The Netherlands in depth

This map brings back memories of school in the seventies. It shows the height of the land, or rather the lack of it - all the lilac / grey bits are below sea level. In these days of climate change and rising seas the map has become more significant in a way.

The green Ikea box accidentally matches quite well!

Orange pencils

Whenever I see one...

Globes

Here are a few of the globes I've brought back from trips and travels over the years. I try to find ones in different languages; the one on the right is in Chinese, the little one on the blue stand is Russian.

Dun Laoghaire

Buoys in Dun Laoghaire harbour on a sunny day - looking forward to start sailing soon!

Supermoon last week

I'd say anyone with a vague interest in the moon was out last week to take a few shots of the supermoon - and I was no exception. Without professional equipment it isn't easy to do anything interesting, but luckily the clouds provided some entertainment!

La Potiche: a visual celebration of the Seventies

Went to see Potiche yesterday, the last film of the Dublin Film Festival. An absolute visual feast for those who remember the Seventies! Very funny story about a potiche (trophy wife) played by Catherine Deneuve who rises to the challenge when her unreconstructed patriarchal husband has a heart attack.

Little Luas adventure

The morning looked very promising so L and I decided to go on a little outing. The new Luas extension (tram from Dublin city centre) now brings people all the way to Brides Glen through some of the leftover nature on the city's southern flank. We had a bit of trouble finding a walk; you actually need to get off two stops before the end at Laughanstown. Luckily the Luas driver helped us out.

From the station an old country road leads towards the M50 motorway, past a few Irish crosses and a very old abandoned cemetery. This must be where the people from the settlement of Laughan are buried.

Via a new high road bridge we crossed the M50, towards a decidedly rural area; it smelled strongly of cows although we didn't see any. The views are lovely, with the sea to the east and the mountains in the south and while the motorway hums in the background you still get a sense of how far out of the city this once must have been.

We spent about an hour wandering around the fields before heading back by modern public transport towards busier parts of the city.