Howth Harbour

I actually got some work done this morning, then went in to town before lunch to do some bits and bobs. The weather improved as the day progressed, so the only question when my business in town was finished was where to go for a breath of fresh air and a blip opportunity. It made more sense to head in the general direction of home (I hate getting caught up in the evening rush, and prefer to hang on in town until it quietens down rather than get stuck in it needlessly), so I mulled over the possibilities as I drove. I'd spotted yesterday evening that the annual Rose Festival had been on in St Anne's Park over the weekend, so I decided on there as a first port of call.

The wet and windy weather did no favours for the unfortunate roses, and I'm not a great fan of roses anyway. Still, there's no doubting the beauty of it all, and the scent of the flowers was very pleasant. I actually took quite a few photos there, and these will surface in due course on my other photo blogs. But even as I was strolling round and snapping away at pretty flowery things I'd already decided to take advantage of the dry, warm conditions and head back towards the same neck of the woods as yesterday. This time, though, I continued straight on to Howth rather than branch off at Sutton.

Howth was abuzz. I parked the car on the coast road near the yacht club and walked the length of the harbour, taking my time and enjoying myself thoroughly. It continued dry and warm, the sun shone more than it hid behind the many banks of clouds, and I soaked up the atmosphere as I snapped merrily away. The first click in St Anne's Park was at 4.00 pm; the final click at Howth was at 6.15. I treated myself to a refreshing large bottle of cider outside a little pub near the harbour, came home, had a bite to eat, and waded through the 200-odd photos. It's now 10.25 pm and it's time for a cup of coffee.

All in all, a pleasant, productive and enjoyable day.