Last week before we left, we got an email from Barry telling us that it was rainy, rainy, rainy and cold. He reminded us to bring proper clothing and to be prepared for a very different kind of summer.
When we got off the plane on Saturday morning the sky was a brilliant blue and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Yesterday for our annual Athlone Town walking tour the sun shining on the Shannon made it look like a wide silver ribbon. Glorious!
Even though it was only 72 degrees, the 70% humidity made it feel much warmer. But as soon as we stepped into the shade of a building or a tree it felt wonderful. One of the students said she had been hoping for rain. I assured her that it would come.
I'm pretty sure that we didn't have even one full day of sunshine when I was here last summer, much less two, or the third that is predicted for today. I've been reading recently updated predictions of the damages global warming will wreak on the planet. Could a drier Eire be one of the consequences? Hope not! The Irish say that they always have a couple of sunny weeks in late May or early June. Last year we missed it, but apparently this year we have not. We did miss the hawthorne bloom, which I'm sad about.
The picture at the top is of the Shannon from Athlone Castle. The one below is a park on the other side of the river, which reminds me of one of my favorite blonde jokes. The blonde is walking along the river when she notices that the other side is more beautiful. She can see no bridge or walkway to get there. Just then she notices another blonde walking on the other bank. She shouts to her, "Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the other side?" The other blonde calls back, "You are on the other side!"
Greetings to you all from the other side!
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