working really well, however, is it quite time consuming (and can be frustrating too).
I look forward to seeing all your wonderful doors this week.
Take care and have a great weekend.
Wayne ✌🏽
Wayne ✌🏽
Happy Thursday everyone! This week I have only two doors to show you. Really, I chose the doors mainly for their wreaths, I’m not even sure I would have photographed them otherwise, who knows. They are beautiful autumnal wreaths and they are my only two doors left that resemble autumn. It’s quite fitting to show them now as we enter November and the lead up to Christmas.
Does it still feel like autumn for you or are you ready to embrace winter?
I actually really do love the black door with its lights on either side. Do you have a preference?
Wayne ✌🏽
Wayne ✌🏽
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to a spooky week of doors. Seeing as Halloween is just around the corner, I thought it appropriate to show case some spooky doors that I have encountered recently or those that received the Halloween memo. Feel free to let me know if you have a favourite this week or if you find any door particularly spoooooky.
Ok so number five may not be particularly scary unless of course there is someone hiding in that coffin! I found number two to be pretty spooky, especially with the faces above the door, not to mention the angels floating above (not sure why they scare me a little). What are your thoughts? Have a great Halloween for those that celebrate. I won’t be doing anything special, however, I may need to grab some supplies for the kids in case they come knocking on the door with their trick or treating!
Wayne ✌🏽
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of wonderful doors. Here in Northern Ireland it is absolutely lashing with rain as we experience the wrath of storm Babet. It is dark, wet and gloomy here, therefore, I am showing you some of my remaining doors from Dijon, France so I can look back fondly to warmer times. As always, please do let me know if you have a favourite.
Number five is my favourite this week due to its unique colour and I absolutely love the grills where the windows once were. I’m not sure why I even like them so much and I don’t know why they are there, I suppose maybe for security or ventilation. It also looks extremely rustic and quaint, my favourite qualities of a door!
Enjoy the rest of your week everyone,
Wayne ✌🏽
Wayne ✌🏽
What makes a good neighbour?
This is very relevant to me now as we are currently waiting on new neighbours to move into the apartment below us. Having rented for most of my adult life and moving homes a lot, I have encountered great neighbours and maybe not so great. Luckily, I have never had a horrific neighbour…yet. A good neighbour for me doesn’t have to do much but there are two essential qualities that I would want.
1 – Respect those around you and be aware that your actions may affect others. This could relate to noise pollution, keeping the communal areas tidy etc. Noisy neighbours has been the worst thing for me, especially if people are partying late. We have experienced some crazy kids / parents in our time and even heard people’s sexual activities (not fun to listen to in the middle of the night!).
2 – Friendly but not overwhelming. I enjoy knowing our neighbours and making conversations but it’s great when neighbours have boundaries and don’t feel the need to pounce on you every time you open the front door. This could also be down to respecting each others boundaries.
Has anyone ever had a bad neighbour? What qualities would you like in a neighbour?
Wayne ✌🏽
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. This week I am showcasing only one door but it is from a building that I have wanted to share with you for a few years now.
The Nellie Vickery Chapel is the smallest church I have ever seen, located in Waverley, Sydney and just around the corner from where I used to live in Bondi Junction. It is situated on the grounds of the War Memorial Hospital, which was once a mansion built and owned by Ebenezer Vickery. His family donated the exquisite home to the church after the First World War and opened as a hospital in 1921.
Many nurses were trained here over the years and I had the privilege of working here for most of my time living in Sydney. Such a wonderful place to work, boasting a fantastic architectural structure with beautiful gardens surrounding it.
I just happened to stumble across this little church one day (as it is tucked away in the garden) and I was so amazed at its quaint and historic character. I also thought the door was pretty special and the stained glass window is really stunning. Sadly I cannot find much information on the church itself but I believe it was added to the site at a later stage. If anyone else can enlighten me, please feel free to do so 😊. If I return to this site, I will make it my mission to find out it’s history.
Wayne ✌🏽
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. Sadly I missed last week but I am back today with a bang! I am currently in England in the county of Cambridgeshire and am trying to see as many little towns as I can. Today we travelled to Godmanchester, a quaint little town about an hours walk from where we are staying. I’m happy to report that the town has some really lovely doors, amongst others things, including a beautiful park to walk along the river.
Please let me know if you have a favourite door this week.
I really like all of these doors (I suppose I wouldn’t photograph them otherwise) but strangely I am drawn to number four. It’s more of an outside gate and it’s very weather beaten but I find it pretty fascinating and would love to see behind it into the garden. I tend to like the doors that look a little run down. What do you think? I also love the number three house with the thatched roof. These houses are really common here but they just look so inviting and cosy and remind me of Ireland.
Have a great week everyone.
Wayne ✌🏽
Wayne ✌🏽
What’s your #1 priority tomorrow?
My number one priority tomorrow is to catch my flight to London tomorrow to visit my sister. I am really looking forward to head away for a few days and I see the weather is supposed to be good, so that’s always a bonus. Before I reach the airport, I have a few things to do :-
1 – wake up and have a coffee
2 – brush my teeth and pack away my toiletries
3 – wear something comfortable for travelling
4 – lock up the house and hop in my car.
All pretty straightforward as I have packed everything this evening because I hate to be disorganised and feel stressed. What’s your ritual before catching a flight? Do you have a number one priority?
See you all soon and enjoy your week everyone.
Wayne ✌🏽
Wayne ☂️
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of wonderful doors. I have only three doors to show case today but I feel they are very much worth showing. These colourful doors were spotted in Glenarm, a little coastal village on the Causeway Coastal route that takes you from Belfast to the North of the country.
As always, please let me know if you have a favourite this week.
My favourite this week is number 3 and that’s simply because I love the colour of the door against the grey backdrop. I can’t decide if the colour of the door reminds me of red wine or a beetroot! What do you think?
Wayne ✌🏽
Wayne 💪🏼
How often do you walk or run?
Every single day. I walk ALL the time and I love it. Walking is one of my favourite things to do, although it does depend on the weather and environment you’re walking in. After work, I will try and walk for at least 45 minutes and here is why I like to do that –
1 – I find it relaxing.
2 – Walking clears my mind, I can switch off and forget that I have been working all day.
3 – It’s a great form of exercise and I always feel better after exercise, both physically and mentally.
4 – It’s a great way to have personal time and space or if walking with someone, it’s the perfect way to catch up without any distractions.
5 – Fresh air (obviously this depends on the environment). I have a forest park that I walk around daily and I always feel so refreshed after. Apparently even seeing trees and / or water can make you feel really good and has many health benefits.
6 – Walking is good for your body and heart health.
7 – It’s free!!! I love if I can walk somewhere and not have to rely on public transport / driving.
Besides from walking after work, I will walk pretty much all the time. I walk from the car park to work and as a nurse, I am on my feet all the time. Even in the hospitals, I will take the stairs as often as I can and avoid taking lifts. Also on my days off, I love to find new places to walk and explore.
Ok I think it’s obvious to everyone now that I love walking! I’m just grateful that I have the ability to walk, not everyone has that luxury.
As for running, I’m not such a fan. Don’t get me wrong, I have run in the past and do occasionally run. I always enjoy it and feel really alive afterwards. The only thing for me is that I will lose too much weight if I run too much and that is not something I need to be doing!
What about you? How often do you walk or run??
Wayne ✌🏽
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of fantastic doors. This week, as the rain returns to Northern Ireland and the summer draws to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to show case some of my most recent green coloured doors. As much as I dislike the rain, I do appreciate that it is a necessity and the reason why Ireland is so green. As always, please let me know if you have a favourite door this week.
I have to admit, I absolutely love number four from Dijon, however, talking about Ireland, I feel that I should pick an Irish door! Number three from Portrush is my choice this week. I love it’s rustic and rundown appearance, the stained glass transom, the arch around the door and even the fancy door hinge at the top of the door. The door has real Robin Hood vibes for me, something you would see in Sherwood Forest 😜. Can you see what I mean?
All the best,
Wayne ✌🏽
Thank you Tanja of The red phone box travels very much for featuring me as a guest writer on your blog! I am delighted to share this magical place with everyone.
Finn Lough spa Finn Lough – Elements Trail and Spa Set in Fermanagh, a county in the west of Northern Ireland, you will find a beautiful and tranquil…
Guest post: Finn Lough – Elements Trail and Spa
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another wonderful week of doors. This week in Northern Ireland the sun is out in full force. We are having the long overdue heatwave, promised to us a couple of months ago. As usual, it has happened just as the kids have returned to school (sad for them). However, never fear, our heatwaves only last for a few days before the cold and wet weather makes a return. As the weather has been lifting everyone’s spirits here, I felt compelled to show some colourful doors this week to fit in with the Irish weather. As always, please let me know, if you have a favourite this week.
My absolute favourite has to be number 4. I really loved this door from Dijon and was probably my favourite door from my whole trip there. I don’t think I have ever seen a door this colour before and it looks very rustic and quaint to me. I also love the design of where the window used to be, very chic. What do you think?
Thanks for reading everyone,
Wayne ✌🏽
Wayne ✌🏽
When we travelled to Dijon for my birthday, we had it on our itinerary to check out the nearby town of Beaune, specifically for its vineyards and wine culture. We wanted to carry out a couple of wine tastings there so we took the train from Dijon that took about 1.5 hours and was pretty easy to navigate.
Although Dijon is the capital of Burgundy, Beaune is the wine capital. It’s famous for its chardonnay and pinot noir, both of which I really enjoy (depending on where they are grown). Beaune is also notorious for its architecture and art, whilst also being an historical town with its famous hospital, Hospices de Beaune founded in 1443.
I would like to show you the two wine tastings that we experienced and a little about the famous hospital. I also really loved the buildings and doors found in Beaune, the latter of which you can see in my Doors of WordPress posts.
The first wine tasting on our list took place at Joseph Drouhin and booked this directly with their office in Beaune. Luckily for me, my partner knows a lot about wines and picked this one for its central location in Beaune and the fact that it is one of the oldest and respected wine producers (not growers) in Burgundy. I loved how this company still belongs to the Drouhin family, with the great-grandchildren owning and operating the company today. It was fascinating to learn how the wines were made in the past and how these traditional methods are still used today, especially to mark special events or anniversaries. Seeing the cellars where the kegs and bottles are stored was fascinating, it felt like we were in an episode of Game of Thrones, meandering through the dark caves (oldest caves in Beaune) with bottles of wine literally found at every nook and cranny. I really enjoyed learning about cru (a term in France that distinguishes a high quality vineyard) and tasting the difference between the regional wines, village wines, premier cru and grand cru (the highest quality). It was only with the wine tastings that I could really learn and appreciate the differences between these wines. The regional wines were delicious but when you taste the premier and grand cru, my goodness, they are absolutely stunning! Nevertheless, they will be forever out of my price range. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here for our tasting and the staff were fantastic, very welcoming, friendly and knowledgeable, without making you feel silly if you don’t know much about the wines.
Our second wine tasting was with a smaller company, therefore offering a more intimate experience. This offered an experience to travel out and see the vineyards and villages of Burgundy, with a highlight being Meursault. The tour was called Cote de Beaune, lasted approximately two hours and offered one family-run winery with one wine tasting (around six wines). Our tour guide was fantastic, extremely passionate for the region, its culture and wine history. He provided information on the famous villages such as Pommard, Volnay, Puligny-Montrachet and provided the opportunity to stop at Mersault to take some photos of this historic town. Mersault is absolutely beautiful and you can tell it is extremely wealthy, however, I could not see myself living here as it is so quiet with not much to do. It’s waaaaay out of my price range so I need not worry!
Our tour guide took us to the family run vineyard of Maison Charles Pere and Fille, Grands vins de Bourgogne in Nantoux, basically in the cellar of the family home. In the garden was a plum tree with plums all over the ground. Our guide recommended these to eat as they are delicious and you would pay big money for these in the supermarkets. He advised to wipe any debris off, break the plum into halves and check for any worms! Once clear you could go ahead and eat. Unreal. We must have had a good few…and for free.
Once in the home we were given an introduction to the family and the history of how the estate has been passed down to Francois’s son and granddaughter. There were only three of us on the tour so it was really lovely to ask questions and learn in a relaxed environment. Our guide provided us with some fine wines, both white and red from villages to premier cru and explained what we were looking for with regards to aromas. I liked how he said there is no wrong way to taste wines and that everyone’s pallet will be different. It can be a little overwhelming with all the wine lingo but he made us feel very at ease and I definitely walked away with a little more knowledge than when I had arrived. We booked this tour through Safari Tours and I would highly recommend, whether you are new to wines, middle of the road (like me!) or a connoisseur.
I wholeheartedly loved both of these tours and was very happy that I was able to try some of the famous Burgundy wines. I also love how you can meet new people and learn from their experiences too. We had a couple of Americans on the first tour and it was fascinating to hear how some Burgundy grapes are now being grown in Oregon, USA.
Hospices de Beaune
I wanted to check out this hospital as I had heard it is a ‘must see’ when in Beaune, plus being a nurse, I was intrigued to see how this operated as a hospital in the 15th century. The building was initially opened as a hospital for the poor by the chancellor of Burgundy, Nicolas Rolin. The architecture here is exquisite and inside the building is equally impressive as you can see where the patients were treated, how their beds appeared and the utensils that would have been used. You can’t help but be moved when thinking how people were cared for here or even passed away. This hospital was in use until the 1970s, when a more modern hospital was erected and this building was transformed into a museum. For twelve euros you can carry out your own self guided audio tour, perfect for seeing the museum at your own pace and you can choose to spend longer or less time at each point. This was very interesting and a great way to learn more about Beaune’s history.
To conclude, Beaune is a fantastic town filled with history, culture and wine! We were only here for two days and mainly for the wine tasting but I would highly recommend checking this place out if and when in Burgundy.
Thank you all for reading.
Wayne
What TV shows did you watch as a kid?
I read here that someone had written about this prompt and stated that what we watched as a child could inform others of what era we were born in. This could not be further from the truth for me as the tv shows I watched as a kid were very much from the eighties, some of which have now been brought forward into the modern age by having been reintroduced.
The shows I loved were mainly cartoons. Some of them created by Disney and others more like live action, with the use of puppets. I will list a few that I can remember below and please let me know if you have seen or heard of any of these. Are there any people here from the eighties who can recall these shows?
Ok so there are quite a lot of shows here and these are only the ones I can remember off the top of my head. I watched a lot of tv as a child. I used to love waking up early and running to watch “the funnies” in the living room, especially at my Granddads house as he had sky tv in the late eighties. This was a game changer as there were so many new channels with all the cartoons on show.
Wayne ✌🏽
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of wonderful doors. This week I am delighted to share with you some doors from my trip to Dijon, France. For me, the doors appear very majestic with an old, rustic charm, blending in well with the architecture that has stood there for centuries. Please do let me know if you have a favourite this week.
I think my favourite has to be number 2. It just has such an enigma about it, the colour and intrinsic detail on the door really make it stand out. My only qualm is the face above the door that looks absolutely terrifying!
Thanks for having a look at my doors this week, roll on the weekend.
Wayne ✌🏽
Hi everyone. I have a quick question to ask and I know this is a good place to find the answer. My media storage of 6g has now reached full capacity. Do you know if we can purchase more storage rather than deleting from my media library? I don’t want to delete my images and affect my previous blog posts. I also don’t have the time or patience to change all my old images to a smaller size. I have been reducing the size of my images for the past few months and that has really helped but I know my old posts take up a lot of memory.
What do you think? If it was cheap to purchase more storage, then I think I would prefer to do that. Or do you think I should simply delete old posts?
Many thanks in advance,
Wayne
Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of fabulous doors. This week is from my current place of residence again and my favourite town, drum roll please…can we guess where it is haha…Hillsborough!
I initially took the photograph because of the really cool and unique car that was parked on the street. I have never seen a car so small and surprisingly the driver was able to fit in a large amount of groceries. It was only when I had taken the snap that I realised all the fantastic doors in the background. I’m pretty sure I have photographed a couple of them individually but I love them all collectively on this street.
How many doors can you see in this photograph? Do you have a favourite? Have you ever seen a car so small?? Please share your thoughts 😊
Wayne ✌🏽
What do you think gets better with age?
Most people age well (depending on genetics, lifestyle and our environment). Of course we look older but that’s a good thing. It’s a blessing to get older and I think it’s good to grow old gracefully. No need for all these fillers and botox. Wrinkles are laughter lines, signs that we have lived our lives, through the good and bad times. They add character and warmth, at least that’s what I tell myself as my wrinkles continue to grow and grow.
Port definitely ages well, enhancing in flavour and quality, much like people, you could say. I love a port with a cheese board or coffee, may it be tawny, LBV or vintage.
Cheers!
Happy Friday everyone! It’s been a while since I have showcased a flower of the day but today is particularly gloomy in Northern Ireland, so I thought this might brighten up the day!
I hope you’re all having a lovely start to the weekend. I’m just back from work and heading to work again tomorrow but hey ho, bills to pay 😝.
Wayne ✌🏽
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 ✌🏽
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.
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 ✌🏽
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 ✌🏽
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 ✌🏽
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 ✌🏽
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.
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 ✌🏽
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!
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 ✌🏽
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.
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 ✌🏽
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 ✌🏽
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 ✌🏽
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.
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 ✌🏽
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
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