AYE A FUCKENMUCKENNUCKEN! This is the new word I learned while I was in Dublin. It’s the noise/ sound/ word that popped out of my mother as she plunged her hand into a sink of boiling water (It should be noted that she hadn’t intended on plunging her hand into a sink full of boiling water. And it also should be noted, for future reference, that I get my clumsy, bumbling gene from her). But I kind of like it; aye a fuckenmuckennucken, it’s a pretty good word. Â And I learned a bunch of other stuff while I was there too like;
The best way to get a turkey down the steep, icy, snow covered hill to my mother’s house is via a sled, with Niece holding on to it. Except sometimes when you hit a bump, and Niece is wearing mittens that don’t give a good grip, the turkey pops out of the sled. (I should probably say that at this point the turkey hadn’t been cooked yet).
Oh, and when I spend the night sleeping in the bottom bunk of Niece and Little Niece’s bunk beds, I will undoubtedly wake up and not have a clue where I am, until I bang my head on the ladder. And that houses where children live usually have the heat cranked up HIGH, at all times. It felt like I was in the jungle. I guess there little bodies get cold. And sometimes the kids can wrestle the skateboard away from the old people long enough to have a little fun themselves.
{three kids, one skateboard}
The Husband learned that it’s not wise to try to keep pace with the Guinness drinking, even when out with my female cousins. Those girls can throw it down. (I chose to daintily sip a Kir Royale. Because I’m so dainty like).Â
Bringing the kids to see Megamind 3D first thing on a Tuesday morning is a fantastic idea, because sometimes you get to be the only people in the entire theatre, which is pretty cool.Â
{that’s right, we own the whole theater}
And then I learned that my heart will melt, absolutely melt and go all gooey when Little Niece wants to sit in my lap during the movie for a cuddle.Â
Movie popcorn and Little Niece cuddles is really the only way to go.Â
The best time for me to take a snap of the city at night is not when I’m walking from Yamamori Sushi on the quays over the Millennium bridge to the Octagon Bar when it’s freezing, and I know that my martini which I’ve been waiting for since May is only a few minutes away, because the photo will basically end up being a blur of city lights like so…
{blur}
And that sometimes I can have a lost in translation moment, even in Dublin. Which is odd, because I was speaking English and the bartender was speaking English but somehow he didn’t understand me when I told him that my barely half full martini was a little on the small side (and for €12 it really shouldn’t be). But then instead of filling it more, he poured it into a different chilled glass. FAIL. But luckily for him I was far too happy being out on a date night in the city with The Husband to wreck the place (lucky lucky bartender).Â
Not going out on the town on New Year’s Eve can turn out to be the best way to start off the New Year. Especially when you spend it at your Auntie’s house with some of her friends. And you play cards and you end up walking away with €30. Starting 2011 with more money in your pocket than you had at the end of 2010 has to to be a good omen right? (It should be noted that my mother started 2011 by shattering a wine glass. That’s probably not a good omen. Sorry Mom).Â
And I learned something that I have long suspected; Â walking around a city, shopping, Starbucks cup in my hand, really is my happy place. Provided that he who huffs and puffs keeps the huffing and puffing at bay. Behold… me in my happy place (ignore fuzziness of photo, the huffing and puffing caused shaky camera)…
{me, in my happy place}
And I can pinpoint the exact moment when that wonderful holiday feeling left me; it was on the motorway back to Le Petit Village from Nice Airport, and we were stuck behind a woman at a toll who was arguing through the intercom with the toll people on the other side, screaming that she didn’t want to pay her toll because there had been traffic (???). And at that very moment I knew I was back in France.Â
Holiday Over.
bisouÂ
It's Me, Sara Louise 
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