In Glenarm

We've arrived, and in dry sunny weather too. So far so good!
Most of today has been spent unpacking and getting a food shop done. We had a brief walk into the village and back, passing the old bridge over the Glenarm river on the way.  This can be a good spot for watching swallows, martins and swifts, but few were in evidence this afternoon.
As we were walking out of the corner shop, an old friend phoned - she was due to pass through Glenarm on her way north. So we went back to our rented house, ready to meet her for a cup of tea and a catch-up.
I always find the first day or two of a holiday to be a slightly odd transition period. It takes me a while to change pace and to relax.  Perhaps it feels additionally odd because this is where I was taken ill, exactly this time last year; I ended up in Antrim hospital for emergency bowel surgery. Looking back, I'm reminded about how lucky I was that it was all treatable.  Apart from Blip entries, last year's Northern Ireland visit is largely a blur.