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 ✌🏽

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.

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).

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 ✌🏽

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 ✌🏽

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 ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V39

Happy Thursday from a very cold and snowy Northern Ireland. We are into our first week of spring here, so of course that means snow here! Without fail, we become excited when winter is over, only to be hit with a cold front. This happens year in year out, with the possibility of this right up until April and even May. I’m not sure why we are always surprised by this!!

For this reason, my doors for this week aim to brighten up your day or even week as I pick out some of my most colourful doors from my archive. Please let me know if you have a favourite.

1 – Dolls Point, Sydney

2 – Woollahra, Sydney

3 – North Bondi, Sydney

4 – Banbridge, NI

5 – Hillsborough, NI

6 – Carlingford, Ireland

7 – Newcastle, NI

8 – Waverley, Sydney

I’m finding it difficult to choose a favourite but I really do love the yellow door from Carlingford. The colour and design of the door, fitting snugly into the brick wall just oozes quaintness overload for me. I hope these doors add a little colour to your week. Enjoy your day everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

Sunday Sunset – Back yard

Tonight’s Sunday sunset taken from our own very back garden at 5.30pm. The nights here are getting longer and by next week I believe the sun will set at 6pm. This is the best thing about summer in the UK and Ireland, the longer nights, where it can be daylight until about 11pm at night, meaning your days will be super long. Bring it on I say!

Wayne ✌🏽

Scrabo Tower & Scrabo Country Park

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all enjoying your weekend. Today I want to share with you an amazing landmark in Northern Ireland that is very well known here and is quite the spectacle. We took a drive here yesterday for a walk and some fresh air.

It is known as Scrabo Tower and was built in 1857. Situated on Scrabo Hill, Newtownards (just outside Belfast) you can see the most amazing views of Strangford Lough and across the whole of Co. Down, as far as the Mourne Mountains. I simply put the landmark in to Google maps to find this spot, very simple to do thankfully.

I had always wanted to visit here as I had seen some spectacular photos from other Northern Ireland fanatics and I also love buildings like this one, towers and lighthouses are my absolute favourites. I love the tower’s design and how it is made from stone found at Scrabo Hill, including sandstone. Researching about this tower, I was surprised to read that a family actually grew up in this tower for many years and they even ran a successful tea room, specialising in Irish country teas. You can read more information here if you are interested.

My photos do not even do the view any justice, you really need to see with your own eyes to truly appreciate the beauty all around the tower. If you want some information on the history of the tower and how to get there, you can click the link here. My advice would be to wrap up warm as this site, being so high from sea level, will be very cold and extremely windy. We nearly had our heads blown off! Also try visiting on a clear day to ensure you have the best views possible.

You can’t help but think of Repunzel 😄

At the bottom of Scrabo Tower, just beside the car park, you can find Scrabo Country Park. This is a beautiful woodland park where the paths meander, taking you up and down and round and around. We actually got a little lost here believe it or not but it was worth it for the views at the top of the park that we happened to stumble across. We stopped here for some sandwiches and a cup of tea. This was a real highlight and I was just so grateful that the tea had managed to stay hot in my flask, very welcoming when it’s so cold. The view from our pit stop was out of this world and just encapsulated Northern Ireland for me. You could see hills, green pastures, Strangford Lough, the Mourne Mountains and even Harland & Wolff, the two most famous cranes from Belfast’s ship yards. Thankfully, there were also bathrooms at the end of the walk 😅.

This is a great park to walk in if you’re looking for somewhere different to try and you have the added benefit of having Scrabo Tower just beside you. I can’t wait to return, maybe in the summer and maybe even take a walk inside Scrabo Tower (only open in summer).

Thanks for reading and enjoy your Sunday.

Wayne ✌🏽

Clare Glen Woodland

Yesterday we took a walk to Clare Glen Woodland. It’s less than 20 minutes to drive here from where I currently live in Banbridge and I used to walk here all the time growing up as a child and teenager with our family dog. It’s a beautiful place to become one with nature and really appreciate the beauty around you. It’s a short 2km loop walk in Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland, in between Tandragee and Markethill. You will find a variety of tree species including hazel, oak, ash and I always remember collecting conkers here to collect for the school playground from the chestnut trees. Does anyone else remember playing with conkers (or chestnuts to others) attached to a string and used to swing and break your opponents conker?

The walk takes you along the River Cusher and the sound of the river just resonates with tranquility and serenity. It is so soothing for the soul and really relaxes you and allows you to wash away your daily worries. The trees, greenery, nature, birds and even the mushrooms we saw here are just beautiful. In the spring time you can also see an abundance of blue bells, so I am extremely eager to return in a couple of months time.

Have a look at my pictures taken below and hopefully they can convey even a small amount of how fantastic this woodland is.

Walking through this woodland, you really feel that spring is just around the corner and believe me, I am extremely glad. Thank you for taking a look at my post today and have a lovely weekend.

Wayne ✌🏽

FOTD – Dutch Crocus

Happy Friday to you all. It’s been a while since I have showcased a Friday flower / flower of the day but I thought today was very appropriate. These are Dutch crocuses and bloom in spring time, hallelujah it’s a sign that winter is coming to an end. I love the colour of these and you can’t help but smile when you see them. I am currently on day two of having covid and my only trip outside is for a walk where there are no people. I’m feeling ok, just tired with a runny nose. These flowers cheered me up, as did the walk and fresh air.

Dutch Crocus – a symbol of love and vision 💜🤍

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V37

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. This week I am showcasing a few more of my doors from my recent trip to Carlingford as they are too good not to share, in my humble opinion.

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

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

As much as I love them all, mostly for their quaintness and colour, I really love the last door. To me it looks very regal and sophisticated. The red colour really pops and I love the pillars/archway and transom window.

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

Wayne ✌🏽

CARLINGFORD

Hi everyone! I recently took a trip to this amazing town in Ireland called Carlingford and I just really want to share this place with you. I had been here before for a day trip but had always wanted to return for a longer duration in order to really get a feel of this place. Carlingford is well known to us in Northern Ireland for being a fun place for hen and stag parties or nights out but I wanted to return to explore what else was on offer.

Carlingford has an abundance of things to offer the locals and tourists alike. It is a coastal town in Co. Louth, about halfway between Belfast and Dublin, making it easily accessible to either sides of the Irish border. It’s actually only 40 minutes from where I live by car and 11 km south of the border but you instantly feel like you are a million miles away when you stay here. It’s a coastal town, nestled between Carlingford Lough and Slieve Foy mountain, therefore, you have the opportunity to view beautiful scenery, taking lovely photographs, enjoy the walking trails, view the local attractions, have picnics and even partake in outdoor activities such as horse riding or surfing.

We stayed at Wildwood Lodge, a beautiful hotel style room overlooking the Lough and just a 5 to 10 minute walk into the town. I loved it here for the tranquility and the views were absolutely stunning, especially as you can see the sun rise every morning. I will highlight a few of the attractions/landmarks that we were able to witness on our three day break and to be honest, we could have stayed here longer as there is so much to do. I would love to have taken a few of the walks/hikes but that will have to be for another time, simply meaning I will have to come back 🙌🏼.

Sunrise from our accommodation 😍

Before heading to Carlingford, I checked out the following website https://www.visitcarlingford.com/the-15-most-instagrammable-spots-in-carlingford/ for ideas and inspiration. This website was amazing to showcase the most popular things to see and I simply made my way through the list as best I could. There are a couple of things we didn’t manage to see but that will also be for a later date. I have highlighted my favourite tourist attractions below in the order that I seen them and hopefully they will inspire you to maybe visit the wonderful Carlingford one day.

1 – The Doors (and quaint/colourful buildings). I am an absolute door lover so I was in my element to see so many amazing doors, as you may have already seen and I will be posting more over the next couple of weeks. You can see my doors from last weeks blog post here.

2 – Thosel Street. I am obsessed with quaint and historic places so this street was right up my street, so to speak. It just oozes charm and character with its old stone buildings and historic architecture.

3 – Ruby Ellen’s Tea Rooms. We loved this place, so much in fact, that we returned the next day again for breakfast. Quirky and chic with delicious food and the friendliest staff.

4 – The Giant’s Chair. I love anything gimmicky like this for a fun photo but this was even better as it was located in the Leprechaun and Fairy Cavern. This was magical and although the tours are only on weekends, we were happy to take a walk around ourselves and marvel at the Irish folklore.

5 – Carlingford Heritage Centre & Carlingford Tourist Office. This was great for a history lesson of the town and for £3 you can have a talk from a local historian. The church building is exquisite and you can take a walk around and appreciate the old graveyard. The tourist office was fantastic for finding all the spots you want to see and the tourist officer was extremely friendly and helpful.

6 – Carlingford Marina & Anchor. This can be found just off the Lough front, a one minute walk from the town. You pass here to find the Leprechaun and Fairy Cavern.

7 – The pubs. These are fantastic for some great Irish beers, food and live traditional music. We had the best Guinness in Carlingford!

8 – Carlingford Abbey. This monastery dates back to 1305 and still looks impressive even to this day. I love these type of historic, stone buildings so I couldn’t wait to see this. Situated about a five minute walk from town, you can easily find this on google maps.

9 – King John’s Castle. Initially built around 1190 to defend the sea lough, this castle rests on a cliff overlooking Carlingford and its Lough. Although closed off to the public for repair, you can still walk around the outside and see some spectacular views. This was close to our accommodation so we would walk past this at night to return to our room and it was pretty special, albeit a little spooky.

10 – The Marina. I only stopped here to take a picture as it was beautiful to look at but there is a restaurant here too if you’re looking for somewhere different to eat. I believe the Greenway walk begins here also which I hope to do when I return.

11 – Flagstaff Viewpoint. This is actually outside of Carlingford, near to Newry. I had to add the location to google maps on my phone to find this spot but it’s well worth the short drive to see a stunning 360 degree view and Carlingford from a great height (without having to walk up). Sadly it was quite overcast for us but I’m sure this would be out of this word on a clear sunny day.

That’s my lot for Carlingford. I hope you enjoyed seeing this amazing town just over the border from Northern Ireland. I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to return to carry out some of the walks and view more of the outstanding scenery. Many thanks for having a read.

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V36

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. Over the next two to three weeks I will be showcasing some of my doors from our recent trip to Carlingford, Ireland. I will create a blog post for this town also as it’s too amazing not to share with you all. Let me know if you have a favourite door this week.

1

2

3

4

5

6

I love the colours of these doors, bright and fun. They really give you a sense of what Carlingford is all about. I love door number five, especially with the wreath, however, the two houses in image six are my favourites this week, just beautiful and the doors blend in perfectly.

Stay tuned for more doors from Carlingford next week and enjoy your day everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

Local walks in Northern Ireland to kick off the new year

Last month we managed to squeeze in a few different walks here in Northern Ireland. Some of these, you can spend maybe an hour walking around and others you can spend longer as it will take more time to walk around or you may find yourself snapping away at the beautiful scenery. They are great walks for getting out of the house and taking in some beautiful views and fresh country air. I have provided the websites for each location so you can check them out for yourselves also. These are perfect if you are looking for somewhere different to walk or if you ever plan to visit Northern Ireland in the future. There are many other walks that I have taken or plan to take but these are just the last few that I have walked recently.

Castlewellan Forest Park

https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/castlewellan-forest-park-p675411

Silent Valley Reservoir

https://www.niwater.com/the-silent-valley-trails/

Gosford Forest Park

https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/gosford-forest-park-p675161

Hillsborough Forest Park

https://visitbelfast.com/partners/hillsborough-forest/

Scarva Park

https://getactiveabc.com/parks/scarva-park/#:~:text=Scarva%20Park%20is%20a%20Green,site%20an%20important%20educational%20tool.

Craigavon Lakes

https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/craigavon-lakes-p694861

I hope you enjoy seeing the walks that I have taken over the last few weeks. They are all unique in their own way and offer a place that’s perfect for clearing your mind and taking in some fresh country Northern Irish air.

Take care and keep walking!

Wayne ✌🏽

Sunday sunrise – Carlingford

This beautiful sunrise was taken a few days ago when we took a trip to Carlingford, Ireland. I can’t wait to show this place off in a blog post coming soon. I hope you have all had a lovely Sunday. I’m just back from visiting family in the south of England and now counting down until work tomorrow. However, not before a Chinese meal and some Star Wars! See you all next week.

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V35

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. I have a selection from three different places in Northern Ireland. Please let me know if you have a favourite. I love the last two doors, especially with the beautiful wreaths attached and I believe the home was lived in by the popular artist Colin Middleton ( a Northern Ireland landscape artist).

We have just returned from Carlingford in Ireland for a mini break and I have thee most amazing doors to show you all in the coming weeks so be sure to stay tuned. I will also write a blog showcasing Carlingford, highlighting the best things to do and see. It’s a special little town just over the border from Northern Ireland.

1 – Craigavon

2 – Craigavon

3 – The Hillside Pub in Hillsborough

4 – Bangor Marina

5 – Bangor

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

Where is the best place to watch the sunset near you?

Bloganuary day 31

Can you believe it’s the last day of this blogging challenge? Blogging every day in January has been fun and it’s great to have a prompt, especially if you are struggling with topics to blog about. I quite like Bloganuary as it asks you questions that you normally wouldn’t ask yourself. So thank you WordPress and your people for providing us with some thought provoking topics.

Today’s prompt is a lovely one to finish on. I often post sunrise or sunset pictures on a Sunday as I thoroughly enjoy watching and photographing these. There were so many locations in Sydney to watch epic sunsets, however, I am yet to find the perfect spot near me in Northern Ireland to catch a worthy sunset. I did manage to see some amazing sunrises this weekend in my trip away to Carlingford (I will show case this very soon), however, the nicest sunset I have seen recently near me was literally outside my house in the town I am currently living in, Banbridge.

I will be making it my mission to find some amazing sunset spots near me in the not so distant future but for now, the sunset in my town will have to suffice.

Stunning sunset in Banbridge, made even prettier by the recent appearance of snow.

If you know of any great spots to see the sun setting in Northern Ireland, please do let me know and I will endeavour to check them out.

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V34

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another glorious week of doors. I have been thinking of Sydney, Australia a lot this week, therefore, I think it would be good to show some more of my Sydney doors, even if it’s just for me to be able to reminisce. Please let me know if you have a favourite this week.

1 – Woollahra

2 – Woollahra

3 – Paddington

4 – Paddington

5 – Woollahra

My personal favourite is the first one. It’s the colour for me, so bright and full of life. The panelling and transom window are great features and I also love the greenery and picket fence in the frame.

Thanks for taking a look and have a lovely end to your week.

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V33

Happy Thursday to you all. For this week’s doors, I am running with the prompt from today’s Bloganuary, ‘What colour describes your personality and why? I think of blue being my colour, so for this week I am showcasing some blue doors from my catalogue. Let me know if you have a favourite.

1 – Arrowtown, NZ

2 – Belfast

3 – Hillsborough

4 – Hillsborough Castle

5 – Sydney

6 – Arrowtown, NZ

7 – Cushendall

8 – Banbridge

9 – St Kilda, Melbourne

I have to admit, it’s number 9 for me, simply for the splash of colour as well as the bright blue door. It’s a feast for the eyes.

Thanks for taking a look at my blue doors.

Wayne ✌🏽

What brings you joy in life?

This is a good question for day 5 of Bloganuary and is an easy for me. Being outdoors on a good nature walk brings me joy, especially if I am with my other half or friends. I love it. I really enjoy the serenity, the scenery, fresh air, feeling healthy, taking photographs and just generally appreciating life. It’s the simple things in life for me that bring me joy.

I do love walking in general, anywhere really, for example walking tours in the city. However, what really brings me joy is a walk in nature, be that by the sea or in the countryside.

I have accomplished so many great walks in Sydney, Australia and now I really look forward to some fantastic walks here in Northern Ireland and Ireland as a whole. Bring it on!

What about you? Do you love to walk? What brings you joy in life?

Wayne ✌🏽

FOTD – Greater Periwinkle

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to my last flower of the day for this year. I can’t believe it’s the 30th of December 2022, however, I will be glad to have this year behind me and focus on 2023. It’s been a tough few months to say the least but I feel like this image below signifies it perfectly. This beautiful lavender periwinkle flower was covered in snow and now it’s slowly thawing out, ready to shine once again.

I want to wish you all a very happy new year and take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you very, very much for all your support with my blog. I honestly appreciate it so much, every like, every comment, every emoji and ALL the positivity shown here in this extraordinary space known as the blogosphere.

Greater periwinkle (fabulous name) – spotted at one of my new favourite places, Hillsborough Castle.

Take care everyone and I hope to see you all back here in 2023! I will be participating in this year’s Bloganuary as I loved it so much last year. Will anyone else be participating?

Wayne ✌🏽

Ballymascanlan Hotel

I was catching up with a good friend from Sydney at the weekend past and wanted to meet in a place that suited us both for travelling. My friend was coming from Dublin and I would be travelling from Belfast. We settled on the Ballymascanlan Hotel, just outside Dundalk. This was a one hour drive away for both us, making it a perfect spot for a lunch date.

This hotel was very easy to find from Belfast. Straight down the motorway, onto the dual carriageway towards Dundalk and then just off the roundabout towards Carlingford. I was aided with google maps but just be mindful that the mobile data may switch off, as did in my case, due to travelling from Northern Ireland to Ireland.

The hotel is very quaint, an old Victorian house in the middle of a stunning parkland. Inside was beautifully decorated, ready for Christmas. We had a three course Christmas lunch that was very tasty and really made us feel those Christmas vibes. We loved it and I will definitely be keen to return in the future. Be sure to check this place out.

Have you a favourite spot for a Christmas lunch? What do you do to feel Christmassy? Tis’ the season!

Wayne 🎅🏽

Sunday Sunset – suburbia

Wayne ✌🏽

FOTD – Red Bistort

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to the weekend. This little gem was spotted on our trip to Hillsborough Gardens last weekend. Thankfully it wasn’t covered in snow and we were able to spot this. It’s bright colour certainly does catch your eye.

Red Bistort, originally from the Himalaya Mountains, can be seen all over the UK. They can be found in meadows, pastures and along the roadsides. Traditionally they would have been used in deserts at Easter time, more so in England, I have never heard of this but fascinating all the same. These flowers can also be boiled, roasted and even used for making bread (The Wildlife Trusts, 2022).

Have a great day everyone,

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V29

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. I have another handful from around Northern Ireland so please take a look and let me know if you have a favourite. I’m looking forward to seeing if there are any festive doors in the lead up to Christmas, seeing as today is the first of December. If you celebrate Christmas, do you have your tree up yet?

1 – Cathedral Quarter, Belfast

2 – Banbridge

3 – South Belfast

4 – Banbridge

5 – Banbridge

Have a great end to your week everyone and enjoy the beginning of December.

Wayne ✌🏽

M O I R A

As most of you know, I was in Moira last weekend for my sister’s wedding and I really want to show you all this picturesque and charming place.

Moira is a beautiful little village in Co. Down, Northern Ireland and can be accessed directly from the motorway, making it very easy to access. This was only my second time visiting here, which is surprising as it has always been a close enough place to where I had been living.

The last time I was here was in 2016 and it made a huge impact on me even then. I knew I wanted to return for a visit one day and luckily enough for me, I would be visiting for a wedding. It’s an extremely quirky place with many independently owned shops, quaint cafes and award winning restaurants. There is a very welcoming and homely feel to Moira and it has an abundance of character. I will run through some of the places I managed to see over the weekend and highlight a couple of places that I would love to visit in the future.

1 – Ralph’s Bed and Breakfast

2 – Tutta La Pizza

This is a lovely pizzeria across the road from Ralph’s that has amazing pizza, where you can grab a takeaway or you can dine in, whilst soaking in the rustic charm that it has managed to encapsulate.

3 – The StillHouse

4 – Moira Demesne

5 – Places to interest

A lovely sunset on the Main Street on a crisp autumn evening.

All in all this is a great little place to check out and spend a day or two. I personally can’t wait to return to explore more and try the coffee shops and restaurants, as I’m sure there are even more that I haven’t even seen yet.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your weekend.

Wayne ✌🏽

FOTD – Blueblossom

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to the weekend. My flower of the day is the blueblossom and I just happened to spot this in my parents’ garden. I love the colour and shape of these flowers and the fact they can be found on an evergreen shrub, making the blue really pop with its green leaves. You can’t help but smile when you see these.

They are native to the west coast of the United States, however, here we see them in Northern Ireland thankfully. Birds tend to love these shrubs due to the protection they offer, as well as the seeds that the blueblossoms produce.

Have you ever seen this flower?

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V28

Happy Thursday everyone. It’s a cold and wet one this week in Northern Ireland (what a shocker) and the dark evenings have leached into the afternoons.

However, last weekend we were in Moira for my sister’s wedding and I was able to spot a few doors that I liked. Take a wee look below and let me know if you have a favourite.

1

2

3

4

5

Number 5 is my personal favourite. The quaintest and tiniest door I ever did see! I wonder if a bird lives in there?!

Have a great day everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V27

Happy Thursday everyone and welcome to another week of doors. This week I’m really missing Sydney and Australia so I thought I would showcase some more of my doors from Sydney, taken just before we left for our travels home.

1 – Darlinghurst

2 – Woollahra

3 – The Rocks

4 – Woollahra

5 – Woollahra

My favourite this week is number 3 from The Rocks. I think these police doors are amazing and very welcoming for a police station. Do you have a favourite this week?

Thanks for checking out my doors. Have a great weekend guys. I will be at another wedding this weekend so won’t be online too much until next week.

Wayne ✌🏽

Banbridge Riverside Walk

Does anybody else love to take a Sunday stroll? I love to walk, as nerdy as that sounds but it really makes me feel good. Since leaving Sydney I have been walking less and less, mainly due to being extremely busy but also as there aren’t too many interesting walks nearby. This riverside walk in Banbridge is the nearest walkway to me and I really love it. The only downside is that it’s really quite short, therefore, it doesn’t enable you to obtain many steps for the day.

The name of the walk is pretty self explanatory, it’s a short walk along the river, the River Bann to be precise and it’s one of the longest rivers in Northern Ireland. The walk itself in Banbridge could take you about 20 minutes but it’s beautiful all the same. It’s especially scenic at this time of year with all the autumnal colours.

It’s a shame you can’t walk the whole length of the river, however, I am grateful to have even a small path to walk along when you need to clear your head and breathe in some fresh air.

Have a great Sunday everyone. I will be watching a Christmas movie this afternoon to get into the festive spirit 😉.

Take care,

Wayne ✌🏽

FOTD – Common Borage

Happy Friday everyone. I spotted this flower in the Botanic Gardens Belfast and I loved its uniqueness. I have never seen this particular species before. I love the colour and find it a very uplifting flower. Have you ever seen a common borage?

Also known as beeplant or starflower. The edible leaves of common borage, said to have the fragrance and taste of cucumbers, are often used to make salads, soup, and sauces. Its blue, star-like flowers can also be used as an attractive drink garnish and as an ingredient in some gins (Picture This, 2022).

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V25 🎃

Happy Thursday everyone. As it was Halloween this week and we are still in Autumn/Fall, I thought I would try to share my most autumnal and spooky doors. Let me know what you think and if you have a favourite.

1 – The Gatekeeper’s Inn

2 – Banbridge

3 – Hillsborough Castle

4 – Elmwood Avenue

5 – Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park

I hope you all had a lovely Halloween if you celebrate at all. I was driving in the evening so I missed it all. I did manage to see a few fireworks in the sky though which was nice.

Wayne ✌🏽

Sunday Sunset – Bondi

The sunset I am sharing today is from 12 weeks ago in Bondi, Sydney. You don’t actually see the sunset but the colours that were on show were absolutely stunning. I haven’t seen anything quite like the colour changes here of the sky anywhere else, from yellow to orange and then pink to lilac. I was just standing in the middle of the road, outside our friend’s apartment, in complete awe, as were many other locals.

Beautiful Bondi

I hope you enjoy the colours and have had a lovely relaxing weekend.

Wayne ✌🏽

FOTD – Pot Marigold

Happy Friday everyone. It is another wet and wild day here in Northern Ireland. I may get used to this! Lucky we have some flowers in our garden that are pretty bright and cheery.

Pot Marigold – found in my parents garden. I love the bright orange colour and it’s perfect looking petals.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽

Doors of WordPress V24

Hi everyone and a very happy Thursday to you all. The sun is shining here in Northern Ireland after some horrendous stormy weather yesterday. I have been pretty quiet here in the blogging realm for a few weeks due to some family circumstances but I thought today would be as good a day as any to make a return, plus I love creating doors posts on a Thursday so it’s perfect timing.

I hope you have all been keeping well and adjusting to these seasonal changes wherever in the world you might be. I have been trying to keep an eye on other people’s blogs, as a means to stay in tune with what’s happening here but also for some light reading as a welcome distraction.

I hope you enjoy my selection of local doors from around Northern Ireland and please let me know if you have a favourite.

1 – Finaghy

2 – Carnlough

3 – Glenann

4 – Malone Road, South Belfast

5 – Banbridge

My personal favourite is number five. I love the colour of the door, the glass panels on either side, the arch around the door, the wreath on the door, I could go on and on and on. I just love this one. How about you?

Thanks so much for reading and taking a look.

All the best,

Wayne ✌🏽

Sunday sunset – Banbridge

This sunset was taken last week at my parents home in Banbridge, Northern Ireland. Although we didn’t see the sun actually set, I loved the colours of the sky as it was setting. I especially like the way the buildings become a silhouette against the skyline.

I hope you have all had a lovely weekend. This is now almost three weeks for us being home in Northern Ireland. Where does the time go??

Wayne ✌🏽

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