Centre of attraction

This morning's offering in Carl's Kino was Passport to Pimlico, a thoroughly enjoyable Ealing Studios comedy from the late '40s. A erfect start to what turned into an enjoyable day.

On a rather sudden notion, we headed out for a walk around 11.30, aiming for Dalkey, a comfortable distance up the road. We made our way to the top of the main street and on to Colliemore Harbour. We wondered what was attracting the interest of a group of people gathered by the wall overlooking the harbour, and went to investigate. It turned out to be a group of scuba divers who were perhaps out on a training session. Whatever they were up to, it involved swimming across to Dalkey Island and back again. One of the second returning group found it a bit harder than the others to point himself at the harbour entrance, but eventually got his act together and joined his wet-suited companions.

Quite exhausted from watching the swimming activity, we completed oour circuit back to Dalkey village and began what turned into a bit of a pub crawl at Finnegans, Sorrento Lounge. That's where we had lunch (chicken soup and crab pot for me). On the way through the village earlier we'd seen a sign which said that McDonagh's pub was "now under new management", so we decided to check that out. Despite not especially liking what the new management had done with the place, we nonetheless stayed there for longer than originally intended, before moving on to the Kings (or whatever it's actually called), where the prices were really low and the Guiness was really good.

Somehow time passed, and the afternoon was well advanced by the time we got back to Sandycove for a stop-off at Fitzgerald's (which we much prefer to the Eagle House in Glasthule). That was its usual great self, and our final pints there were really good and highly enjoyable. By now it was past time for me to think about getting back home and doing some work, so we stopped off in Carl's to check DART times. By the time I'd walked from the DART station in my neck of the woods it was after 10.30 pm, and there was no way any work was going to get done. Bed so, to sleep off the after-effects of a thoroughly enjoyable and utterly unproductive day.